Joy

God convicted me of something today… as a Christian, I should have joy.   It was a simple thought, but it carries so much weight.

Most Christians know that we are supposed to be joyful in all circumstances.  That applies to the best day, when everything is just spectacular, but it applies equally to the worst days, weeks, months, and years of our lives.  Again, most Christians who have spent any amount of time in church or reading the Bible know this, and so did I, but still God used this simple idea to change my perspective.  He did this by making me examine the source of my joy…

Naturally, this is what I look like when I have true joy

If my joy is found in my job, it will fail when I have a bad day at work.  If it is based on my family, it will flee as soon as my wife and I get into a fight.  If my joy is built on pursuing a dream, it will die when that dream does not come to fruition, or happens in a time frame I’m not ready for.  You get the point.  If our joy is built upon anything except Jesus Christ, it is not real joy, and it will inevitably fade away.  Too often we trick ourselves into thinking we are finding our joy in Christ, when in reality, we are finding it in the things we claim to do for Him.  In other words, our joy must be based in Him, not in our efforts.

Don’t get me wrong, we are certainly supposed to find happiness in the blessings God has given us.  I delight in the fact that he has given me an amazing wife and two beautiful children, and they are incredibly important to me.  I feel good when I do my job well.  I enjoy pursuing my dream, and will continue to do so, knowing it is God-given.  But on the days when I’m away from My family, when my job is getting to me, and when I feel as though I will never achieve my dreams, do I find joy in the fact that Christ has saved me from utter brokenness, and has called me to be a part of sharing that salvation with others, or do I slip into darkness, anger or sadness?

Let us search our hearts, tear down the idols that are bringing us a false sense of joy, and replace them with Jesus, the only source of true, unending joy.