A Case For Joy!

I have hunted long and hard upon the earth’s surface, searching for just one missing piece in all our lives – it’s called joy. I just can’t locate it. There is something I have learned instead; life is complicated. Each day has enough to wipe away even those little joyful moments we think we have. Amazing enough, every time I open the New Testament, I see the good Lord lending out His hand of invitation towards His people through the words, “Rejoice in the Lord always, I say again, rejoice!” (Phil 4:4). There is a fine line between that which we know as happiness and joy itself. Happiness is more of a momentary good mood because of some favourable circumstances around one’s life. That sort of mood, of course, is bound to change as much as the wind of circumstances also shifts and turns with seasons. On the other hand, joy is a combination of happiness, peace, and hope deep within one’s soul. It is a work of the Spirit of Christ Himself, therefore, it doesn’t easily fade, regardless of the difficult situations that beset us in this life. It comes from knowing who Christ is, what He has done for us, and His beautiful promises that still await. 

What’s there to rejoice about?

I guess we all have a right to ask this question. I mean look around, the world is becoming worse by day; injustice rules by day while crime reigns by night. We are hard-pressed on every side by viruses, unemployment, depression and who knows what evil awaits mankind in the coming future. Well, let us consult elder Peter, I have confidence he has something to remind us why God’s people must always be full of joy. 

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls - 1 Peter 1:8-9

“Inexpressible joy that is filled with glory” can only be experienced by those who appreciate and are grateful for one thing; the salvation of their souls. I do not know about you my friend, but I know how lost I was until I was found. Yes, I am found! My sins are gone, I have eternal life! I once was blind, but now I see. I once was a slave, but now look at me, I am free indeed! Come what may, in this temporal life, nothing will take away my salvation. In this, I have joyful peace and unfading hope. If I have something to shout about, it’s that my sins are forgiven – all of them! If Christ is for me, who then can be against me? You see friend, the great tragedy that will happen to your soul is a loss of the joy of your salvation. It is when you forget, look down upon and neglect that which the Lord has done for you in redemption. I have listened long and hard to the preachings and testimonies of many brethren, they all act like God found them already righteous and just made them better. Only once out of a hundred will you hear a joyous testimony about one’s day of salvation. Oh, how that refreshes my soul! 

The salvation of our souls is not only the fountain of joy but also the motivation for whatever we do in the name of the Lord. You do well to mourn that day when the joy of being saved departed from your heart, because that was the beginning of many other sins including pride and laziness to share the Gospel with others. Take heed and pray that you never forget the mud from which you were rescued from and your heart shall ever be full of grateful joy.

What about hard times?

“Man is born to trouble as soon as sparks fly upward,” so says Job (Job 5:7). Scripture does not by any means promise us smooth and easy lives where everything happens the way we want it, when we want it. In fact, our Lord promised that “in this world, you will have trouble, but be of cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Instead, He calls us to “rejoice in our sufferings” (Jam 1:2) They say the disciples, after being beaten, “left the presence of the council rejoicing, because they had been counted worthy to be shamed for the Name” (Act 5:40-41). I find that strange, really. How can I rejoice, when I have just lost my loved one, when I am being abused like this, when I have this mortal illness in my body? 

You can rejoice in the midst of that situation because the Sovereign Lord, your Savior, allowed this to happen according to His purpose and will. You can be joyous in the face of this trouble because you rest in the hope that “the sufferings of this life are not worthy compared to the glory that will be revealed” (Rom 8:18). You can be joyful because, all these predicaments, no matter how deep and dark they seem, cannot separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. “We are more than conquers through Him who loved us” (Rom 8:37). You can have peace and joy because in all this, you rest upon the promise that “all things shall work together for good for them that love Him” (Rom 8:28). Do you know that the book of Philippians is known as the happiest book in Scripture, yet it was written from prison? Here is the lesson: 

the troubles of this life must by no means take away your joy in Christ.

False doctrine

Tell me, how can you as a believer have joy when you are constantly told by “ministers” that you have “generational spirits” that follow your life? How can God’s people be joyous when they often hear that they are cursed because they rob God of tithe? How can you have peace and hope when you are always told about the devil, witches and “marine spirits” more than you are told about Christ – what He’s done for you, what He’s presently doing and His overall control over your life? All these false teachings are taking people away from Christ. What we need is the true doctrine of Jesus that reminds believers that once they are in Him, they are new creatures; the old has gone, and new things have come. No curses follow the redeemed; they are free, free and free! Christ has redeemed them from curses by becoming a curse for them (Gal 3:13, 2 Cor 5:17, Col 1:13, Gal 5:1). Is this so hard to understand?  Brethren, doctrine matters! Wrong doctrine is bad, it harms people and robs them of their much-needed and precious joy in the Lord.

Conclusion

Of all people on the planet, God’s chosen ought to be the saddest, yet the most joyful at the same time. Most sad, because the world around us is blinded towards real joy; they stagger from entertainment to drugs, from sexual immorality to whatever they can find, yet they just cannot find peace, hope and lasting happiness. It’s found only in Christ the only One who can carry all heavy burdens of men’s souls upon His shoulders. Yet at the same time, we must be the most joyous of all creatures because we have become partakers of this Living Water, a fresh spring that bubbles into eternal life. Let us, therefore, rediscover this joy of the Lord that is rightfully ours and also our strength through Jesus the Redeemer. Let’s pray for this joy. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Sinothi Ncube