Praise the Lord for this beautiful Friday. Finally Summer has dawned upon NY. It is hot and humid. Tomorrow will be changing to cold weather. Praise the Lord for the way He is Lord and Savior in every situation. Praise the Lord for the joy that He gives to us. Thank you for praying for me and writing words of encouragement and hope. I would like you to join me in praying for health and wellness for one of our beautiful friends, Kathy who lives in North Carolina.
It may seem surprising, but Jesus is a Man of Joy. He experienced the deepest pain, yet He was filled with joy. He gladly bore our grief. The writer of the Book of Hebrews encourages us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfector of our faith, who was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy He knew would be His afterward” (12:2). Our Lord was characterized by joy in spite of the task set before Him.
In the shadow of the cross, Jesus asks that His joy be experienced by us. The fact that Jesus could have joy in the midst of suffering shows that we can have it also. “When Jesus bought His own joy at the price of His obedient death, He also bought ours” (J Piper). “I am coming to You”,( John 17). Jesus prays to the Father. Jesus could have prayed silently. He prays aloud for our benefit, to assure us that He’s committed to our joy. He knows He will soon be home. He will enter the Heavenly Temple, and the blood He will sprinkle upon the mercy seat will be His own. He is returning to the Father with a sense of joy and satisfaction. Yet as He prays, He’s still upon the battleground of human conflict. He prays for those who will continue to suffer hardship after His Passion is over. He prays for and died for our joy.
Life is a mixture of happiness and tears. Joy enables us to handle the tough times with a serene confidence in God’s purpose. Joy doesn’t come by avoiding pain. This word “joy” could be translated “delight." It means “to shine” or to “be bright." When we have joy, we are aglow in the Lord; there is a radiance about us, because we have come into the Light of God’s love.
True joy is unconditional; it doesn’t depend on our situation. Nothing can shatter true joy. The full measure of joy doesn’t rely on how life is, but on how we are. Faith can transform our perceptions, enabling us to be joyful throughout the good and bad seasons of our lives. We live in troubled times, but as people who belong to Jesus we’re able to rise above our circumstances.
Joy doesn’t hinge on getting what we want, but in accepting God’s will, realizing that His answers are wiser than our prayers. Benjamin Franklin observed, “The things that hurt, instruct.” We can even face conflict with joy, knowing we do so with God at our side.
When we place our cares in God’s capable hands, we’re able to conquer anxiety. Worry robs us of joy, and can lead to self-pity and bitterness. In Philippians 4, Paul tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord always.”Paul goes on to say, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done…and you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.” When we’re joyful, we have little room left for worry. We don’t have to act like victims; we can grow through our hardships. . Problems provide the cutting edge of life, through which we grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Joy must be cultivated daily, by having a quiet time with the Lord--time in prayer, and in God’s word. Then we learn what the prophet Nehemiah discovered: “The joy of the Lord is our strength” (8:10).
The world offers many substitutes for joy, which do not produce lasting happiness. Worldly joys are fleeting things, always in danger of being lost. At best, the pleasures of the world provide a false sense of happiness. Goals without Christ provide a false sense of purpose. The sorrow God turns into joy cannot be snatched from us because this joy becomes part of our character. Jesus so wishes our joy that He opposes any substitutes that diminish our joy.
True joy can’t be taken from us because it’s rooted in revelation. In John 15:11 Jesus states, “I have spoken to you so My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” The source of joy is not found in this world; it is external, from Above. “The opposite of joy is not sorrow. It is unbelief “ (Weatherhead).
Henri Nouwen writes, “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. Joy is a choice based on the knowledge that we belong to God and have found in God our refuge and our safety and that nothing, not even death, can take God away from us.” Joy is the result of an ongoing life with Christ. It’s not something we produce but something we are. We reject what the world offers because we’ve found something richer. Someone admitted to a believer, “I’d give the world if I could only have your joy.” The believer’s reply: “That’s what it takes.”
Our joy is permanent, because it’s founded upon the finished work of Christ Jesus “completed” the work given Him. Our Lord’s task of salvation ushers us into joy. And we can’t lose our joy because Jesus is praying for us; we’re secure in Him. He’s praying that our joy will be preserved. The joy the disciples must've felt hearing Jesus pray for them can be ours as we reflect on this prayer. God’s “full measure of joy” will then overflow from our lives and touch the lives of others.
Plan to be in the Lord's House this coming Sunday, wherever you might be. May the Lord of the Sabbath pour upon us His great joy as we worship and serve Him.
Those who live in the area, join us for the Heaven Now Marriage Seminar, tomorrow morning beginning at 9:00 a.m. Our church is located at 128 Maple Dr., Endicott.
Mark your calendars for The Continentals music fest next Thursday July 23, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. It will be held at the First United Methodist Church, 53 McKinley Ave., Endicott.
And remember, "Better is one day in your house, than a thousand elsewhere."
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je-wFV4M9MU
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