The Purpose of 'Where's Your Joy?' Weblog
I'm going to start with a disclaimer. I'm not new to blogs, but I'm new to having one of my own. I'm a frequent lurker and not-as-frequent commenter on other blogs, but now I'm venturing out into posting various articles or things I'd personally like to remember. Knowing that once published, words are difficult to retract, especially in the blogosphere, I pray that I use wisdom and am really led by the Holy Spirit rather than my own foolish pride.
So, let's answer the question, "Why did you call your web log 'Where's Your Joy'?" The history of that comes from my increasing, albeit slowly, understanding about the joy that comes from Jesus Christ, from knowing Him, and abiding in Him (John 15). There's so much I would like to say here on that subject, but I will defer that to a future article.
A good friend and pastor of mine always talks about the joy of the Lord (my first choice for the name of my blog was "The Joy of the Lord", but it was taken). He would ask us men who met for prayer once a month, "Where's your joy?" By that, he referred to James 1:3 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;"
His question contained more questions: Were we depending on our circumstances wherein our happiness goes up and down like a yo-yo, or are we depending on the solid rock which is Christ, and where our joy comes from? Sure, we can be loving to our wives and a great father to our children and generous to strangers when things go our way; but what about when they don't?
What if your youngest child throws up in the back of the church as you're getting ready to lead the congregation in worship? What if your oldest child can't find shoes, socks, and belts for himself on a Sunday morning and he's ten years old? What if you have a headache, the bills are piling up, there's no money in the bank, your middle child has poops in his underwear and all over himself and he's been potty-trained for a year?
These (and more) have happened to me in the last month, and, although I hate to admit it, I have not responded completely with joy. Thanks be to Jesus Christ, it is no longer I that liveth, but Christ that liveth in me, and through Him, I can actually succeed.
This past Easter Sunday, my pastor's sermon was on the Sovereignty of God, particularly related to the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. God planned everything from the beginning. There is no resistance of His will. This is a difficult doctrine to comprehend from our finiteness, but that's why God is God and we're not.
That same Sunday, my wife's friend died at 32 years of age from an acute asthma attack, leaving behind her husband and four children. She is a Christian and now in the presence of the Lord; her husband was not, and is now dealing with the grief and pain.
A friend of mine's former pastor's mother-in-law died in a car accident recently. She is a Christian also, so although there is grief, there is also hope.
Another friend of mine found out this week that the lump under his tongue is malignant cancer. He is also a Christian.
It may seem insensitive to ask them "Where's Your Joy?"; on the other hand, with the exception of the non-Christian husband who lost his wife, all Christians must continue in the joy of the Lord regardless of their circumstances. This is not to dismiss grief -- even Jesus wept when he came to the tomb of Lazarus. However, he did not weep as one who had no hope, yet he felt our sorrow.
I will continue to encourage my friends and family, to be there for them and minister to their needs, and weep with them. But having the joy of the Lord in me, I can also lift up their heads, support their weary arms, and bear their burdens (as Jesus does mine) and ask them "Where's your Joy? Here He is; Christ, our Lord. Come, let us worship Him together!"
So, let's answer the question, "Why did you call your web log 'Where's Your Joy'?" The history of that comes from my increasing, albeit slowly, understanding about the joy that comes from Jesus Christ, from knowing Him, and abiding in Him (John 15). There's so much I would like to say here on that subject, but I will defer that to a future article.
A good friend and pastor of mine always talks about the joy of the Lord (my first choice for the name of my blog was "The Joy of the Lord", but it was taken). He would ask us men who met for prayer once a month, "Where's your joy?" By that, he referred to James 1:3 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;"
His question contained more questions: Were we depending on our circumstances wherein our happiness goes up and down like a yo-yo, or are we depending on the solid rock which is Christ, and where our joy comes from? Sure, we can be loving to our wives and a great father to our children and generous to strangers when things go our way; but what about when they don't?
What if your youngest child throws up in the back of the church as you're getting ready to lead the congregation in worship? What if your oldest child can't find shoes, socks, and belts for himself on a Sunday morning and he's ten years old? What if you have a headache, the bills are piling up, there's no money in the bank, your middle child has poops in his underwear and all over himself and he's been potty-trained for a year?
These (and more) have happened to me in the last month, and, although I hate to admit it, I have not responded completely with joy. Thanks be to Jesus Christ, it is no longer I that liveth, but Christ that liveth in me, and through Him, I can actually succeed.
This past Easter Sunday, my pastor's sermon was on the Sovereignty of God, particularly related to the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. God planned everything from the beginning. There is no resistance of His will. This is a difficult doctrine to comprehend from our finiteness, but that's why God is God and we're not.
That same Sunday, my wife's friend died at 32 years of age from an acute asthma attack, leaving behind her husband and four children. She is a Christian and now in the presence of the Lord; her husband was not, and is now dealing with the grief and pain.
A friend of mine's former pastor's mother-in-law died in a car accident recently. She is a Christian also, so although there is grief, there is also hope.
Another friend of mine found out this week that the lump under his tongue is malignant cancer. He is also a Christian.
It may seem insensitive to ask them "Where's Your Joy?"; on the other hand, with the exception of the non-Christian husband who lost his wife, all Christians must continue in the joy of the Lord regardless of their circumstances. This is not to dismiss grief -- even Jesus wept when he came to the tomb of Lazarus. However, he did not weep as one who had no hope, yet he felt our sorrow.
I will continue to encourage my friends and family, to be there for them and minister to their needs, and weep with them. But having the joy of the Lord in me, I can also lift up their heads, support their weary arms, and bear their burdens (as Jesus does mine) and ask them "Where's your Joy? Here He is; Christ, our Lord. Come, let us worship Him together!"
posted by RalphC at
4:07 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home