"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:11
Whenever the opportunity arises to talk about Joy, I find it an easy assignment. If you have truly experienced the "Joy of your Salvation", you can easily get in touch with what the meaning of joy is. When faced with the task of writing a song about Joy, I once came up with this verse that really captures the essence of Joy.
Remember the meaning of Joy.
Life will be easy if you do.
Always put Jesus first.
Second, all others,
Then you
This simple poem has always been my formula for Joy. As you may have already heard, the word JOY is an acrostic…. Jesus--Others--You. This has been taught for a long time, and I wrote a poem and put it to music, so that I could hum that truth to myself whenever I need it.
For me to get in touch with Joy is as easy as remembering what a blessing it is to be saved. The very fact of my knowing Christ brings me such a feeling of elation, and the feeling of indescribable gladness that it could only be Joy. I experience this exuberance only when considering what God has done for me. At any time, any place, and no matter what the circumstance, I can get in touch with this "button" that God has installed in me.
May I make a suggestion to everybody who reads this? Everyone try to describe what it feels like knowing that God loves him or her. Anybody can do it. Just close your eyes and picture Jesus holding you in His arms and assuring you of His love and plans for you. How does that make you feel? Isn't it wonderful? This joy can change my attitude in an instant. When I put God first, and others second, and me third, it helps me to continue experiencing Joy. As a matter of fact, the more often I hum the Joy Song, the better everything seems to go! We have so much to be grateful for, so many blessings. Even in the midst of trouble, I just have to start with the fact of my salvation and...here comes the Joy!
When I get self-focused and forget about God, that's when the Joy goes away. I know that many families are facing difficulties, but remember that Christ will never leave you or forsake you. Just thinking about that...Here comes the Joy again!...Makes me want to whistle a little song. I pray that your family's Joy will multiply and flourish, and that you won't let the enemy steal your Joy.
Remember the meaning of Joy; life will be easy if you do. Always put Jesus first, second, all others and then You!
In Joy,
Pastor Fred
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This reminds me of something I read recently in a Joyce Meyer book, titled Knowing God Intimately. Around six months ago, my walk with God started to change. I was smiling over smells in the air and getting teary-eyed over trees and even shrubs. Everything was so beautiful and I frequently found myself in a state of breathtaking awe. “Why am I crying over how pretty this flower is?” I wondered. “Am I depressed?” No, it couldn’t be depression because I was simply too happy. I ruled that out and moved on to new possibilities. “Maybe I’m going crazy,” I thought, but then quickly dismissed that idea. Who wants to settle on that as a reason for being a certain way? I’ve done crazy in the past and I knew the feelings of spiritual euphoria had to be rooted in a different cause. “I must be hormonal,” I finally concluded. I just didn’t “get” why everything was making me smile. I was so stinkin’ happy, but still….I couldn’t figure out why (how awesome would it have been had I just gone with it and not had to “figure” everything out!). Though I knew God was somehow involved, I still didn’t understand what was happening. Well, I love, love, love Joyce Meyer and had been reading in her book, Knowing God Intimately, for some time when one night I came to the part about “baptism of the Holy Spirit.” She described what happened to her when she received this baptism and it was a description that mirrored everything I had been experiencing. “Sam, Sam! Wake up! I think I’ve been baptized in the Holy Spirit!” I shrieked in excitement. So, I read to him what she had to say on the topic.
ReplyDeleteIt was the first time I realized the difference between “happiness” and “joy.” I hadn’t just been happy and smiling for however many weeks it had been – I was experiencing full blown joy in the Lord. I realized that I was neither depressed nor hormonal; I was simply in love with the Lord, and I didn’t ever want the feeling to end. Since that time, I’ve gone up, down, and all around the awesome feelings of joy. I’m sometimes in joy and other times not. I can’t stand the days when I’m outside of the realms of joy. Once it has been tasted, nothing else compares – not even happiness. However, until I read what you wrote, I didn’t realize what it was that kept me outside of it on those joyless days – it was (and still sometimes is) me putting me first. How selfish we can be! I still have so very much to learn, but you continue to teach me. I asked God months ago why some of my days were filled with joy and other days not. Until today, I hadn’t received such a targeted and direct answer. Thank you, Pastor, for letting Him answer my prayers and questions through you.