By Bill Bright:
How wonderful to experience a joy that need not be limited by favorable circumstances. Yet many of us do not consistently enjoy this blessing. Why is this true? There are several “joy-breakers” that can short-circuit our joy and cause us to wallow in despair and frustration.
One joy-breaker is worry. An old man was once asked what had most robbed him of joy in his life. He answered, “Things that never happened!” How true it is that worry about the future steals our joy today. That is why Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34, NIV).
Another joy-breaker is disobedience to God. It steals our joy by harming the source of all joy—our relationship with God. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, and we can only bear fruit as we abide in Christ. Jesus said, “A branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from Me” (John 15:4).
Our sin severs us from the vine. Now, we are not removed from God’s love, nor is our salvation in doubt; however, until we repent of the sin, the sweet nourishment of the Holy Spirit cannot fill us as He desires. We cannot deliberately disobey God and continue to abide in Christ. Just as a disobedient child cannot be happy knowing he has disappointed his parents, so we cannot be joyful until we have repented and restored our intimacy with our merciful heavenly Father.
A third joy-breaker is guilt. After King David sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba, he wrote these words, “When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long. Day and night Your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And You forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion to You while there is time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment” (Psalm 32:3–6).
A fourth joy-breaker is the failure to seek God wholeheartedly. Seeking God wholeheartedly refers to the quality of our love, desire, and devotion to Him. When we seek God with our whole heart, our desire for closeness with Him becomes increasingly consuming. Our joy grows as our love for our Lord becomes more intimate.
Our relationship with our Creator will only grow as far as our desire permits. Hebrews 11:6 states, “[God] rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” There are great rewards in seeking our glorious Creator. The Word of God promises in Psalm 34:10, “Those who trust in the Lord will never lack any good thing.” We should seek God wholeheartedly so that we can experience the intimacy with Him that He desires and develop a passion for Him and His purposes. When we strive to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37), we will reap the abundant joy that comes from a deep, contented relationship with almighty God.
When the Jews returned from exile, they wept because of Israel’s great sin. Nehemiah encouraged them, “The joy of the Lord is your strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10). We, too, can be comforted by the strength of God’s supernatural joy. We can take joy in our amazing Savior whose sacrifice allows us to experience grace, forgiveness, and an eternal life of intimate fellowship with our Creator. We can enjoy others because they are precious souls with whom we can share His joy. And we can rejoice in the work that God has done in our lives because we have a new identity in Christ.
One day we will enter into the heavenlies and stand before Jesus. How wonderful it will be to hear the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!” (Matthew 25:21). What eternal happiness and joy will be ours if we faithfully serve our Lord and Savior!
Praise God for the unspeakable joy of His abundant blessings! May we delight in what we have in Him: an eternal Father and Savior; an eternal inheritance; an eternal holiness; an eternal family; and an eternal kingdom.
What a marvelous identity we have in Christ. In His power we can think, speak, and behave in a way that reaps a life of power, freedom, triumph, peace, and joy. What wonderful blessings! And what a supernatural life we should be living.
By Bill Bright, Abundant Living
©2023 Copyright Bright Media Foundation
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