Certainly, it is impossible to go through life with a smile on your face every moment of every day, but one of the keys to life is how to retain joy in the midst of trial. While happiness depends upon circumstance, joy depends upon our emotional well-being. Happiness is a fleeting emotion and joy is a way of life. Perhaps our greatest examples of joyfulness come from Jesus while He walked on this earth as a man.
17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Luke 10:17-20
When Jesus sent the 70 disciples out in pairs to share the gospel, He sent them without money, food or other supplies. In the verses above, we see that they returned, filled with joy. Though the disciples seemed to emphasize that even the demons were unable to hurt them while preaching in the name of Jesus, the foundation of their joyfulness was not in power but in obedience. When God assigns a task to a believer, obedience to God always will bring joyfulness. One of the greatest blessings is for God to use the broken and battered lives which have come to Him. God could use anyone or anything to accomplish His plan, so when He chooses to use believers, it is an obvious gift! One of the best known verses on joy tells us:
Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10
It doesn’t matter how dark the road ahead seems to be; certainly, by turning around and looking back on life without the Lord, the pathway seems much darker. No matter how difficult the trial you are facing, the Lord walks with you. If you are on His errand, He will give you power, peace and joy along the way. Can you imagine the difficulty of the task, which the Father assigned to Jesus to accomplish for us?
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2
Jesus joyfully endured the cross, though when in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed three times that if there was any other way that the Father would let this cup pass from Him. When God the Father did not open another door, Jesus obediently stepped through the door facing Him. Joy comes from obedience to God! It is not a fleeting emotion but a permeating peacefulness. It passes understanding. Joy is trusting that God will handle any obstacle in your path because He loves you. Joy is not just for your own benefit, but for others around you, as well.
“Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with.” --Mark Twain
Are you walking in sorrow rather than in joy? Reflect upon your life to discover the areas of disobedience to the Lord, as that failure to comply with God’s plans will sap the joy from anyone. Many churches are familiar with the fact that 10% of the people do 90% of the work. Sadly, that means that 90% of the people are not serving. Your task does not need to be church-centered, as many Christians have ministries in their places of work, schools and neighborhoods. Yet without serving God, you are not being obedient to His calling. Without obedience, there is no joy. God’s hope is for our joy to be so full that it speaks volumes to a broken and battered world!
These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
John 15:11
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