There are many terms that I could use to describe 2020, but I don’t know if joyous would be one of them! We have seen many things and experienced things that have put us all into polarized positions, and whenever we are forced into polarization then anxiety and conflict arise. Once there is conflict and anxiety, there is usually a lack of joy too. So, how is it that we are told in the Bible to be a people of joy, to rejoice always, to consider it all joy when facing trials, and so-on? Well, let’s talk about it.
Joy is a disposition!
A disposition is a persons character, or inherent quality of mind. This is what we know a person by (i.e. my mom is a wonderful servant, my dad is strong, my wife is so supportive, my pastor is very passionate, etc.) and we know them to be this way regardless of the situations they find themselves in. For example, I know without a shadow of a doubt that when things are great or when things are tumultuous my mom will find ways to serve the people that are around her, it’s just in her character to do that – “do you have enough food, are you ok, what do you need” – are common questions you will hear from her. Her disposition is servitude (not in the negative sense, but in the positive ministry sense).
Joy is that type of disposition that is not dependent upon the feelings we have (although the dictionary States that it is a “feeling” of great pleasure), but upon the choices we make daily to remain hopeful and dependent upon our Savior Jesus Christ. In the Christmas story found in Luke chapter 2, when the Angel appeared to the Shepherds he told them not to be afraid because he brings them good news that will bring great joy to many people (Luke 2:8-14). The Shepherds had a choice to make right then on whether to believe this angel, remain fearful, or to take courage and be filled with joy at the message he was giving them. the message was this, “Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11). This was what was to bring great joy to many people!
Joy is a choice!
Today we also have a decision to make on whether that news of a Savior being born will bring us great joy or not. Has that news been a source of joy to you? Have you submitted to Jesus as your Christ, or Lord? It is going to be really difficult to have a disposition of joy when the source of joy is not living within us! So, if you are really struggling to find joy right now, maybe you need to ask the question of whether you have received the gift of salvation from the Savior that was born to us to forgive us of our sins (Matt. 1:21), or whether you are living by faith fully reliant upon the Savior to be Lord of every area of your life.
In the list laid out by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4 to describe christian practices, he starts out by exhorting us to Rejoice always – again he says to rejoice! He goes on to list things like; being gentle, praying, not to live with anxiety, being thankful, and so-on, but his initial call is for us to rejoice! We have the choice to make in each situation that we find ourselves, to worry or to trust, to despair or rejoice, to rely on our strength or to pray and rely upon our God. Let’s choose to be full of joy as we rely upon God through praying to Him and trusting the outcomes of each situation to Him!
Joy is a byproduct of the Gospel!
Everyone likes good news, and that is what the Gospel is – Good News! When the Angel said that a Savior is born to us, that was the best news to a people who were waiting for God to send the Deliverer. The Gospel is the very thing that grants us justification (a legal term that means to be declared legally righteous), forgiveness of our sins, peace, hope, love, faith, eternal life, etc. The person that has these things applied to their life is blessed and should be full of joy!
Ps. 32:11 says, “Rejoice in the Lord and be happy, you who are godly! Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright!” When was the last time you shouted for joy? Was it when the Browns score that awesome touchdown last week, or when you received a gift that you really wanted, or when you seen someone that you have been away from for a very long time? It is a natural response to yip, and shout, and dance when we get overjoyed by something like that, but what about Jesus and what He has done for us? When was the last time you rejoiced in the Lord as it says in Philippians 3:1? When was the last time the reality of being completely forgiven put a smile on your face? When did you get butterflies in your stomach when you considered the reality that God calls you His child and adopted you into His eternal family? When was the last time you considered your life without God and the impact of having Jesus in your life now? Allow those questions to sink in and examine the level of joy you are experiencing in your life. I submit to you (and me!) that if we are deficient of joy in our lives, then I really believe that we must go back and rehearse the Gospel message to ourselves until joy is restored! The Gospel is the source of our Joy, so we must keep reminding ourselves of the Good News of the Savior in order to have complete joy in our lives.
Practical Application
- I believe that one of the main reasons people are unhappy is because they make happiness their goal, and the same can be said of joy (although, to be clear, joy and happiness are definitely not the same thing!). When we set out to be happy, we will inevitably find ourselves frustrated and unhappy – because we cannot control all of the variables of life and the situations that will “make us happy”. Frustration occurs when expectation and reality do not match up, so when we feel frustrated we need to either change our reality or our expectations. I have found that changing expectations is just about the only thing that I can control! When you do this, all of a sudden you will notice a certain level of joy restored in your life.
- One thing we can do to remind ourselves to operate in joy is to write out Scripture verses that confirm our identity in Christ and what He has done for us on either 3×5 cards, or a desktop pic on our computers, or a text to yourself, and so-on. When we see the Truth and recite the Truth of what God has done for us often, it changes our attitude and disposition! It makes us healthy.
- Praise God often! I love Ps. 33:1 where it says, “You godly ones, shout for joy because of the Lord! It is appropriate for the morally upright to offer him praise.” You are not weird if you get caught up in singing out praises to God, it is appropriate to offer up praise to God! Praise and worship bring joy to our hearts, because they allow us to express our gratitude to God from our hearts – and this produces joy! So, praise God often!
- Make choices in your life that will honor God. This seems like a no-brainer, but I know that when we do things to honor others it produces joy in our lives. Seeking the good of others over ourselves is a great way to increase joy in us, because we are fulfilling the call of God in our lives when we do this. Whenever we know we are operating in God’s ways, we will have joy! It just happens. It is like the child who knows that their parent is pleased with them, they just beam with joy. That same thing happens to us when we know that we are trusting God and following His ways in our lives, by serving others.
I hope this has been helpful to you, and I pray that this Christmas season is full of Joy!
God bless you.
