How can there be joy
in the midst of pain, grief, and loss? When days are dark and drear, what difference
does our faith make? Why do we not despair? The Bible teaches that those who face
the direst of circumstances can discover through their trials the most vibrant joy.
Their strategy? They look beyond their problems to see the God-given fruit that
can result.
Reading: Jas 1:1-4
Visual aid – giant
eraser.
There is no doubt that dogs know how to get the most out
of life.
Ro 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Treasure chest full of gold, then empty.
The Bible recognizes
the joys of earthly life. Youth, health, and beauty. Delicious food. Adventure
and accomplishment. A wedding celebration. A baby being born. A son coming
home. A house. A purchase. A promotion. Received gifts and honors. Jesus talked
about finding buried treasure, a merchant with pearls, etc.
Paul and Barnabas to
the pagan crowd in Lystra:
Ac 14:17 and yet He did not
leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from
heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”
So the joys of life
are actually evidence of God’s existence and care for all.
But the Bible puts
all those joys in perspective. Not as bad or unspiritual things, but as
unreliable, insecure, temporary. As no substitute for a deeper joy, an eternal
joy, a “no-matter-what” joy.
So, when those
earth-related joys are lost, Scripture describes another level of joy, another
type of joy, a “no-matter-what” joy.
What is joy? Joy is
a deep abiding assurance that God’s presence supports me, His power secures me,
His promises sustain me, His peace surrounds me, and His purpose strengthens
me.
Joy is the settled
assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet
confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the
determined choice to praise God in every situation. Kay Warren
1.
Switch the Lens.
Turn off the poor-me channel, the terrible-others
channel. Anger, revenge, pride, selfishness.
J-O-Y.
Not
our circumstances, but the way we look at them.
Joy is not found in what
we see, but in the lenses through which we see.
How can we give and
find more joy every day?
Joy is an inward
quality, not an external quantity.
Joy is evident both
in our smiles and in our tears.
Joy is the result of
thinking, speaking, and acting as Jesus would and did.
Sin brings
short-lived “enjoyment” or pleasure. Heb 11:25
Entertainment cannot
provide lasting, genuine joy. It can become an addiction that requires greater
and greater doses to bring the same results.
The world offers
“the law of diminishing returns.” No wonder depression rises as faith
decreases.
Joy is not always
found in getting what we want but in letting go of what we don’t need. – Unknown
I have learned to
seek my happiness by limiting my desires rather than in attempting to satisfy
them. – John Stuart Mill
Joy is a choice. So
is misery. By choosing the one we make less room for the other.
In NT Greek the word
for “Hello” is “Rejoice!”
Jas 1:1; Acts 15:23;
23:26; Matt 26:49 (Judas); Matt 27:29 (soldiers)
The Greek word for
“Good-bye” is also “Rejoice!” 2 Cor 13:11
Do others find joy
in our greeting, when they meet us?
When they leave us,
do they have greater joy?
The greatest joy is
found in giving joy. The Ethiopian “went on his way rejoicing.” You know
Philip did, too.
Some say, “I will
know true joy when …” The Christian says, “I know true joy because …”
For some joy is the
goal. “When I have it, I will …”
But joy is ours now.
“Because I have it, I will …”
“A Tale of Two
Tails”
2.
Seek the Source.
State where you are
looking for joy, and you will know why you have the level of joy you have.
The world says, “The
fruit of _________ is joy.”
Country song: “Lookin’ for love (JOY) in all the wrong places …”
The source of
joy determines the amount, the value, and the “expiration date” of joy.
Treasures on earth –
moth. Rust, thieves.
Bank balance.
Physical appearance.
Gary Smalley, in his
book, Love That Lasts:
People
Places
Possessions
Position
Facebook changes
moods, depresses people.
Paradox: The
greatest joy is found, not in seeking joy itself, but in seeking God. Joy is
proof that we have found Him.
Joy is the fruit of
a right relation with God. It is not something people can create by their own
efforts.
Whenever I struggle to
feel joyful, I choose to reflect on how God always meets my needs. Time after time,
I’ve seen God put forgiving love in me right where angry resentment had been half
an hour before, simply because I asked him to.
