Joy is the result of the mind and heart focused on what God has done, is doing, and what he has promised. In his goodness and mercy, he has redeemed and reconciled us through Jesus. In his steadfast love and providential care, he graciously fashions us for glory and pleasure that it beyond what we can fully comprehend in our momentary journey. His transcendent power keeps us for the inheritance prepared for us when we are finally home in his presence enjoying him in full satisfaction and delight. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock” (Isaiah 26:3–4).
Christian joy is a settled satisfaction in God’s goodness, love, and sovereignty. Such serenity implies a confidence in a greater authority and resource than anything found in the created order. That confidence frees the one who trusts to not be preoccupied with his or her own security and satisfaction, but to look to the interests of others for their benefit and thereby point people to the benevolent Sovereign. Paul, for example, was in a violent storm on a ship driven across the Mediterranean Sea for fourteen days. I am sure he was feeling green, hungry and exhausted. But because he trusted the promise of God, he did not despair like the others. Rather, he provided focus and direction to a group gripped in suspense and weakness. His care for their need resulted in the encouragement of all (Acts 27:33-36). His confidence in God’s promise freed him from self-preoccupation, so he could care for the needs of others.
Phyllis Hall, in Springfield, Mo., is a widow of three years. “When you’re a widow…you feel very alone – just like a new neighbor can feel.” So, in her settled satisfaction, she purposefully reaches out to her neighbors. “Your neighbor is anyone you come in contact with,” she said. “The main objective is to show them that someone cares.”[1] The gospel rescues us from self-focus and frees us to incarnate a vision of peace and hope in a context of decay and despair.
Joy comes from a focused mind on the truth of God’s self-disclosure. “The truth will set you free,” Jesus promised. So, live as people who are free. Live joyfully.
______________________
[1] Lauren Dunn, The Simple Art of Neighboring, WORLD Magazine, July 30, 2022, p.68
Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.