(Psalm 16:11) says: “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Have you ever realized that the closer you get to Jesus, the more joy fills your heart. I strongly believe that when our heart is full of the joy of the Lord, we are able to do great things to advance the kingdom of God. For you see, in addition to joy being a special emotional and spiritual experience, it serves as a powerful motivational force to do kingdom work.
(Nehemiah 8:10) puts it this way: “…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” And it is the strength of the Lord that allows us to use joy as our strong tower when we face the trials of life. We know from Scripture that we can have joy and trials at the same time. (James 1:2-4) clearly states this: “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.” For you see as we draw closer to Jesus and walk in His will, this act of love and obedience allows us to focus on our future blessings on earth and our exceedingly great rewards in heaven.
I believe that the best example, in all of Scripture, for how joy can provide us with the strength to endure trials, persecutions, and suffering was modeled by our Savior at Calvary. (Hebrews 12:1-2) shares the secret of how joy can provide us with the strength we need to overcome even the severest of trials: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before 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.”
Jesus, when he went to the cross, knew that this instrument of ultimate torture and pain, was the only way He could redeem fallen humanity and bring eternal life to countless millions of souls. He knew that salvation for millions was only possible through His death and resurrection. He looked down the corridor of time, I believe, and must have known in His heart that by Him going to the cross, He would be the author of eternal life to me and you! And, that my friends, brought Him supreme joy and empowered Him to endure Calvary.
My friends, the next time you are faced with the difficult decision to endure a trial for the sake of Jesus, I implore you to read and meditate on (Hebrews 12:1-2). Not only that but, I believe, when you couple these verses with (Matthew 5:11-12) watch how joy becomes your strength, for we read: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”