As my relationship with
God grows, my love for him becomes more deeply entwined with my gratitude to him.
The more I remember his goodness, the closer I feel to his comfort, peace, and presence.
4. Try a Scripture search. Remind yourself of the
importance of rejoicing by searching the Bible—both Old and New Testaments—for God’s
instructions in this area. It will spur you on to “consider what great things [God]
has done for you.” 1 Thessalonians
5:16-18 reminds us it’s God’s will that we be “joyful always” and “give thanks
in all circumstances.”
Ne 8:10 Then he said to them,
“Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing
prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the
Lord is your strength.”
Jn 15:11 “These things I have
spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
Joy is found over 150 times in the Bible. If such words
as “joyous” and “joyful” are included, the number comes to over 200. The verb
“rejoice” appears well over 200 times.
Open the Word.
Listen. Repeat.
Memorize.
Ne 8:9 Then Nehemiah, who
was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught
the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do
not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping when they heard the words
of the law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the
sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy
to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Ps 30:1 I will extol You, O
Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my enemies rejoice over me. 2
O Lord my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me. 3 O Lord, You
have brought up my soul from Sheol; You have kept me alive, that I would not go
down to the pit. 4 Sing praise to the Lord, you His godly ones, And give
thanks to His holy name. 5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor
is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in
the morning. 6 Now as for me, I said in my prosperity, “I will never be
moved.” 7 O Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand
strong; You hid Your face, I was dismayed. 8 To You, O Lord, I called,
And to the Lord I made supplication: 9 “What profit is there in my
blood, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your
faithfulness? 10 “Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me; O Lord, be my
helper.” 11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have
loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, 12 That my soul may
sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You
forever.
Ps 126: A Song of Ascents. 1
When the Lord brought back the captive ones of Zion, We were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful
shouting; Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for
them.” 3 The Lord has done great things for us; We are glad. 4
Restore our captivity, O Lord, As the streams in the South. 5 Those who
sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. 6 He who goes to and fro
weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
Jn 16:20 “Truly, truly, I
say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will
grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy. 21 “Whenever a woman is
in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to
the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child
has been born into the world. 22 “Therefore you too have grief now; but
I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your
joy away from you.
The real secret to
“no-matter-what” joy is faith – trust in our “no-matter-what” God. Opening the
Word, confessing our struggles, and leaning on Him.
Just ask. When you struggle to
obey God in the area of giving thanks, don’t hesitate to ask him to show you how.
He’s longing to draw you close, to give you strength for the challenges of every
day. So ask for his help. God wants us to have a happy heart as much as we long
to be joyful. It’s not all up to us; God’s there, waiting to give us joy.
3.
Grab the Eraser.
Forgive yourself and forgive others.
Burdened with guilt, shame, wrongs you committed and cannot undo.
Weighed down by people who mistreat, reject, and criticize you.
If you have sinned, confess the sin, give it to God, and leave it with
Him.
If others have wronged you, leave that with God as well.
Ps 51:8 Make me to hear joy
and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice. 9 Hide Your
face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a
clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not
cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. 13
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to
You.
Lk 11:4 ‘And forgive us our
sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us
not into temptation.’ ”
Clean the Closet.
Good Riddance Day.
Remove the junk that has collected in your heart.
Whatever is beyond
your ability to help, whatever you wish you could change but can’t, whatever
dust and rust and clutter you have allowed to live rent-free in your head –
evict it!
Difficult people.
Frustrating circumstances. Nagging worries. Baseless fears.
4.
Change the Tape.
Self talk.
I am a child of God.
I have a purpose and a future.
Song – Firm
Foundation
Fill your mind with music. Listen to, sing, and
meditate on music that draws your heart nearer to God and His Word.
5.
Pursue the Prize.
See what can grow out of your trials. Don’t run from
trials; run to them and through them!
Oysters have to be irritated by sand to produce pearls.
Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn. – John Maxwell
Jas 1:1 James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve
tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. 2 Consider it all joy, my
brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing
of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect
result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Ro 5:1 Therefore, having
been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2
through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in
which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only
this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings
about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven
character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God
has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to
us.
