Finding Hidden Joy
Charles Stanley, the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, said,
There are two words to make us feel good. These are “Happiness and Joy”
- Happiness depends upon circumstances or condition
- Joy depends upon the relationship
He said, “Godly people do not live by their circumstances, but they live by their relationship to Jesus Christ.”
Divine Joy Vs. Earthly Happiness
I want to talk about Joy today. However, before talking about joy, I will talk about happiness first because the definition of joy is confused with happiness. Wikipedia says happiness is a mental and emotional state of well-being and satisfaction through experience. In Buddhist teachings, "happiness is a central theme of Buddhist teachings for ultimate freedom from suffering(s)." They are focusing on the moment to be free from suffering.
Christian joy is based on a relationship with someone. John 16:21 tells us that joy looks like a mother giving birth to a child in pain. But when her baby is born, she has joy because she can have a new relationship with a newborn baby. Pure joy comes from not external conditions but the relationship with the precious one.
Jesus Christ is our joy because He came down to us as a newborn baby to invite us to come to the place to have a new relationship with God. When we have the right relationship with him, we will enjoy the flood of joy that God has poured into our lives. He is the door. It is like a floodgate to the dam of Heaven's joy. Just as hundreds of millions of tons of water pour out when the gate is opened, the joy and peace of heaven will pour out like water through Jesus Christ.
False teachings in the Church in Pergamum
In Revelation 2:12-15, Jesus Christ complimented them because they remained true in his name and did not renounce their faith in Jesus. However, the Lord told them he had a few things against the Church in Pergamum because of some false teachings. False teaching means not totally fake or fabricated teaching but it was twisted and crooked the meaning of God's words to manipulate people for their own benefit.
For Benefit
In verse 14, it says, "There is one among you who keeps the teachings of Balaam, who teaches Balak to entice the Israelites into sin." Balaam's story is in Numbers 22. Some would think that Balaam was a false prophet because he tempted people to sin against God. But Balaam was not a false prophet but a corrupted prophet. He tried to disobey God's command to come to King Balak for the price of divination for his own benefit.
People Pleaser
He was a prophet for profit and tried to manipulate God into granting him a special exception because he wanted to please people by earning money and his reputation among people.
He was a people pleaser. He wanted to please the king, but he did not please God. The people-pleaser was seen as one of the nicest, most desirable, and most helpful people. But the Bible says that people-pleasing does not bring real value to a Christian's spiritual life. Rather, it becomes a stumbling block to people and God because we cannot please God and people at the same time.
Contemporary Christian Challenging
Balaam's other problem was not to say “No" when God said “No” to him. When God said "NO," he was supposed to say “No” to people.
In Revelation 2:12-17, the Lord speaks to Christians. He doesn't want us to be people-pleasers, but he asks us to please God. There are a thousand ways to please God, but I want to mention just one simple way. Say "yes" to God for anything. Whenever God speaks through the Bible, it should be a “yes” to us. Say “NO” when people tell you to go the opposite way of what God's Word says in the Bible. James 5:12 says, “All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “NO.” Otherwise, you will be condemned.”
However, if we do not speak biblical truth and distort God's Words for our own convenience and benefit, it is a malicious Christian practice that potentially harms others and ruins their Christian identity and reputation before God.
Hidden Joy
The Bible says that finding hidden treasures in Jesus Christ is the meaning of joy.
The joy of the Lord, which means heavenly Joy, is always preserved in a secret place. For example, In Matthew 13:44, we heard the story of a hidden treasure in a field. "When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field." For Christians, this story tells about when
we find the hidden treasure that God stores up in our hearts which is in our conscious and unconscious, that brings us great joy.
Conclusion
Trying to tell the truth of God is the best way to find the treasure of joy. The word of God in the Bible is the truth that we trust. Many Christians claim that when I read the Bible, I did not understand the meaning and when I hear the word of God, I easily forget what I hear. But don’t worry about that, because John 14: 26 say “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
I like to watch penguins and seals playing on iceberg floating above the surface of oceans on the national geographic channel. However, today, I will not talk about how penguins and seals play, but I will talk about the iceberg. Scientists say, we can see only 10% of the tip icebergs because 90% of the icebergs are underwater, which is Out of our sight.
Oswald Chambers said, the human mind has a conscious area and an unconscious area. We say that what we hear and read fades from our memory, but it doesn't. It enters the unconscious realm of our mind. The work of the Holy Spirit moves the things stored in our unconscious realm to the conscious realm when we need them.
The Bible reading schedule is almost finished in 2022. I will say it is not easy to keep the reading schedule, but I will tell you what! It's worth it. Reading the word of God nurtures your soul, goes down your unconscious realm and will pop up and give you the answer when you need it at the proper time. It brings you divine joy.
We will start the Bible reading schedule for 2023 again. Please join us to read it. It will make your spiritual life rich and valuable and you can find joy because God answers you through the word of God.
12.11.2022 Pastor Cloud Poy
@ Photo on Unsplash
