Tag Archives: Proverbs 4:23

Joy is Essential

Joy, an Experience of God

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This is the first post in a series entitled Rhythms of Joy.

In this series we’ll explore why joy is important, how joy fits into suffering, what kills our joy and how to experience joy.

Joy, an Experience of God

Joy is important. It’s not just a nice to have part of our lives.

Joy is an experience of God’s nearness.

Joy is commanded.

Having joy is a mark of being a follower of Jesus Christ.

Our joy in God brings Him glory.

Joy can easily be confused with happiness and sometimes they intersect, resulting in good feelings. Happiness is tied to happenings, but joy is much deeper.

The difference between happiness and joy might be illustrated by the difference between a ship and a submarine in a sea storm. The status of the ship is totally dependent upon the waves and the condition of the sea.

Whereas a submarine can travel several hundred yards below a hurricane and not be affected.

Since God is the source and fullness of all joy, [1] it has an eternal quality which is deeper than the circumstances we encounter. Like a submarine, joy is deeper than the storm.

Eternal Void

God created us with an eternal void. [2]     

Our hearts long to be satiated with a joy which can only come from God. He is the originator of joy. All earthy whiffs of gladness point to Him. Early in our lives we tend to experience joy much easier.

     

As we grow older, when the pains of life press in, we can lose the scent of joy and travel down long forsaken paths looking for lasting satisfaction.

Think about some things which brought you joy as a child.

Searching for Joy

As a child,  I remember the joys of snow, Christmas, the community pool and hanging out with my grandfather, Pop. My grandparents lived next to me growing up.

On summer afternoons, much to my delight, Pop hit me pop balls in the field in between our two houses.

As I got older and began to feel some independence, I remember thinking how happy and satisfied I’d be when I was old enough to drive and had my own car. I worked and bought an F85 Deluxe Oldsmobile and it did satisfy me for a short while.

Then I began to think that if I had a girl friend to ride in the car with me, I’d be happy and satisfied. I met Annie and that satisfied me for a short while.

Then I began to think that if I could move away to college, I’d be happy and satisfied. I moved away to Columbia, SC and attended the University of South Carolina and felt satisfied was for a short while.

Then I began to think about how satisfied I’d be when I  graduated college and began a life on my own.  And when I did, I felt satisfied for a short while.    

“There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing, but only by God the creator made known by Jesus Christ.” Blaise Pascal

The endless search for joy continued.

Eventually, I would surrender my life to the God, the source of all joy.  But it would be years before I fully understood that God Himself would satisfy the deep longings of my heart. As a young believer, I still tried to draw my happiness and sense of well being from my circumstances. And sometimes I still do.

I’m realizing now that the joy which exudes from God, satisfies the deep longing of my heart.

On top of that, the joy of God fills me with courage and strength.

A Matter of the Heart

It’s really a matter of our hearts, the well spring of our lives. [3]

The condition of our hearts determine our courage.

No wonder the French word for heart—”coeur” is where we get the word “courage”. The state of our heart determines whether we’re en-couraged or dis-couraged.

God’s joy fortified us with strength [4] and infuses us with courage. [5]  

Joy is like a nectar for our hearts. 

Since joy is more than a feeling, we can choose it, even during the hardest of times.

Joy is an awareness of the nearness of God. 

In Your presence is fullness of joy (Psalms 16:11b).

In the next post, we’ll continue to explore the importance of joy in our lives when we look at the commands to be joyful.

From 1 to 10, where would you say your joy meter is at this moment? 

Prayer

Lord, thank you for leading me to You. You are who I’ve been searching for all my life, though for years I didn’t know it. Only You satisfy me completely. I’m sorry for seeking my satisfaction in anything but You. Please show me quickly when I try and find lasting satisfaction apart from You. You are my Highest Joy. I praise You and rejoice in who You are.  Amen

Journal Time

With your journal in hand, spend some time thinking about your own journey. Write about the deep longings in your heart?  Document your search for joy. What have you tried other than God to satisfy your soul? How do you still depend upon your circumstances to feel okay? Write a prayer to God expressing your delight in Him. 

[1] Psalms 16:11

[2] Ecclesiastes 3:11 

[3]  Proverbs 4:23

[4]  Nehemiah 8:10b

[5] Hebrews 12:1-2

Please Check out the  Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in a city.

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Rob Buck

What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?  Beyond Time

By finding two undelivered letters in a old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains

 

Tending our Hearts

Above all Else

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One of my daughter’s favorite verses is Proverbs 4:23: Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.

We all MUST watch and keep guard over our hearts. Our physical hearts are designed for the flow of life’s blood. Our spiritual hearts are designed for the flow of God’s Living Waters in our soul.

