Only One Way to True Joy

Society at large may say I'm narrow minded.  Perhaps they would go so far as to say I'm a hater.  A certain segment of society these days considers anyone a fanatic, a radical, an extremist who takes a solid, uncompromising stand for anything.  We are intolerant.  Well, perhaps I am guilty of all of the above.
Being a Christian has never been about being popular, or blending in with society.  Real, honest-to-Jesus Christianity has always been radical, anti-social, life-changing, earth-shaking.

And when Christians dare to say that there is only ONE WAY to heaven, to life eternal with our Creator Savior, then some say we are getting downright offensive!  Some people lately have even called us dangerous, terroristic, criminal.

But this should come as no surprise to us!  Jesus promised us that this was the way society would react to us when we make the decision to follow Him.  Read what He told His disciples in John 15:18-20a (New American Standard Bible): 

  “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’  If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you." 

Jesus is the One who told us that there is only one way that is acceptable to God.  He said in John 14:6 (21st Century King James Version):  "Jesus said unto him, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.'"

He also said, in Matthew 7:13-14 (Contemporary English Version):  "Go in through the narrow gate. The gate to destruction is wide, and the road that leads there is easy to follow. A lot of people go through that gate.  But the gate to life is very narrow. The road that leads there is so hard to follow that only a few people find it."

So, if I am narrow minded, it is because my eyes and my heart are fixed only on Him who loved me so much that He gave His life for me.  If I am a hater, it is because I hate my own sin so much, knowing that it is my sin that separates me from a perfect, sinless, holy God and the joy and peace that only He can give.  If I am a fanatic, a radical, an extremist, it is because He has filled me with so much love for Him that it is impossible for me to contain it -- I must allow Him to flow through me, into every area of my life, influencing all my decisions, guiding me in every step I take.  If I am intolerant, it is because I cannot tolerate my own sin, my inadequacy to save myself, my inability to live the life He wants me to live without His help.

I hope and pray that you will join me as I walk the hard road, through the Narrow Gate who is Jesus Christ, the One who brings us to complete peace, joy, comfort, and an eternity with Himself.  My prayer for myself and for you this week is adapted from Psalm 1:1-3 (New American Standard Bible): 

Dear Jesus, (Bless me and the one reading this, help us to be those) who do not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  But (remind us to) delight in the law of the Lord, and in His law (help us to) meditate day and night.  (Cause us to) be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season.

I Choose Joy No Matter What

Does your level of joy depend upon a lucky roll of the dice?  What happens to your joy when the roll of the dice is not a winning roll -- when your checking account is overdrawn, when your children disappoint you, when your boss tells you that your job is being phased out, when the doctor says the prognosis is not good, when you get that call in the middle of the night?

If your joy is based upon circumstances, it can be gone in an instant, in the blink of an eye.

But if your joy is based upon knowing your Creator, the King of Kings, The Great I Am, then your joy will not fail when everything else does.

The joy God offers to us is always available, no matter what.  He loves us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die a cruel death on a cross in order that we may spend eternity with Him.  And that eternity begins the instant we accept His free love gift of salvation and apply it to our own sin-filled lives.   He loves us so much that He has made it possible for us to be adopted into His family, even though we can never measure up to His perfection.  As a part of his family, He calls us his children, His heirs.  And He promises us that He is with us and will never, ever leave us, no matter what.  His word tells us:

• There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1, 21st Century King James Version)
• And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. (Galations 3:29, New American Standard Bible)
• For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39, 21st Century King James Version)
• Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. (James 1:2-3, New American Standard Bible)
• Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Or where can I flee from Your presence?  If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.  If I take the wings of the dawn,  if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me. (Psalm 139:7-10, New American Standard Bible)

God never promised us a life without difficulties.  As a matter of fact, His word assures us that we WILL face difficulties.  But he does promise us that He will be with us through them all, that He understands what we are facing, and that He will guide us, teach us, love us, and comfort us, no matter what.  If that doesn't bring you joy, then I can't imagine what would.

