My only Hope

The Secrets of Real Joy Part VIII

ARRESTING THE ROBBERS OF OUR JOY IN THE LORD

People turn to so many things in the hope of finding happiness. But joy is oftentimes elusive because they are seeking in the wrong places. Blaise Pascal said, “In every man’s heart is a God-shaped vacuum that only God can fill.” Joy is found, not in pleasure, money or possessions, position or prestige, power and fame, but in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Thus Paul said, “Rejoice in the Lord always…!” (Philippians 4:4).

Christians should be the happiest people on earth, yet not all Christians are happy 100% of the time. That’s because we have allowed many things to rob us of our joy in the Lord. Here are a few joy robbers and how to arrest them:

Conflicts in relationships. Since conflicts are inevitable, we need to learn how to neutralize this threat to our relationships. We should arrest them, and the way to do that is to be gentle. To be gentle means to be caring, kind and patient, to choose not to be harsh, angry, grumpy or irritable. Between being gentle and being easily angered, we are more inclined towards the latter. Hence, we need to practice the presence of God to develop gentleness. “Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near” (Philippians 4:5). There may be provocation, but when we know that the Lord is near, we will learn to behave and henceforth avoid conflict.

Concerns over circumstances. When we focus too much on the problems of life, we become anxious. According to Vance Havner, “Worry, like sitting on a rocking chair, will give you something to do, but won’t get you anywhere.” Ulcer is what we get for making mountains out of mole hills. Of our worries, based on a survey, 40% are about things that will never happen; 30% are about things about the past that can’t be changed; 12% are about other people’s criticisms, mostly untrue; 10% is about health, which gets worse with stress; and only 8% are about real problems that need to be faced.

Paul’s advice to arrest this joy robber is to be prayerful. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). Not only do we need to pray, we need to do so with thanksgiving, trusting God for His solutions. And His promised Word is: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Negative thinking. We usually catch ourselves dwelling on negative thoughts when we grumble or complain. Always looking at the bad side distorts everything altogether. If we think negatively about the Philippines and we mostly complain about our government, how can we develop love for our country? The only way to arrest this problem is to be positive. “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things” (Philippians 4:8). Having a positive mind and attitude can give one tremendous joy.

Disobedience. When we violate God’s holiness through disobedience, a certain restlessness develops within us, for we know there are consequences to sin. Hence, we must be obedient. “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:9). Jesus Christ modeled for us a life of obedience. He was obedient to His earthly parents (Luke 2:51). He was likewise obedient to His Heavenly Father and fulfilled His mission on earth (John 17:4).

God commanded husbands to love their wives, and wives to submit to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-25). God knows that man’s greatest need is respect, and the woman’s, love. Disobedience to these commands starts the “crazy cycle” – husband acts without love towards the wife, wife reacts by treating husband without respect, the husband then reacts to the wife’s disrespect by giving her an unloving treatment. And the whole cycle continues. But if the wife feels loved by the husband, she will readily submit to her husband. Hence, obedience is the way to break the pattern.

True happiness can be found in Jesus alone. What we need to ask ourselves is: Are we in the Lord? If we are not sure, we can turn to Jesus, admit that we are sinners, ask for forgiveness, repent, and receive Jesus into our lives as our personal Savior and Lord.