Seeking Joy

Salvation is a gift that can only be enjoyed if we take it. God won’t force us to accept His tremendous mercy and kindness, but why wouldn’t we want it? Why wouldn’t someone want to go to Heaven? Yet, Jesus says in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

The Bible is filled with passages that help us see just how wonderful Heaven will be, and how our loving God made the way there possible for us. One of the most quoted passages in Scripture speaks to this; in John 3:16, “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

How awful it will be for those who reject the wonderful offer of salvation made possible through what Christ gave on the cross. But what about the Christian who refuses to receive the gifts given to the believer?

We’re told that when we accept salvation, we receive a powerful gift. Acts 2:38-39, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

At our conversion, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Most of the New Testament is helping Christians understand how to live by the guidance of the Spirit rather than the guidance of the flesh. And Paul says in Galatians 5:22 that among the Fruits of the Spirit is joy.

Once the church began on the Day of Pentecost, a new, exciting attitude swept over the believers. People eagerly sold property to help others; they met together every day studying scripture and praying together. Acts 2:46-47 says, “They were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” They really enjoyed the fellowship of other Christians.

Joy is produced by living according to the Spirit, but is it something that many Christians experience and display? It seems so common to meet Christians who look and act like they’re miserable. Is this what the Spirit produces within us?

Ephesians 4:30-32 says, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

It saddens God to see us live contrary to what the Spirit guides us towards. Perhaps Christians should consider what it means when we display lives of constant negativity, complaining, bitterness, anger, or any other attribute that diminishes the Spirit of God. Why would we close our hearts so that joy can’t be seen in our lives? How does that impact the message Christ gave us to spread to people of the world?

My prayer is that we completely accept the gifts of God, that we give our worries over to God, and that we experience the joy that comes from doing that. Let’s encourage one another and do it with joy.