Before I became a Christian I used to rejoice in my own accomplishments, when my New York Yankees won a baseball game, and a delicious dinner. Looking back on these things, that seemingly brought me some sense of joy, the thing that I now realize is that the joy or happiness they brought me was very temporary. For you see unless we are rejoicing in the Lord, our joy or happiness will always be short-lived and based on circumstances.
My friends, the exciting thing about serving Jesus is that true joy can be ours all day long; regardless of the situation or circumstances. One of the greatest lessons I have learned in my Christian walk is that happiness is circumstantial while joy is relational. Having a close and vibrant relationship with Jesus and being obedient to His commands will always bring joy with it, since I believe, that there is nothing more joyous than having our heavenly Father look down on us with His loving approval.
So often we, even as Christians, settle for temporary happiness, when long-term joy can be ours in abundance. I believe that joy is a choice and that even in our times of suffering, when we do things to bless others and glorify the Lord, we can experience great joy. You see, while suffering is never pleasurable, even when it is done to advance the kingdom of God, it can fill our hearts with intense joy since I can think of nothing more wonderful than having the approval of our heavenly Father and watching our efforts bless others. For glorifying Jesus and Christian service opens up for us levels of personal fulfillment far exceeding any others. In fact, self-denial and suffering can bring us joy that we can’t get in any other way.
I love what Charles Spurgeon shared on the subject of joy: “To rejoice in temporal comforts is dangerous, to rejoice in self is foolish, to rejoice in sin is fatal, but to rejoice in God is heavenly.”1 May I challenge you to stay close to Jesus and always strive to do His will. When we do this we can rejoice in the Lord all day long – and that, in the words of Spurgeon, is heavenly!
1 Quote by Charles H. Spurgeon: “To rejoice in temporal comforts is dangerous, t…” (goodreads.com)