Before I gave my heart to Jesus peace, joy, and meaning were the three things that I tried desperately to obtain in life. Sadly, no matter how hard I tried, these three qualities always seemed to elude my grasp.
But this wasn’t because of a lack in searching. You see back around 1980 I started on an intense quest to find out what the purpose of life was. I was doing great to the outside observer. I had a great job (working as a financial analyst at JP Morgan Chase), a great education (graduated from Princeton University), and a great future. But inside I felt empty. I thought I could find what I was looking for by reading the great thinkers of the past. Well I read over 25 books in about a year on all kinds of subjects and after all that reading I had more questions about what my purpose in life was than before! I read books on Eastern mysticism, Silva Mind Control, transcendental meditation, and even went to a Buddhist monastery in New York City. Nothing seem to satisfy and fill the great void I felt in my heart.
Thankfully, one day someone shared the gospel message of Jesus with me and after six months of reading the Bible and investigating the claims of Christianity, I gave my heart to the Lord on October 12, 1981. Today, 43 years later, I have read my Bible from cover to cover and over and over and over again! Why this radical change of heart? Have I lost my mind? Have I found a crutch to lean on? Or just maybe have I discovered my fellow Christians that you hold in your possession today the most amazing, influential, and transformational book ever written – the Bible.
And while peace, joy, and meaning are all wrapped up in the name of Jesus, these three rich blessings unfortunately are not always experienced by Christians, myself included. I believe that the following quote by J. C. Ryle, which should be memorized by every Christian, is the key to living a consistent life overflowing with peace, joy, and meaning: “Let us cleave to Christ more closely, love Him more heartily, live to Him more thoroughly, copy Him more exactly, confess Him more boldly, and follow Him more fully.”1
It just stands to reason since Jesus is the only true source of peace, joy, and meaning that the more we cleave to, love Him, live for Him, copy Him, confess Him, and follow Him, the more we will experience these three prized jewels of life. When we live a lifestyle where everything we do is done to glorify God get set to live a life filled with peace, embark on a journey overflowing with joy, and where our final destination supplies us with the ultimate source of meaning – eternal life!
But the key here is that Jesus wants all of your life. Being a part-time Christian just won’t cut it, nor provide us with the peace, joy, and meaning we so desperately want. I like how Vance Havner put it: “A wife who is 85 percent faithful to her husband is not faithful at all. There is no such thing as part-time loyalty to Jesus Christ.”2 My friends, when you give Jesus your whole heart, get set for the journey of your life. I guarantee Jesus won’t disappoint you!
1 Short pithy gems from JC Ryle
2 Vance Havner – A wife who is 85% faithful to her husband is not…
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13.