Finding Our Joy in Christ

As Christians, we are told that we should find our joy in Christ, but this often seems like an elusive goal that slips through our fingertips. As I begin the Joyful Moments in Christ blog, my goal is to explore this theme and discover ways to find joy and contentment regardless of external circumstances.

Human lives are full of difficulty and pain, yet there are many people who manage to overcome and have a deep abiding sense of peace and joyful contentment. I confess that I am often not one of these people, but it is my hope that continued prayer and reliance on God’s strength and mercy will turn me into the person that I long to be. It is my firm belief that with intentional pursuit of joy, we can experience the abundant life that God promises us and become a source of joy and inspiration to those around us.

New Testament: Joy in Persecution

The New Testament gives us plenty of examples of people who experience severe persecution and suffering, yet still chose to find joy.

The apostle Peter writes to a group of persecuted Christians and tells them that even though they may be experiencing suffering in the present, they should still have “joy that is unspeakable and full of glory” since they can be sure of their salvation.

Whom, not having known, you love. In him, though now you don’t see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory,receiving the result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:8-9 (WEB)

Peter isn’t speaking from a position of idleness, he chose to rejoice after a flogging!

They agreed with him. Summoning the apostles, they beat them and commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for Jesus’ name.
Acts 5:40-41 (WEB)

Another apostle, Paul, started out as a zealous persecutor of the Christian church. Once Jesus made it clear that this was a mistake, Paul could have chosen to freeze in self-incrimination and express extreme doubt of his self-worth. Instead, he chooses to accept forgiveness along with his new identity in Christ, then becomes the biggest evangelist in the Bible. He is beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, and more, but instead of bitterness, he chooses both joy and faithful obedience to God. This does not mean that he didn’t have intense suffering and conflicted thoughts. When Paul asks God to take away some of his suffering, he is told that God uses human weakness to show God’s true power. Paul’s conclusion is that he should “take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, and in distresses.”

He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me. Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, and in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (WEB)

Of course, this is easier said than done, but Paul had many other opportunities to choose joy in the midst of suffering.

Old Testament: Joy in a Variety of Suffering

While the New Testament mostly focuses on sufferings due to persecution, the Old Testament has much more variety in suffering. Quite a few people chose joy and contentment when circumstances dictated that they should be nothing but bitter.

In Genesis, Joseph has plenty to complain about. He is sold into slavery by his brothers and could have chosen to wallow in misery. Instead, he follows God’s promptings and many years later is placed into the second highest position in all of Egypt. When his brothers come to Egypt for help during a famine, he could have held a grudge against them and taken revenge. Instead, even though it was hard, he chose the path of forgiveness and was grateful that he was placed in a position to be able to save his family.

Later in the Old Testament we come to the book of Ruth. Even though Ruth is a Moabite, she ends up married to a Jewish man. Eventually, her husband passes away and rather than moping and returning to her family and her god, she chooses to cling to the God of her deceased husband. She decides to move to Judah with her mother-in-law, Naomi. Ruth’s unwavering faith and care for Naomi caused a respected Jewish man named Boaz to recognize her value and marry her. Eventually, she was one of the few females that was honored with a name in Jesus lineage.

When bad things happen in our lives, are we going to complain, wallow, and be filled with self-pity, or are we going to make the best of it and see what God can do with our circumstances. Short term sorrow and pain often lead to significant growth and achievement. Let’s see what we can do to take our most difficult circumstances and find joy in them.

Look for my coming series on the book of Ruth!

Response Activity

Think about the following questions and write a response in a journal.

When have you chosen joy when you could have chosen self-pity or bitterness? How did this affect you?
When have you chosen self-pity or bitterness rather than joy? How did this affect you?
Consider the implications of the two different answers and decide which method is better.
In the future, what may help you to choose joy rather than self-pity or bitterness?

Respond

As you consider the themes of joy and bitterness, are there any Bible verses or reflection thoughts that came to mind? If so, add a comment at the end of this post!

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