Hope Turns into Joy
Where does your True Joy come from?
There are many things in this life that can bring us Joy: family, friends, community, a sense of purpose, reaching a goal, a sunset, vacations, sports, etc. Many of these things have brought Joy into my life, but I have recently been thinking about where my true Joy comes from…
King Solomon was the wisest, richest man to ever walk on this earth and he lamented in Ecclesiastes how meaningless all of life’s riches, prosperity, fame, wisdom is in comparison to fearing God and following his commandments.
So where does true Joy come from?
I know that my Joy comes from the Hope that the Holy Spirit gives us when we walk freely in his Grace.
Galatians 5:22 is a classic verse that talks about the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. I have read that verse many times, but I recently continued into verses 23-25 which made a couple things click.
Galatians 5:23-25: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have CRUCIFIED the FLESH along with its passions and desires (see bullet points above). Since we live in the Spirit, let us keep in step with the spirit.”
We are hearing a commission from Paul that we are to crucify our fleshly desires. Not abandon, ignore, set aside, or even kill but to crucify them, just like Christ came to do. Pretty radical when you think about it…
But why should I crucify my desires for wealth, prosperity, comfort, success, etc?
Remember King Solomon, the wisest and wealthiest man in the history of the world? He wrote in Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 that he didn’t deny himself anything his eyes desired, but it all ended up meaningless, “like chasing after the wind.”
Ecclesiastes 5:10 states “whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.”
What’s the antidote to the message our society throws at us every second?
In Galatians 5:16 Paul tells us to “walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.”
1 Peter 2:18-19 tells us to “submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of [unjust] suffering because they are conscious of God.”
To me, this answers the question from above: Why should I crucify my fleshly desires?
We serve a God who is good, considerate, gracious, faithful and all knowing. When we walk in step with His will for us, as lined out in the 10 Commandments and the new commissions given to us in the New Testament, that is us following Paul’s call in Galatians 5:16 to walk in the Spirit.
A reminder when we are struggling through times of temptation of satisfying our earthly desires:
1 Thessalonians 5:28 “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in ALL circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 lines out how to live a life that pleases our Lord. Spend a minute and read through it here.
Back to the Joy that comes from the hope we have in Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:23 brings the cold, hard truth: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Yikes.
Romans 3:24 brings the hope: “all are justified freely by his Grace through Christ’s redemption.”
What a relief! Talk about a get-out-of-jail-free card, pass Go, and collect your $200, even though we don’t deserve it.
Romans 5 gives us hope from our justification through Faith in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, given to us through Grace. “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame because GOD’S LOVE HAS BEEN POURED OUT INTO OUR HEARTS THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT, who has been given to us.”
Let’s conclude on Romans 6:2
“What then, shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin (crucified); how can we live in it any longer?”
Let us focus our prayers this month on abiding in the presence of Christ, soaking up all the Grace we need and don’t deserve, washing us clean and pure.
Let’s not compromise abiding in Him for what temporary pleasures the world might offer, but instead walk in the Joy that comes from the hope offered through faith in His resurrection.
I know that my Joy comes from the Hope that the Holy Spirit gives us when we walk freely in his Grace.
Abide in His presence and grace this week and watch your Joy overflow.
In Christ,
Tim Stuart