The Full Measure Of Joy Series

To have joy, it takes more than a weekly dose of worship. Joy must be cultivated daily, by having a quiet time with the Lord--time in prayer, and in God’s word. Then we learn what the prophet Nehemiah discovered: “The joy of the Lord is our strength” (8:10).

>Joy explained (the “why”)…

Knowing what joy is helps us see why Christians are joyful.

The world offers many substitutes for joy, which do not produce lasting happiness. Worldly joys are fleeting things, always in danger of being lost. At best, the pleasures of the world provide a false sense of happiness. Goals without Christ provide a false sense of purpose. The sorrow God turns into joy cannot be snatched from us because this joy becomes part of our character. Jesus so wishes our joy that He opposes any substitutes that diminish our joy.

True joy can’t be taken from us because it’s rooted in revelation. In John 5:11 Jesus states, “I have spoken to you so My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” The source of joy is not found in this world; it is external, from Above. “The opposite of joy is not sorrow. It is unbelief “ (Weatherhead).

Henri Nouwen writes, “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. Joy is a choice based on the knowledge that we belong to God and have found in God our refuge and our safety and that nothing, not even death, can take God away from us.” Joy is the result of an ongoing life with Christ. It’s not something we produce but something we are. We reject what the world offers because we’ve found something richer. Someone admitted to a believer, “I’d give the world if I could only have your joy.” The believer’s reply: “That’s what it takes.”

When a child breaks a toy, a panicked parent will try to replace it; the crying then stops. That’s joy-by-substitution; we replace pain with pleasure. Adults have our own toys, which we use to escape the stresses of life. This strategy of replacement keeps us immature; it trains us to live on substitutes. Does our joy depend on what we possess, or Who we possess? When we find Christ, we find joy.

Our joy is permanent, because it’s founded upon the finished work of Christ (vs 4; Jesus “completed” the work given Him). Our Lord’s task of salvation ushers us into joy. And we can’t lose our joy because Jesus is praying for us; we’re secure in Him. He’s praying that our joy will be preserved. The joy the disciples must’ve felt hearing Jesus pray for them can be ours as we reflect on this prayer. God’s “full measure of joy” will then overflow from our lives and touch the lives of others.