My prayer for you and for myself this week is taken from the last two verses of Psalm 139, verses 23 and 24 (New American Standard Bible):  Search me (and my readers), O God, and know (our) heart(s); try (us) and know (our) anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in (us), and lead me (and my readers) in the everlasting way (in the way You want us to go).

Joy is the Best Medicine

I've heard all my life that laughter is good medicine.  There is even scientific evidence that shows that laughter boosts your immune system, reduces stress, eases pain, causes your muscles to relax, and prevents heart disease.  It eases anxiety and improves your mood.  When you laugh with others it strengthens your relationships, it attracts others to you, enhances teamwork, creates strong bonds, and defuses conflict.  So who wouldn't want to take that prescription?

Well, sometimes we just don't feel like laughing.  Sometimes we are in the low places of life that I wrote about last week.  When we have just received news that causes us to feel like our hearts have been ripped out, when we have just lost our job, when we just got a bad report from the oncologist (fill in your worst nightmare here) we don't feel like laughing. 

And sometimes, we put up a good front.  We become very good at wearing a mask that hides the hurts, habits, and hangups that are actually eating us up inside, making us miserable.  Proverbs 14:13 says, "Laughter might hide your sadness. But when the laughter is gone, the sadness remains." (Easy-to-Read Version)

That's why I have said so many times that there is a distinct difference between happiness and joy.  Happiness depends upon our circumstances.  Joy transcends our circumstances.  It is possible to have profoundly deep joy, even when we are in the middle of our darkest, most horrific times in life.  Even though we may not be happy mentally and emotionally, we can know that deep inside, our hearts are filled with joy and a cheerful spirit that can overflow into the crisis that surrounds us, lifting our spirit above the chaos and catastrophe. 

So if laughter is good medicine, but laughter is "out of stock" on our imaginary drug store shelf, why not try the BEST medicine, JOY, taken liberally several times each day, mixed with discipline, obedience, prayer, and faith?  Here is a sample of what God's word says about joy, a cheerful heart, and healing:

• A joyful heart helps healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 (Common English Bible)
• Oh Lord, your discipline is good and leads to life and health. Oh, heal me and make me live!  Isaiah 38:16 (The Living Bible)
• But for you who obey me, my saving power will rise on you like the sun and bring healing like the sun's rays. You will be as free and happy as calves let out of a stall.  Malachi 4:2 (Good News Translation)
• I will praise you, Lord!  You saved me from the grave and kept my enemies from celebrating my death.  I prayed to you, Lord God, and you healed me, saving me from death and the grave.  Your faithful people, Lord, will praise you with songs and honor your holy name. . .  At night we may cry, but when morning comes we will celebrate.  Psalm 30:1-4, 5b (Contemporary English Version)
• You have changed my sadness into a joyful dance;  you have taken away my sorrow and surrounded me with joy.  Psalm 30:11 (Good News Translation)

The great thing about The Great Physician's prescription of joy, is that it is not just curative, but it is also preventive, helping you to avoid spiritual sickness and weakness in the first place.  I hope you will fill His prescription for yourself, take it several times a day, every day for the rest of your life.  Keep your prescription filled by reading God's word every day.  The verses I gave here are just a small portion of what He wants to teach you about joy and good spiritual health.

My prayer this week, for you and for myself is this, taken from Psalm 13:3, 5-6 (New International Reader's Version):  Lord my God, look at me and answer me.  Give me new life, or I will die.  I trust in your faithful love.  My heart is filled with joy because you will save me.  I will sing to the Lord.  He has been so good to me.

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I Choose Joy in Low Places

Do the circumstances of your life sometimes make you feel like you are living in a valley, surrounded by mountains that you are unable to climb?  When everything around you seems to be falling apart, do you feel like those mountains that surround you might just begin to crumble and bury you there in the valley? 

