Joy
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The Battle for Joy!G'day! Welcome to Partake WISE. The word for today is joy! Let us ask ourselves at the very beginning what is joy? Is joy merely a form of bloated happiness as many people believe, including those in the church? Can joy be seen as going around everywhere with a silly grin etched into your face! That kind of joy is dependent upon circumstances and feelings! True joy is not to be confused with mere pleasure or feeling good! True joy is to be a way of life and it is to permeate every facet of the person and not just the emotions! True joy is to be a deeper, inner joy whereby the source, object and target is to be God and God alone! As Christians, we are all instruments in the orchestra of God's joy. Does that describe your experience of joy?
To enhance that thought, hear what C.S. Lewis once wrote:
"Joy is never in our power, and pleasure is. I doubt whether anyone who has tasted true joy would ever, if both were in his power, exchange it for all the pleasure in the world."
True Joy Can Be Yours!True internal, biblical joy is always separated from our circumstances and is a heartfelt response that endures regardless of what happens around us. The world says happiness is looking out for your own interests in everything you do and at all times, because the greatest good is your own personal happiness! That is what the world calls ‘joy'. That kind of happiness or type of joy doesn't last long so the perpetual search for happiness continues in a circle - like a dog chasing its tail. But that is not true biblical joy! Now I am not saying happiness is a bad thing, but in comparison to true joy - well there really is no comparison! Joy, in the Bible, is frequently mentioned with peace and salvation rather than just an emotional state! In the New Testament, joy is often associated with all kinds of suffering. True joy is always for the good of others, not for our own selfish gain. When we give away our will, for the sake of others, we receive the joy that Jesus desired for us. Happiness and joy are radically different.
Joy Is JesusTrue joy is never an end in itself. It is only as Jesus Christ is made our overwhelming first priority, that true joy, almost without our knowing it, bursts in! The source, object and target of our joy as Christians, is to be Jesus Christ and Him alone! Where Jesus is glorified in the power of the Holy Spirit, so is the Father and this pure, unadulterated joy is released upon us and in us! If we seek joy for joy's sake alone, we will mislay it, because it cannot be caught. People of the world think that by crying "Me, me, me", they will have joy! When in fact, true joy is "Jesus, Jesus and yet more Jesus!" True and unbridled joy, is given only by Jesus Christ and we receive it by serving Him and Him alone.
Joy Is Jesus Over YourselfJoy is "Jesus Over Yourself" and letting Him have total control over all aspects of life! In Hebrews 12:2 we read this "Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Jesus Christ, the Son of God and our saviour is now experiencing glorious joy in all senses of the word! Go out with joy and allow Jesus' joy to permeate every facet of your life and make a difference in your local community! Remember, you are a part of God's orchestra of joy, so go be an instrument of joy for God's greater glory!! Thank you!
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