Where Is Your Joy?

We’ve come to the last chapter of 1 Thessalonians– Chapter 5. Paul speaks about The Day of the Lord and how it will come as a thief in the night. He says people will believe all is well but suddenly, like labor pains coming upon a pregnant woman, the Day will arrive. It will be just as it was with Noah.

Year after year, Noah told the people it would rain. Year after year, the people refused to repent. And then suddenly, the rain and floods were there. Likewise, year after year, God’s people call out to the lost. But one day, suddenly, the Day will be here, and only those within the ark of safety that is Jesus Christ will survive. While there is time, encourage others to get on the boat! It will happen suddenly.

Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to not sleep– to be awake and sober minded about the Day. Don’t get caught sleeping. Stay alert. Stay ready. I encourage you to read Revelation, Matthew 24, and Thessalonians. These books give us a heads up on what to expect and how to discern end times. But while we wait for the Lord to come, Paul encouraged us to:

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Be mindful that Paul was writing to people who were facing great opposition and persecution. Yet, he told them to rejoice. How? In America, we are not persecuted for our belief in Christ as some are in other continents and countries in the world including Nigeria, North Korea, Afghanistan, and China. Let’s make sure we are praying for our brothers and sisters in the Lord across the globe.

But imagine being told to rejoice while facing death. Envision Paul telling these people to give thanks while being tortured– to pray without ceasing while people who despise you and your Lord make you suffer. Where is the joy in that? How can they keep praying and giving thanks?

How can Christians in America rejoice, give thanks, and continually pray with heavy and broken hearts? Some of us have lost loved ones. Some of us suffer from depression, sickness, and poverty. Yet, we are to rejoice?

In John 15, Jesus commanded us to abide in His love. He says that if we do so, our joy may be full. Jesus gave us the remedy to deal with maintaining steadfast joy in the face of opposition and persecution. The answer is to abide in Him. Follow Him. Keep His commandments.

But we will not do this if we do not truly believe that He exists. The only way we will abide in the Lord is if we are convinced that He lives and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. You really have to believe.

An Olympic runner runs the race because they expect a prize in the end if they win. A student strives for success because they expect a diploma or degree that will aid them in the workforce. A chef or baker takes the time to create in the kitchen because they expect a tasty reward at the end of their efforts.

Every believer has to believe that God exists. We have to believe that Jesus Christ is His Son, and that Christ was sent to cover the costs of our deserved death penalty due to our sins against God Almighty. Yet, the price was paid in blood. We are free from the prison of sin and death.

But we are only free if we believe that Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected. That He now lives and reigns in glory with God the Father. We have to believe this. We have to believe that there is a reward in heaven for us. If not, how else will we rejoice? We will not abide in Him if we do not truly believe He exists.

And if we don’t truly believe that Christ exists or that a reward is awaiting us, then, our joy will be misplaced and conditional. We’ll receive joy in a variety of other things: family, friends, success, sex, fame, drugs, alcohol, money … anything. So, rejoicing will not be an issue. But it will be conditional. Because when our joy lets us down, our rejoicing will flee.

When families split, friends leave, loved ones die, success wavers, sex is absent, no one knows your name, drugs and alcohol bring more sadness than joy, and your money runs low, where is your joy? Certainly it is gone if your joy was placed in these things. But if your joy is in something that is unmovable, then your joy will never leave.

And this is why Paul told us to rejoice, even in the worst scenarios ... Because if God is always with us, then our joy should always be with us. And if we always have joy, we can give thanks for everything. And we can surely pray without ceasing because we have hope that God hears and acts on behalf of His children.

So, reader, where is your joy? Where is it placed? If it is in anything other than Christ, it will waver. Of course, we can be thankful to God for all the beautiful blessings we have. It’s a blessing to have family, friends, love, success, and even fame in some cases I suppose. But if these things are our source of joy, our joy will toss back and forth like the waves of a chaotic sea.

May God give us steady joy in Christ because of His steadfast love for us. We do not have joy as we should because we do not abide as we ought. So, reader, I am praying for you. I am praying for myself. May God, the Creator of all, grant us unmovable joy in Christ. May we have joy that is not based on scenarios, situations, or circumstances. But may we have joy based in Christ, and Christ alone.

And if God grants us blessings by way of family, friends, or whatever else His gracious hands decide to give, let us give thanks as Paul said. And if there is a concern, let us pray without ceasing.

Dear reader, I’ve nothing else to share with you … Only that you discover where your joy is. And if it's not in the right place, may it arrive at the correct location quickly.

May God bless you and keep you. Until next time, take care.

---

Thank you for reading this week's Write On! Wednesday article. New article and YouTube video posted every Wednesday at 12 pm. The Now That's A Word! YouTube Channel is here: https://YouTube.com/@nowthatsaword

Christian Books & Merchandise available on this website. Again, thanks for reading. Have a blessed day.

Sincerely,

Quin Arrington