Every once in a while my high school students ask me what kind of parties I attended in high school and college. I explain that the parties I attended are probably different than they expect. I had a lot of good, clean fun with friends laughing, cooking, baking, eating, dancing, listening to music, watching movies, creating things, playing games and sports, and socializing. I let them know it’s entirely possible to have a pleasurable and meaningful time of fellowship without carousing, taking drugs, having sex, or behaving recklessly. To the students who are still interested I share that I’ve found God is the only one who can fill the longing in my heart to love, to be loved, and to find joy not just passing happiness, but steadfast joy. I derive my greatest pleasure in pleasing him. Life is made of relationships, decisions, and moments. You will discover the deepest joy and fulfillment if you make God the foundation of each.
In the Bible, the apostle Paul, encouraged believers to “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). This has been a profound and timely reminder to me. Lately I have been discouraged and weary from the depravity, arrogance, and self-centeredness so prevalent in our society. Yet that’s not what my response should be. God is calling me to rejoice in Jesus himself. My identity, completeness, security, and peace are found only in him. He created me, loves me, and adopted me into his family along with everyone else who trusts and obeys him. He has saved me and is saving me. He teaches me to live abundantly, and is preparing me to reign with him forever. Therefore, I don’t need to look within myself, my achievements, my experiences, my circumstances, or other people to find lasting joy. Anyone who trusts Jesus can experience his unsurpassing joy.
With that said, it doesn’t mean that every moment of every day is wonderful, positive, or happy. Trials, pain, suffering, misfortune, and sorrow are common on life’s journey through this fallen world of broken people. When Jesus walked this earth he was joyful, yet he still experienced many other emotions. Joy is not the absence of negative emotions or experiences. Rather it is through joy in Jesus that you see life differently. For believers, joy in Jesus tempers and undergirds their relationships, choices, moments, and emotions with a sustaining calm delight that looks beyond temporary distress to future righteousness. Make Jesus the cornerstone foundation of your life rather than rejecting him in favor of building your own life. When you do God enables you to rejoice each day because of how marvelous Jesus, your savior, is amidst any hardship (Psalm 118:22-24).
Your joy in Jesus not only helps you see life properly, restoring you within, but it also bolsters you to carry God’s light and love to a dark and callous world. If you follow Jesus, that is your mission. If you don’t make Jesus your source of joy, chances are you will grow weary and fall short of carrying out this calling. That was the case for the nation of Israel. God had chosen them to be a light, showing all nations what it means to love and serve God as their benevolent king. However Israel replaced their joy in God with other pleasures. They turned from following God and from fulfilling their mission. At one point God disciplined them by allowing Babylon to conquer them, capture them, and level the temple in Jerusalem. After 70 years of captivity, God gave them another chance to turn their hearts to him and to turn their efforts to his calling. They responded and returned to their homeland to rebuild their lives and the temple. However, it was not easy. Other tribes opposed Israel being restored to a position of influence. Nehemiah, one of Israel’s leaders, encouraged his people that the joy of the Lord should be their strength (Nehemiah 8:10). As they reflect on all God is doing to restore them individually and corporately and what he will do through them to reach other nations, that will fortify them to faithfully persevere. The same is true for you. God wants to draw you into an ever closer relationship with him, and in the process to work through you to reach others. Respond. As the world opposes you and Satan tries to isolate you from God and minimize your witness for God, stand strong in joyful faith. Turn away from any bad or even good thing which keeps you from loving God. Resolve to find your joy in Jesus and let that overflow to encourage others and help them come to a saving relationship with him.
Each day by God’s grace, I’m trying to find my joy in Jesus. I still struggle, but here are some practical steps that help which the apostle Paul wrote about in Philippians chapter 4.
- Study God’s Word, the Bible. Paul exhorts believers, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8). The Bible helps you discern and avoid evil, as well as, understand and apply what is good and right. It reveals God’s character, his purposes, and his mission for you in Jesus so you can live an abundant and effective life now and forever. God’s word at work in your life also enables you to experience the full measure of Jesus’ joy as he prayed it would for his followers (John 17:6-23).
- Set your mind on things above and beyond. Realize God is near. He is with every believer. The good and even the bad that you experience God desires to utilize to transform you to become more like Jesus and to train you for future service. Before his crucifixion and resurrection Jesus shared not only about persecution, grief, and suffering his followers will undergo but also of the love, counsel, comfort, grace, power, and future glory they will experience because he would come to live inside them through his Spirit. He concluded with, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
- Thank God. Praise him for who he is, what he has done, and what he will do.
- Pray and rely on God. As a loving Father, God cares for you. Humbly share with him your wants, needs, and desires. However, be open to him working differently than you expect. His ways exceed your ways. He will answer in his masterful manner and perfect time. You may not understand how or why right now, but that’s okay. Like a child, trust your Father’s faithfulness, wisdom, and providence. Eventually he will reveal his grand tapestry and how the threads of your life weave into it.
- Receive his peace. God promises that when you rejoice in him with prayer and thanksgiving, he will grant you peace to guard your heart and mind in Jesus.
Don’t let the affairs or the allures of this world rob you of the joy you can have in Jesus. C.S. Lewis, a skeptic who became a Christian, wrote “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” I encourage you to discover abiding joy in Jesus as David king of Israel did. He wrote, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun” (Psalm 37:3-6). May your joy in Jesus renew you each day. May it impact your relationships, decisions, and moments and strengthen you to share his love and salvation with others.