WHAT IS A JOY-FILLED LIFE?

I’m filled with joy today, and I gotta tell ya…I’m pretty happy toooo!  Last weekend the Saint Louis Wind Symphony appeared for the fourth time as part of the guest artist series at East Central College in Union, MO.  The concert was awesome; there was a huge crowd, and I’m proud as a peacock to be part of such a quality ensemble.   I’m also happy to I have this opportunity to share the truth of God’s word with you, and I know that one of my closest friends is reading this right now.  That makes this a very special posting for me because there is transforming power in these words…not my words, mind you, but God’s words.   I have coffee in hand; Glenn and Cliff lying at my feet, so here we go!

The Bible talks frequently about “joy”, but that is not a term we use every day in our casual conversation.  We are more likely to talk about being “happy” or “unhappy”.  So what is the difference between joy and happiness?  I believe it has to do with the source of the emotion.  When we talk about being happy or unhappy, it usually has to do with our circumstances.  “I am happy because…..” or I am unhappy because….”  The source of our happiness is generally “what I did or didn’t do to find myself in this situation.”  In other words, the root of  our happiness seems to be triggered by external stimuli.

Joy on the other hand  is an “inside” job.  It comes from a different source.  When one is filled with joy, the source is found deep within us – in our heart – and wells-up because of peace, serenity, and absolute assurance.  For example, Apostle Paul wrote the Ephesian, Philippian, Colossian and Philemon Epistles during his imprisonment in Rome.  This was a trying time for Paul because he was facing a trial before Caesar in Rome, and his life was at stake.  Needless to say his circumstances were not good, yet he talked of being “filled with joy”.

He spoke to the Ephesians telling them in 3:20-21:  “Now glory be to God!  By his mighty power at work with us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.  May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.”  To the Philippians he stated in 3:13-14, “…I am focusing all my energies on this one thing.  Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.  I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.” And again in 4:13, Paul states, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” And in Colossians, 2:22-23 “… he (Christ) brought you into the very presence of God and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.  But you must continue to believe this truth and stand in it firmly.”  Now I ask you…where does someone who is in prison, facing the possibility of execution, find the strength, the courage, the confidence to offer encouragement and hope to others?  It emanates from a heart-felt confidence and absolute assurance that can only come from being in Christ.  As the song says, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.  Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!”

As I wrote a few weeks ago in a blog entitled, The Great Exchange (Oct. 21), I quoted one of my favorite Christian authors, Bob George, who stated, “You will never have a changed life until you have an exchanged life.”  What he was referencing was the miracle that takes place when one accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.   At the moment of conversion we become a new creation in Christ.  2 Cor. 5:17 tells us “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.  The old is gone; the new is here.” Before conversion, we were slaves to what our culture refers to as our “human nature”.  The Bible refers to this same state as our “sin nature”, meaning we are living our life based on our own passions, desires and values rather than living a life that brings honor and glory to God.  Since we were driven by a “sin nature,” we just did what came naturally to us and what our culture told us was acceptable.

But now our old self is gone and we are a new creation in Christ, meaning we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a life that is pleasing to God.  This, however, is a challenging task for these reasons: (1.) We have no mental delete button to erase all the hurts, lies and deceptions from our past; (2.) we are living in a fallen world whose standards are contrary to God’s standards; (3.) we live in these fleshly  bodies and are prone to carnal desires, and (4.) Satan is not going to give you over without a fight.  He will challenge your vulnerabilities – and he knows them ALL – with temptation after temptation to sabotage your efforts to change the way you think and behave.  He will try to convince you that “you can’t…”, “you’ll never…”, “you’re not worthy…”   This is why you have to rely on the truth found in 1 John 4:4; “He that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than he (satan) that is in this world.”  Make no mistake… this world is Satan’s playground.  This is his kingdom… and it definitely is not paradise!  But because you are in Christ and are empowered by the Holy Spirit, you are already guaranteed victory in this world.   Do you get that? ?  That is a promise from God!

So what did Paul know that allowed him to rise above his circumstances – even the possibility of death?

The answer: he knew the truth of who he was in Christ.  Not only did he understand that truth, but he also knew that as a Child of God he would be empowered by the Holy Spirit to face his challenging circumstances with wisdom, strength and courage.  For instance, 2 Tim. 1:7 tells us, “God has not given me a spirit of fear and timidity, but one of power, love and a sound mind.”  The last part of that truth, the part about “a sound mind” refers to clarity…the peace and serenity that comes from standing on a foundation of scriptural facts.  God made it clear to us in Heb. 13:5 when he said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” That is a promise from God! And just like the father in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), our loving God is waiting with open arms for us to come home; to declare, “He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God and I am trusting him.” (Ps.91:2)   This past week that message came loud and clear to me after I had been praying for clarity of thought and direction.  I opened Facebook to find at the top of my home page in bold capital letters “LET YOUR FAITH BE GREATER THAN YOUR FEAR!”  I smiled…OK God, I get it.

While I am writing this message of hope to everyone, I am also writing this particularly to my dearest and closest friend who is struggling with an issue in his life.  I want to share some scriptural truths – or “scriptural facts” as Watchman Nee calls them – that will provide a foundation of faith on which he and everyone can stand regardless of what life, this world or Satan puts in your pathway.

First and foremost, if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are saved.  Your acceptance of God’s gift of grace is your ultimate show of trust (faith) in Him. You are a new creation in Christ; you are now in Christ.  That means you are heir to what He did for you at Calvary; your sins – past, present and future, are forgiven; you are now acceptable to God because you no longer are stained with sin.  You are worthy to come before him “with no fear of condemnation” (Rom. 8:1), not because of anything you did or didn’t do, and certainly not because you deserve it, but because of what Jesus Christ did for you.  He voluntarily went to the cross to pay the price for your sins. This is a gift from a loving God who wants an eternal relationship with you.

You are also heir to what Christ did for you three days after his crucification.  He broke the bonds of death and rose to eternal life when he walked out of the tomb.  Now that you are in Christ, you also inherit eternal life.  This is scriptural fact.  This is God’s promise to you.

These truths should give you peace and serenity, and the same sense of security and assurance Paul had.  He knew that he was in Christ, and he knew his ultimate destination was eternity with God, Jesus and fellow believers.  And let’s not forget who Paul was.  He was first Saul, who was responsible for the persecution and execution of Christians.  If God can transform him, he can certainly transform YOU!  As he stated in Phil. 1:20-21, “…my life will always honor Christ, whether I live or I die.  For to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better.”  This is an example of living the message I referenced above… “Let your faith be greater than your fear”.  Faith comes from knowing the truth of God’s Word.   Fear is the lack of faith.

So my question to you today is…what has precedence in your life; faith or fear?  Do you believe the gospel of grace?  Why? or Why not?

May God bless you.  Feel free to give feedback on this posting by going to the top of this page and clicking on the title on the right side on the list of previous blogs.

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)