I've been in that valley before.  I won't pretend to know what you are going through, and I won't pretend to know how you feel. Everyone's valley is different.  But I do know that you and I are never alone in our valleys.  God is with us, and He promises that He will never, ever leave us or forsake us.  Even in our valleys.  Sometimes He seems even nearer to us when we are in the valley -- He is always with us, but our awareness of Him and His presence can often seem more keen when we are in the valley.

Life on the mountain top is exhilarating.  There are beautiful views from the mountain top, and it's great to have those times in our lives when we think we couldn't get much higher -- times of great personal success, times of learning or wonderful adventures, times when our children or grandchildren were born.  But we can't live on the mountain top all the time.  If life were just about the mountain top experiences, we would soon be overwhelmed, and even those fabulous times would become routine, losing the special importance that we place on them.  God is with us on the mountain tops, and I believe He rejoices with us while we are there, but these times are rare and fleeting.
 

Thankfully, most of our lives are spent somewhere between the mountain tops and the valleys.  Somewhere on the slopes, the foothills where the terrain is gentle, ever changing, but without the perilous highs of the mountain crest and the frightening, deep lows of the canyons below.  God is with us there, too, but this is where, if we are not careful, we can become complacent, taking Him for granted or ignoring Him altogether.  It is here, in our everyday, routine lives that we tend to think we have it all under control and we don't even think about needing His help.  But in reality, this is when we need to spend the most time seeking Him and learning about Him.  This is our training ground.  It is here that we get in the habit of trusting God with every detail of our lives.  It is here that we learn to recognize that every blessing is from Him, and we learn to praise Him for each of those blessings.
 

Do you put your seat belt on when you get into your car, or do you wait to buckle up when you see someone speeding through a red light, heading toward your car?  Do you have to look up the number for the fire department if your house catches fire, or do you memorize "911" before you need to use it?  Shouldn't our government train an army before our country is attacked, or would an enemy just wait patiently for our military to go through six weeks, or more, of boot camp to prepare to fight that enemy?  So why should we wait until we are in our low places to learn about the One who will show us the way through the valley?  
 

Where are you today?  Are you calling out to God for His help?  No matter if you are on the mountain top, the foothills, or in the lowest valley, now is the time to call on Him.  He wants to meet you where you are, in whatever condition you are in.  He does not want to wait for you to get your life together before He joins you on your journey.  He wants to join you now, wherever you are.

If you are on a mountain top, I am happy for you.  Congratulations!  Invite God to celebrate with you.  Read the following verses and apply them to your life on the mountain top:

• My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high.  My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.  There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. (1 Samuel 2:1-2, New International Version) (Hannah's prayer after having a son, Samuel)
• And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.  (Nehemiah 12:43, New International Version)  (Israel praising God after completing the building of the new wall around Jerusalem)

If you are on the gentle slopes of life, I hope you will take this time to learn more about God and His love and care for you.  At some point, you will find yourself in the valley.  Allow God to train you now, before the hard times come, to trust in Him for everything.  Read the following from His word, and apply it to your life today:

• Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts.  Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.  Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. (Psalm 105:2-4, New International Version)
• Woe to those who. . .rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord.  (Isaiah 31:1, New International Version)

If you are in the valley, even in the lowest part of the valley, my prayers are with you.  But more importantly, GOD is with you.  He loves you and wants to comfort you, give you peace and joy, and lead you through and eventually out of the valley.  Read the following and allow God to comfort you, to guide you, and to give you joy, even while you are hurting: 

• The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?  (Psalm 27:1, New International Version)
• I remain confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:13-14, New International Version)

 

Read all of Psalm 27.  If you are new to studying the Bible, a good place to start is in Psalms.  Begin by reading one Psalm every day.  Soon you will find that God has turned your dry desolate valley into one that is lush and beautiful, a place where there is life and growth and rivers of living water.

My prayer for you and for myself this week is taken from Psalm 139:1-3, 7-10, 23-24:  You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?  If I go up to the (mountain top), you are there; if I make my bed in the depths (of the valley), you are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.  Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.