"I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth." - 3 John 1:4
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind." - James 1:2-6
"Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction." - 2 Corinthians 7:4
Joy in affliction and trials... are these not the very testing grounds of our faith in God? You can always tell if a person is truly trusting God by how they react to tragedies that occur in their lives. Paul most often was writing his letters from a prison cell... the content of his letters would almost lead you to believe that he was sitting in some library of no small means and writing from the comfort of a large chair by the fire. But, you see, Paul's joy was not found in the monetary comforts of life. He found his greatest joy in his loving Savior, Jesus Christ. Oh, that we might too be found faithful in our Lord... that we would "consider it all joy" when we face trials in our lives. Quite simply, joy comes down to the matter of trust... I was greatly encouraged by a comment left on yesterday's blog entry. In it was a reference from the life of George Mueller, when his wife was dying... He held her hand as she died and said, "somehow this is good for me. Thank you Father". He got it! He understood the greater things of God! That God has a plan that is higher and more grand than anything we could ever imagine! And therefore he trusted God, and his joy was found in something greater than even his own wife. What a legacy to leave for those of us who struggle with the small things...
Friends, I so often fail to find the joy of the Lord when small things are in front of me. Instead of looking heavenward... I find my eyes glued to the tiniest details of a microscopic problem in light of a God who is so GREAT! What a pity... Oh, that I might have a faith and understanding like George Mueller... Oh, that I could rejoice in trials like Paul!
Again we come to the issue of trust... In what or whom do we place our trust? Unfortunately if we place our trust in people or physical objects, they are bound to fail us. Anything other than the immutable God of creation will not last us through trials... He alone is faithful to His promises... that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Thank you, Lord!
If we can grasp this concept of trust and faith in God, then can we learn to have joy in the less-than-joyful circumstances of life. I have no doubt that it was the intention and purpose of God for James and Paul to write these words in their letters. Christ said that following Him would come at a price. Some have paid the ultimate price! What can cause a man or woman to die for the cause of Christ? The joy that they have in knowing their Lord, Jesus!
Do you, Christian, truly understand what Christ has saved you from? It takes knowing that you are completely unworthy of being saved to understand how great a gift our salvation really is.
Am I becoming redundant in my speech? It may be because I too am learning these truths as I study each day. Where is my joy? Friends, this is one of the areas I struggle with the most... my joy is too often found in other things. But I have found myself praying to God, throughout these past few days, for Him to be the center of my life and the object of all my joy. He is faithful! He alone will comfort you in your times of trial. When everyone else has gone home for the night, He is still there... right beside you. "What a friend we have in Jesus!" I long for Him to be my joy and my comfort. Listen to these words of Christ.... "Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full." - John 16:24
When we ask in accordance with the will of God, He is faithful to provide what we need. Right now I am seeing the deficit of joy in my life and recognize that it must come from the Father. Friends, this is what we need to be praying for... that Christ would develop in us these fruits of the Spirit. We cannot attain them on our own! That is why they are called the fruit of the SPIRIT! Only by the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives can we ever hope to attain these attributes of God.
If you have learned what it means to have joy, please, share with me your findings. I would be greatly encouraged by any feedback that you might have. If you can leave it as a comment on the blog I would greatly appreciate it! Friends, may you find joy in Christ, the Hope of our Salvation, on this blessed day!
Grace and Peace!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
It is definatly hard to have joy when dealing with trials. but one of the things that gives me joy through these is that, God uses every trial, death, hurt everything for our spiritual growth in Him. That even through these things that He is loving caring and thinking of you, even when something tragic happens. I think we tend to have trouble dealing with problems such as these
because when we are in a difficult situation we are uncomfortable. we want life to go on the way we want it to, and so that we never have to be in pain or grieve,but God is an awesome God who rules and reigns, and He never gives us more than we can handle.
Chris i love your comments on everything, its an awesome subject that lots of people need to hear.
After reading your entry for today, I was asking myself what have I learned about joy in trials?
Several years ago we were facing many difficulties in many areas of our lives at one time. Our pastor was teaching in James and 1:1-2 began to point me in the way that I should go. "My brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing."
Counting it ALL joy was nothing I understood. It didn't just say when things make sense then count it joy, or when you see the final outcome count it joy. It said count it ALL joy! Well, in my simple understanding I grabbed hold and I began to thank God on the spot for things that I did not think were "thankworthy". He also tells us in EVERYTHING give thanks, so in an effort to find joy I gave thanks for thing after thing that I did not understand and praised him. I realized that I did understand that Christ had saved me and that if that was all I understand at that time I was determined that it would be enough. Paul had said that he was determined to know Christ and him crucified and that everything else could be counted as rubbish in comparison. WOW!
I have found that sometimes knowing Christ is ALL i know and that it becomes a sweet gift to have everything else so upside down that I have to face off with that simple fact. And when I do, the Balm of Gilead soothes my aching soul and I can cry with the psalmist, " It is good for me that I have been afflicted,....And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me" Psalm 119:71, 76 It is so that I will see more of my God. I must decrease that He might increase!! Then those who fear You will be glad when they see me, because I have hoped in Your Word!!
Psa. 119:74 Then I am a testimony and I can bring glory to His name by the grace of His infusion of Joy through trial and patience. What an amazing God who can make us sing like Hannah when we learn to delight in giving up our delight!
Post a Comment