Tag Archives: sorrow

Joy Flowing From Grace

(In the Moments) The Remarkable Link Between Joy and Grace

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It’s a cool late summer morning. Fall is in the air.

As I sip my dark coffee, laced with sugar free peppermint mocha (not sure it’s good for me, but it is tasty), I listen to the sound of our man-made mountain brook outside the porch. A cool breeze whips across my face, carrying the scent of tea olives in full bloom. Looking up from my writing, I notice the multiple shades of green leaves awaiting the signal to change colors and float to the ground.

I’m in a very contemplative mood. In fact, I feel quite weary. There are plenty of tough circumstances to go around. We’ve had three deaths in our family in the last few years. Folks we love are struggling with addiction. Some don’t know Jesus. The thought of them facing an eternity without Him is sobering. So many are dealing with lost jobs, broken relationships and life-threatening illnesses.

Even though, in John 16:33, Jesus tells us this will be the case, it doesn’t make it easy to deal with such pain. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (NIV)

Sometimes, when I remember the nearness of Jesus, He infuses me with the courage to handle these troubles. Other times, I get lost in the details and negative situations. I think it comes down to my perspective. When I can gain an eternal view, even during hard times, my outlook is different.

Right now, my heart is heavy, and I need God’s truth.

Turning to the Bible, I read a verse that if someone said it to me right now, I’d take it as a trite answer and consider them very insensitive.

It’s I Thessalonians 5:16 – “Rejoice Evermore.”

Rejoice Evermore! This unconditional command seems impossible. With all that’s going on, rejoicing is the last thing I want to do. But, since God said it, I’ll take this as an invitation to dig deeper, asking Him to show me how this is possible.

Lord, how is it possible to rejoice evermore?

To Obey God Requires Abiding Dependence Upon the Holy Spirit

Before digging into the verse more fully, I have to pause and admit my inability to obey any of God’s commands in my strength. After years of trying to be like Jesus without Jesus, I’m fully convinced the Christian life requires an abiding dependence upon the indwelling Holy Spirit of Jesus to fully follow Him.

Abiding is not just a delightful idea, it’s the essence of the Christian life. Paul summed it up beautifully in Galatians 2:20-21:  “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.  I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

Our life now is a life of dying to self and yielding to the indwelling Holy Spirit. Christ gave Himself up for me and, if I revert to living independently, I’m nullifying His death for me.

Living a life of self-fueled “obedience” leads to burnout and deeper sin. “It’s all up to me” is a lie from the pit of hell. It’s prideful and sinful.

Learning what it means to rejoice evermore doesn’t differ from any other command. Yielding to the Holy Spirit within me is the only way to obey it.

What Does it Mean to Rejoice Evermore?

When Paul tells us to rejoice, he uses the Greek word “chairo,” which means to be cheerful, calmly happy, or well off, to be glad. The word “chairo” originates from the root word “charis,” which means grace or unmerited spiritual blessings granted to those who trust in Jesus Christ.

The Greek words for “rejoice” and “grace” share a close connection. Feeling joyful is a common response to receiving and experiencing God’s grace. One of the fundamental aspects of joy involves having faith and seeking peace in Christ’s righteousness, rather than focusing on my own achievements.

“Evermore” originates from the Greek term “pantoteh,” signifying always, or at all times. I’m to remain glad all the time because of the spiritual blessings God has freely given me. All times!

  •    When I’m grieving, my joy comes from God, fullness of all joy, and the grace He’s given me.
  •    When life is fun and my wife and I are loving hanging out with our grandkids and kids, my joy comes from God, fullness of all joy, and the grace He’s given me.
  •    When relations are strained or broken, my joy comes from God, fullness of all joy, and the grace He’s given me.
  •    When life seems stale and plain, my joy comes from God, fullness of all joy, and the grace He’s given me.
  •    When I’m afraid and worried, my joy comes from God, fullness of all joy, and the grace He’s given me.

