REAL
JOY IS FOUND IN THE LORD
Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness
shall surround him. Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; And
shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart (Psalms 32:10-11 NASB95).
Recently in the Parade Magazine, December 21, 2008, appeared an article
by Dr. Ranit Mishort in the
staying healthy column entitled, How Spirituality Keeps You Well. The article concluded with these words, Many researchers also believe that at the
bottom there seems to be a strong connection between the mind, the spirit and
the body. Improve one and you have an
effect on the other. Praying,
meditating, or attending religious services may not cure a disease, but those
activities may make you feel better and contribute to a more positive outlook
on life.
Why am I not surprised at the conclusion reached
by this author and her research? While
man searches for the cause and cure toward better health, those in the Lord
have already found the secret to health and joy. We have found it in the Lord! David teaches in our text that rejoicing and
loving kindness belong to the righteous and those who are upright in
heart. If there is any place a person
can find true joy, it is in the Lord.
Did not Paul instruct the Philippians, Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will
say, Rejoice. Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand (Philippians
4:4-5 ASV).
The question may be asked, How can one claim to have joy in the Lord,
when there is so much sickness, pain, and troubles that surround us in this
world in which we live? It is because
in the Lord we have learned that our strength in not within us, but IN THE
LORD.
The Apostle Paul tells us to look at what he went through. Paul said he rejoiced greatly in the Lord,
first because of friends that he had in the Lord. He could rejoice because he had learned to be
content or satisfied in whatever situation he found himself. He said he had gone through every level of
life and learned from the experience, ,I know how to get along with humble
means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance
I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having
abundance and suffering need (Philippians 4:12 NASB95).
Most of all, he could rejoice in the Lord because he knew where his real
strength came from; it came through Jesus, I can do all things through Him who
strengthens me (Philippians 4:13 NASB). Many mistakenly think
Paul is saying that he could do everything.
However, Paul is explaining that the reason he was could make it through
his afflictions because the Lord gave him the strength. Careful reading of the fourth chapter will
find that Pauls needs were supplied by fellow Christians. This is the way that God operates. He
shows His love to us and we pass it on to others. This is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved
you (John 15:12 ASV).
Paul, too, had an
affliction that bothered him. He had a
thorn and he prayed to God three times to remove it. It was not until the Lord told him that His
(Gods) strength is made complete in the weaknesses of men, And he said unto me, My
grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. He learned to have joy in the Lord for he
took his focus off of self and began to trust in the Lord, Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in
my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (II Corinthians
12: 9-10).
Why not experience
real joy in Christ? To be in Christ is to be in His body, the church. You have joy because you are not a second
thought of God but you were planned before the foundation of the world. The coming of Christ for us was not an afterthought
but planned (I Peter 1:20). All
spiritual blessings do not come through Christ, but in
Christ. By being in Christ we have
something to rejoice about; we have a hope in Him that those in the world do
not have. Therefore, as Christians, we can endure all
things because of the hope we have in Christ Jesus.
Paul encourages us with these words, So we do
not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is
being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for
us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the
things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are
seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV). RB