Completing Joy Series

Many of you have probably already heard of ADD – Attention Deficit Disorder. However, many of you might not yet have heard of a new disorder that is being diagnosised. A serious illness of which I fear many of us may be suffering. It is called AAADD (Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder). A friend of mine was recently diagnosised with this serious aliment.

In his own words, this is how it manifests. He writes: "I decide to wash my car. As I start toward the garage, I spot the mail on the hall table. I should go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay the car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the trash can under the table, and notice that the trash can is full. So, I put the bills back on the table and take out the trash first. But, since I’m going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash anyway, I might as well pay the bills first. I see my checkbook on the table, but there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go to my desk, where I find the bottle of juice that I had been drinking.

I’m going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the juice aside so that I don’t accidentally knock it over. But the juice is getting warm, and should be put in the refrigerator to keep it cold. Heading toward the kitchen with the juice, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye. They need to be watered. I set the juice down on the counter, and find my reading glasses, for which I’ve been searching all morning. I had better put them back on my desk, but first I’m going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water, and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. Tonight when we sit down to watch TV, we will be looking for the remote, but nobody will remember that it’s on the kitchen table. I should put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I’ll water the flowers. I splash some water on the flowers but most of it spills on the floor. So, I put the remote back down on the table and get some towels to wipe up the spill. Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day: the car isn’t washed, the bills aren’t paid, there is a warm bottle of juice sitting on the counter, the flowers aren’t watered, there is still only one check in my check-book, I can’t find the remote, I can’t find my glasses, and I don’t remember what I did with the car keys. I’m try to figure out why nothing got done today; it’s quite baffling because I know I was busy all day long, and I’m really tired. I know this is a serious problem, and I’ll try to get some help for it, but first I’ll check my e-mail.

Far too often the Christians suffer with Age Activated Attention Deficient Disorder. We become distracted by past sins, or accomplishments, the activities of our lives demands our attention, our wives or husbands need us, our children need our attention, work calls, school work must be done, laundry, dishes, there is a great show on television and so we move in a frenzied pace through life and before you know it the end of the day has come, the end of life, and our faith, the source of our joy, is not complete.

Joy comes in choosing and living it but it also comes to us needing to be made complete. The joy of knowing Jesus Christ is not a one time event, a one time experience. It isn’t just what God does for us. We have a responsibility to make joy complete in him. It takes work, effort. It is a growing experience. Christ comes to us and gives us the joy but he expects us to work out our salvation in his glory.

Paul in the midst of his suffering and chains wants the Philippian church and you and I to understand what that means. In verse 4 he tells us if anyone has reason to boast, if anyone has reason to think they have made it in faith – he did. Read along with me VS 4 If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. Phil 3:4-6 (NRSV). Talk about religious, Paul was a jews jew. And then He came to know the messiah. He heard the voice of the resurrection Christ, he studied for four years, he sought out the disciples, he traveled throughout the land proclaiming Christ, and starting churches. He had sought to know Christ, to know the power of the resurrection, he had sacrificed and suffered for his Lord and yet he joyously proclaimed he was not yet perfect in Christ, had not yet obtained it or took hold of it yet. He is saying he is not yet perfect in Christ.