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.[1]’”

Our hearts were designed for Living Water, the presence of God by His Holy Spirit. Only His presence will completely satisfy our thirsty souls, but too often we settle for temporal, false affections. In confusion, we can pursue worldly passion to satisfy the deep longings of our hearts. We can spend our lives searching down “promising” paths which only disappoint, disillusion and dishearten.

With all diligence we must tend to our hearts.

Through Jeremiah, the Lord spoke of the human tendency to reject Him, the source of Living Water and settle for dry and dusty mirages, “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.”[2]

Without realizing it, we can waste our lives on broken cisterns which promise to fulfill but leave us dying of thirst.

A few years ago, my bride gave me one of those small statues with no face. Maybe you’ve seen them. Perhaps the lack of features allows us to identify with the characters. This one is a boy tenderly cradling his heart. I love it. It speaks to me on so many levels. It reminds me not to allow false affections to produce broken cisterns.

In addition to guarding my heart against idols, I’m also learning to come to terms with what I’m feeling. Over the years, I’ve not always known what to do with extreme feelings of rejection, fear and sadness. Rather than dealing with them, I tend to deny their gravity so I can continue to function. After all, responsibilities don’t slow down when we’re experiencing deep emotional pain.

But denying emotional pain isn’t wise. When I ignore hard feelings, parts of my heart become crusted over and deadened, leaving me less compassionate and less sensitive to God’s leading.

I’m learning to tend my heart in times of deep emotions; calling the God of all Comfort near in every situation. God’s Rivers of Living Water bring His Oil of Gladness to soothe and heal deadened synapses deep with my heart. The presence of God brings unexplainable Cheer, even in the hardest of times. Sometimes the pain lingers, but Joy remains, infusing courage.

Our hearts must be tended. We need to be on constant guard against false affections. We must be aware of what we’re feeling so that God’s Spirit can bring Truth and Comfort.

I like the NIV version of my daughter’s verse: Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Above all else.

Prayer

Lord, above all else. This seems important. I know from experience that the diligence needed to keep, to guard, to tend to my heart, must come from you. To keep my heart from being trapped by false affections, wearied from creating broken cisterns and deadened from denying pain, I need You. I know You’re always with me. Please remind me to tend my heart and be my strength to remain vigilant. Amen.

[1] John 7:37-38 (NASB)

[2] Jeremiah 2:13 (NASB)

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures. Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post once a week. Thank you for reading. 

Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

Freedom in Christ, Joy in Failure

The Joy of Complete Forgiveness

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Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities. (Psalm 51:7-9 NASB)

We all have stories. Imagine yours including adultery, murder and deceit. What would it be like waking up each morning with a hidden blanket of guilt and shame to drag around your day? The coverup would require you to live separated from your heart, the wellspring of your life.[1] The flow of courage would be clogged, Dis-couragement would set in. This was David’s story before he wrote the verses above.

If we’re honest, we’ve all dealt with some level of guilt and shame involving our choices. We may not have physically committed adultery and murder, but in our pursuits of personal happiness and fulfillment we’ve chosen us over God.

What do we do? Do we try really hard to do good, hoping our deeds will tip the scale and outweigh our dirty hands? Some religions suggest this path of salvation. But trying to earn a right standing with God leads to joyless self-effort and striving. We can never become clean on our own.

But there’s really good news, “holiness is not something you achieve but something you receive.”[2]

What we can’t do, God did for us through the sacrifice of His only Son. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (II Corinthians 5:21 NASB)

But to receive forgiveness, we must believe in the timeless work of Jesus. He died on our behalf, washing us clean. “Come now and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; though they are crimson, They will be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18 NASB)

After committing adultery with Bathsheba, David tried to cover up his transgression by having her husband, Uriah, killed in battle. Psalm 51 is his confession. Though he lived before Jesus, David too was saved by grace, through faith. David trusted in God’s goodness and forgiveness, even in the midst of being responsible for a man’s death. David received complete forgiveness and it gave him great joy. How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How joyful is the man the Lord does not charge with sin and in whose spirit is no deceit! (Psalm 32:1-2 HCSB)

David’s life was not perfect after he wrote Psalm 51. He struggled. But what made him a man after God’s own heart was his quick confessions and repentance, walking in God’s forgiveness and Christ’s righteousness.

We can wake up each morning with no guilt and shame, because of what Christ has done for us. Pursuing holiness, we walk in the goodness and mercy of God. Leaving the past behind, we can experience the joy of complete forgiveness, continually giving glory to God for the grace He’s lavished on us, even when we fail.

Lord, this truth of complete forgiveness has alluded me. It’s easy to unconsciously think it’s still up to me. But You’ve made it clear. In You, my heart is wiped completely clean. Please continue to reveal idols of self that I might quickly confess and repent. Teach me the Joy of Your complete forgiveness.  

[1] Proverbs 4:23

[2] Jeff Shipman in a Sermon on Isaiah 1 at Columbia Crossroads Church

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures. Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post once a week. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains