CHRIST, THE SOURCE OF TRUE JOY
I woke up one morning at 3AM from a fitful sleep triggered by thoughts of a lady I had been dealing with the night before--I will refer to her as Martha. I woke up frustrated because of my inability to help her for she has had the same recurring problem on and off for many years. Having been busy with work the last couple of days didn't help, and I thought I was particularly impatient with her as she once more recounted her bitter tales and woes. I woke up thinking of her, praying that she would have victory over her hurts and bitterness because unless she does, she'll never have the fullness of joy that God promised to her as a believer.
"That your joy might be full" Christ's words rang in my ears as I continued to ponder. When I thought of how her joy had been even less than half full the past twenty years almost—I thought of how sad it is, and I prayed in my heart "Lord, how can I help her find joy?"
TRUE JOY TO THOSE WHO ABIDE
Joy In The Midst Of Trials
Where does a person's joy reside? I remember speaking on the topic of A HEALTHY HAPPY HEART in 2006 to a group of ladies from several churches during which we went through some biblically based principles by which we can go by. A few months after that, the Lord allowed a series of physical, emotional and spiritual trials to happen to me that put my gleanings to test. I survived that tough, unhappy and dark period of my life realizing that in the end, it made me understand and appreciate the principles I taught more fully -- that true joy comes when testing is endured in Christ. Ps. 119:92 says "Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction."
One can speak of the various steps that God gives and encourages us with to have a cheerful healthy heart in the Lord, but never really know what it means until our joy is tried—like mine had been, and this lady now. When my father got seriously ill back then, when trouble came, when I myself got sick and disheartened physically, spiritually… how did I "get my joy back"? The Lord nudged me, at three in the morning, to remind me that the joy has always been there! I realized as well that joy was never made full until I came to terms with it, that the beginning and end of it IS CHRIST. "The joy of the Lord is your strength"… because Christ lives in my heart, I have no excuse for not being joyful!
Why did Martha never have the victory over her self-pity and wounded heart? It's because she's never known and really relied on Christ enough. We cannot love the unloving…we cannot do good to those who have hurt us… we cannot give bread, turn the other cheek, nor go the second mile with someone who has been unkind, unloving, abusive and hurtful to us—on our own strength alone. Rom 5:6 says "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly but (Php 4:13) "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." John 15:5 says "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." If I abide, stay, continue, and remain— IN CHRIST, I will bear fruit. I suppose that includes the fruit of the Spirit.
TRUE JOY IS FOUND IN BEING DEPENDENT UPON CHRIST
John 15:6 says " If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered."
I remember asking a friend of mine to transplant a small palm tree from a corner of our garden to a big clay pot on our porch. I was saddened by what I saw three days later, my beautiful palm tree had shriveled, dried up, and later died. I made a mistake by removing it from its rich fertile home to a less favorable ground. If we are not careful, we will end up like that palm tree and like this lady who was overtaken by hurts and wounded feelings, winding up later with a shriveled and dried up spirit that has slowly pined away in bitterness. No Christian can ever bear fruit--have joy, love the unlovable and those that act unloving, if they do not abide in Him. Through the years, I have observed once cheerful spirited Christians get overwhelmed by bitterness so much that they slowly wither in spirit and their physique, sadly deteriorates with it. Proverbs 23:7 says "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:" As a person dwells on the fact that she is unappreciated and unloved—the more she becomes unappreciative, unloving and difficult to love. ABIDING AND HAVING JOY CANNOT STAND APART FROM THE OTHER. This ought to serve as a warning because we can fall into the same PIT and ROT in the same RUT.
JOY THROUGH PRAYER
John 15:7 says " If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."
This verse is not some magic phrase that you say out loud and poof, you get your wish. It is, however, a step by step process that outlines for believers the key to answered prayer, and that is "ASK ACCORDING TO HIS WILL". No, I did not misread the verse; however, if we read it carefully we begin to understand that the more we abide in Christ and allow His Words to abide in us, the more we find ourselves asking according to what we know (have read in His Word) will be acceptable to Him and thus the greater possibility of an answer to prayer.
Martha, whom I have counseled with, claims she's prayed, she's tried, and done all she can to do what is right and to be loving. She however admits reaching her limit when it comes to turning the other cheek. She finds it harder and harder to continue to do good to her "unappreciative" family, to go the second mile (suffering inwardly), and giving bread (many times her own food literally to them), and yet has not had success or victory. THAT IS THE PROBLEM—WE CANNOT DO IT ON OUR OWN—it is not natural for the flesh to do good or what is right or loving. Romans 7:18 says "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." Then again, I CAN DO ALL: keep on being patient, loving and forgiving, THROUGH CHRIST'S STRENGTH ALONE! WHEN WE FAIL IT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT BEEN VIGILANT IN FOLLOWING THE FORMULA—that of relying on God and not on self. John 15:7 says" If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." There is no quick way to a JOYFUL LIFE, to a forgiving heart, to victory over bitterness. We do not wake up one day and say "I'm bitter free"… "I've a joyful heart." There is no sure way to have victory but God's way.
JOY, THE FRUIT OF LOVING
I came home that night angry at myself, feeling helpless with Martha, and exhausted from hearing the same complaint and heartache, over and over and over again. I woke up that morning from a punctured sleep thinking "when will it be over?" and feeling at a loss on how to help her. I sat an hour later being thankful because the Lord reminded me of the way by which I can "handle" this Martha and how she can "handle" her problems. How? The answer is "I cannot and she cannot—on our own."
John 15:4 says "Abide in me, and I in you (stay, remain, continue in Him) as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." Why do we go around the world, go about our work, heavy laden from carrying the weight of our hurts and sorrows when God has said in Mat 11:28, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." We come, but we do not take His word and do what it says. We LEAN, but we do not LEARN that it is only in losing our lives that we find it, in giving up of our pride that we find joy that will remain. TRUE REST is elusive to anyone who goes about doing things on their own strength, to one who refuses to come to Christ and live his life in His (Christ's) terms and not theirs. Though they claim to be doing things through Christ, they DENY Him in their very actions, in their lack of forgiveness and love. "FOR WITHOUT ME YE CAN DO NOTHING," Without Christ, if I am not abiding in Him and allowing His Words to abide in me day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute (if needed), actively going back to scripture, meditating therein day and night, finding verses to help one's heart attitude to rebuke one's unruly spirit, again and again—then Martha, nor I or anybody else will ever find healing for their wounded hearts and consequently never experience true joy that has been promised to one who remains in Christ.
Hebrews 4:16 says "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." He who DOES NOT ABIDE in CHRIST CANNOT LOVE, forgive, go the second mile with anyone effectively. If Martha does not abide in Christ, allow His words to abide in her, then she will not bear the fruit of a loving heart. I know by experience that it is no easy formula for it runs contrary to the flesh, yet it is tested, sure, and the outcome guaranteed.
Abiding, the Key to Loving
Abiding enables us to continue in love. John 15:7, 9 says "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love." Continue, not in our finite, "self-ish" love, but in His. CONTINUE is the same word as abide. Abide, endure, and remain in Him, in His love. This is where we fail--we fail to CONTINUE IN LOVE.
What is TRUE LOVE? 1 Corinthians 13 aptly describes it as follows:
Suffereth long
Is kind
Envieth not
Vaunteth not itself
Is not puffed up
Doth not behave itself unseemly
Seeketh not her own
Is not easily provoked
Thinketh no evil
Rejoiceth not in iniquity (of other's or one's own)
Rejoiceth in the truth
Beareth all things
Believeth all things
Endureth all things
Never faileth
Continuing In His Love that our JOY may be FULL
John 15:10 says "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." It will be difficult to abide in His love if we're not keeping His commandments. And we cannot do it on our own but only through Christ which strengtheneth us. Some literally HIDE His Words in their hearts though and keep it so well HIDDEN that it's never translated in actions.
The answer to my inability in helping Martha, and Martha's own helplessness is not simple but can be found and made easier through full surrender to Him who has spoken these words: John 15:12 says "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you." It requires full obedience to His terms and not our own; in this case, loving with God's love and not with our finite, conditional love.
I need to continue to be patient and loving towards Martha, pointing her to Christ instead of pointing out her sin. Luke 6:41,42 says "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye."
Like all of us, Martha needs to abide more and more (remain continually) in Christ each day and (Joshua 1:8) not allow the "law to depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein" Then and only then will I and anybody else, have success "for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." This includes continuing in love and forgiveness, though (2Co 12:15) "the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved."
ABIDING JOY
Abiding, the Key to Restoring Your Joy
Are you an "Under-Joyed" Saint? John 15:11 says "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." Many a modern day saint goes about their life not having even half the joy that God has promised to them because their hearts are not even half full with His Words; often it is too full of one's hang-ups, leaving not much room for His Word. John 16:22 says "And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." Martha is literally in sorrow, not because she lost Christ, but because she has not kept guard and has therefore allowed Satan, through these people, to "take her joy away from her."
We all, like her, need to live each day as Hebrews 12 says "LOOKING UNTO JESUS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH." Jesus who, "for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God… Wherefore (because many are observing our lives) … let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."
Abiding In His Love, the Key to Abiding Joy
… In Him Abiding
Hebrews 12 vs.3 says to "consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." Are you fainting from your trials and temptations, sorrows and discouragements? It ought not to be so. Vs. 4 says "Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin… despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him… for whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth"
In vs. 11 we find, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward (if YE YIELD to CHRIST, ABIDE in HIM) it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." If we yield unto His trials, enduring the difficulties in His strength, then we will eventually have success and bear the fruit of AGAPE love that enables us to forbear and to overcome bitterness.
… In Him Life Lasting Joy
Vs. 12 says " Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees." Am I, Martha, or are you allowing someone to take your joy from you? We will see Him again, and we shall rejoice, and no man will take our joy. We see Him now through His word. Are we abiding in Him? Are His words abiding in us ("Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee")? Are these words being translated into actions, righteous acts towards others?
Has someone or something taken your joy from you? Come to Christ that your joy may be made full! Psalm 16:11 says "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
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