2 Co 1:8 For we do not want
you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that
we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of
life; 9 indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we
would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; 10 who
delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we
have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us,
2 Co 12:7 Because of the
surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from
exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan
to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I
implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said
to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”
Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the
power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with
weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with
difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Cor 1
The Christian can
find joy in every situation, trial, challenge, opportunity, or crisis. How? He
uses it to glorify God and to grow in likeness to Jesus Christ.
When someone breaks
a promise …
Or insults us …
When we lose a job …
Or a loved one …
When the church is
going through tough times …
When we are tempted
…
Or lonely …
Or blessed!
6.
Use the Pen.
Create a “Joy Journal.”
If developing an “attitude
of gratitude” is difficult for you, take heart! You’ll be surprised how a little
bit of discipline goes a long way toward giving you a joyful spirit. Try these action
steps:
1. Start a joy journal.
Keep
a small notebook by your bed, just for jotting down a few good things God’s done
for you that day. This doesn’t take long—especially if you use one or two key reminder
words. At the beginning, or on a day when your heart’s heavy, this may take some
work. But even on those days, try to come up with three items, minimum. It may help
to look back over the other days’ entries to spark thoughts of God’s faithfulness
to you. As your thankfulness “skill” develops, this exercise becomes a pleasure.
7.
Offer the Thanks.
1. Express gratitude to three people every day.
Being happy doesn’t require
us to turn a blind eye to troubles such as crime and natural disasters. Neither
does it mean we chant shallow platitudes such as “Don’t worry, be happy.” Like most
attributes we long for (peace, patience, goodness), a happy heart takes root in the discipline of giving thanks. It’s the secret
weapon of the joyous Christian.
2. Find something to
be thankful for, no matter the circumstances. In every situation, there
is something to be thankful for, if only you look for it (1 Thessalonians
5:18). My former coworker really seemed to loathe working in our office. Day
after day, her list of verbal gripes grew longer, which didn’t do much for my morale.
Finally, I suggested she list what she did like about her job. The next day
she surprised me by showing me her list. She admitted she’d been so busy focusing
on her grievances, she’d forgotten to notice the good things in the office.
For years I assigned
myself the annual task of making a list of “100 things to be thankful for.” I typically
find the first 20-30 easy to come up with, then get bogged down in the middle. But
all of a sudden I find myself remembering little things that have built my trust
and confidence in God. I always manage to come up with 100. Give it a try
All-or-nothing thinking
is common when you feel discouraged, but don’t fall into that trap. There usually
are a few times, at least, when things go right. So look for the silver lining.
3. Say “thank you” before
“please.”
When it comes to prayer, don’t jump directly into your list of wants and needs,
no matter how pressing those may seem. God loves to hear us appreciate him. Start
by praying the way Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 6:9-13,
by honoring God (“Hallowed be your name”). Your praise will naturally include thankfulness
for his faithful love, the daily help of his Holy Spirit, and his provision for
you.
8.
Lighten the Load.
Join an Encouragement Team. Practice the “Ken Burnett”
method.
Ken Burnett was a
beloved brother in Keller, Texas. As cancer weakened him until he died, he was
on the phone every day calling other people who were sick. They still talk
about those conversations.
When you bear
another’s burden, your own becomes lighter.
How sad when a
person complains that they are not getting enough attention from those around
them! “No one calls me.” “No one visits me.” “No one cares about me.”
The devil loves that
spirit. Misery spreads and grows like cancer.
I wish that everyone
who needs more encouragement would start by giving encouragement. The Encouragement Teams are one method of
doing that.
9.
Follow the Son.
Focus on
Jesus’ Path to Joy
Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we
have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance
and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race
that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter
of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him
who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not
grow weary and lose heart. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding
blood in your striving against sin;
Possible hymns:
This is the Day That
the Lord has Made
Into the Heart of Jesus
Joyful, Joyful We Adore
Thee
Heaven Holds All to Me
When He Comes In Glory
By And By
I Stand Amazed
Joy to the World
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