I’m always living in a physical world, with actual trials, problems, and heartaches. So, if I am to make this command to “rejoice always” a legitimate part of my life, I can’t forget certain spiritual truths based on the “grace” or unmerited favor given to me.

Rejoicing in God’s Grace

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.  (Ephesians 1:3-8a NASB).  

Rejoicing in God’s grace, shown to me in His love and sacrifice for my sins, sustains me and gives me courage.

 Before the world began, God Almighty chose to love me as His child. The cruel death of His Son Jesus, the Messiah, secured my eternal relationship with Him, my new Father. This was all done for the praise of God’s grace. He lavished His grace upon me, abounding and overflowing, manifested in the shedding of Jesus’ life blood.

This is how I rejoice evermore. Regardless of what I’m going through, the root of joy is God’s grace, expressed in His love. It happened before the world began, so nothing can change His grace for me today.

In God’s Grace, I Rejoice Evermore.

God’s grace gives me a peace which is greater than any circumstance I can face, including the very hard difficulties I face today.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7 NASB).

In my opinion whatever we may have to go through now is less than nothing compared with the magnificent future God has planned for us (Romans 8:18 J.B. Phillips Translation).

 Challenge

What is your current weariness? Can you name it? Or perhaps you’re in a season free of troubles. These are rare. Be extremely thankful.

For the rest of us, sink into the deep connection between God’s grace and our full joy. People never earn God’s grace, and it doesn’t change with each passing circumstance or human choice.

Ours is to choose His grace for our life, both now and forever.

With grace, as an unbelievably interlinked component of the same root word, there’s rejoicing.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV).

Come. With all that burdens your heart, come and stay with Jesus. It’s what He wants.

With Him, we have grace and full joy, which results in true rest for our souls.

Prayer

Despite the ongoing hard times and unresolved problems, I find joy in You, Lord, as Your word has given me courage. Please help me take each care and concern and cast them upon You because You care for me.

Please help me to stop striving to make everything “okay” in my world. Your nearness is my good. My hope and stability are in You. I rejoice in the grace You showed me before I was even born. And I know nothing can change that.

In You, and in Your love and grace, I rejoice evermore.

Amen

Other posts in our series In the Moments:

As Sea Gulls Fly

The Gift of Presence

It is Finished

Behold the Moments

Tranquility

Stop Striving

Simplicity In Christ

What is Good

Yet Will I Rejoice

Sorrowful, Yet Always Rejoicing

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

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

 

Robby Buck

Nonfiction books by the Author:

Because joy is rooted in God and is eternal, it doesn’t ebb and flow with the waves of circumstances. In fact, as we grow in our understanding of joy, we can even experience it more acutely when life is hard. Why? Because God uses trials to conform us into the image of Christ. With this awareness, which gives us glimpses of God’s greater purposes, we rejoice because of His masterful work to free us from needing anything but Him.

For these reasons, and many others, joy in the Lord is commanded in scripture. It’s not just a good idea, it’s vital to our journey as human beings. Rhythms of Joy

Novels by the Author:

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 an 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

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

Joy in Trials

(In the Moments) Sorrowful yet always Rejoicing

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Sorrowful yet always rejoicing (II Corinthians 6:10)

I was teaching a two-week interim class at the Governor’s School of Science and Mathematics. My mom had been complaining of abdominal pain for a few weeks. We hoped it was her diverticulitis, but when antibiotics didn’t clear it up, the doctors talked about something more serious. They scheduled exploratory surgery the day I was finishing up my class.

I hadn’t heard anything when the class ended, so I headed home along a dark rural road.  Suddenly my car lost all power. Navigating to the narrow shoulder of the road, a massive eighteen-wheeler whizzed by shaking the car.

My cell phone rang. It was my wife. Mom had a form of stage 3 ovarian cancer. Hanging up the phone, I felt numb.

But then a strange peace welled up deep in my soul. A sense of God’s presence filled me with unusual joy. