Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)
There are two kinds of joy we can experience in life: real joy or counterfeit joy. The first is lasting; the second is fleeting. Here are a few things to consider regarding the counterfeit joy which beckons to us every day.
Counterfeit joy seems real but leaves us wanting in the end. It was the joy Adam and Eve experienced when they decided to be their own gods and turn away from the One who had created them and breathed life into them. When their counterfeit joy evaporated, they found themselves running away and hiding from God. David experienced counterfeit joy when he decided to commit adultery with Bathsheba. He should have been leading the army of Israel onto the battlefield, but instead he took another man’s wife into his bed. The cost of this counterfeit joy was incalculable, leading to the murder of Bathsheba’s husband in an attempt to cover David’s treacherous tracks and ultimately to the death of the child that was conceived by their illicit union. Counterfeit joy is any joy you are seeking that is contingent on circumstances.
Real joy, on the other hand, is not rooted in circumstances; it is rooted in Jesus Christ. Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), and it is produced by God’s work in our lives. Joy is a gift of God, and we need simply to receive it and rest in it, regardless of the circumstances we are facing.
We do not deny difficult circumstances; like the psalmists, we cry out to God. We pour out our hearts and we tell Him exactly how we are feeling. Once we have done that, we cast all our cares upon Jesus because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).
Jesus has provided two main avenues to walk in so that we can experience real joy. The first avenue is vertical: we raise our eyes to heaven and focus on our relationship with Him. We spend time with Jesus in prayer and in the Word. We cultivate our vertical relationship through intentional and intimate time spent with Jesus each day.
The second avenue that leads to joy is horizontal: we look around us and build relationships with others. I often say that we were saved individually, but we were saved to community. We each need each other to experience real and lasting joy; that’s how God made us!
Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24)
Let us encourage each other to seek out genuine joy — the joy of the Lord — which we will experience as we pursue a deep relationship with Him and build edifying relationships with each other. As we walk down those two avenues of relationship, we will truly rejoice in the Lord. I will say it again: Rejoice!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 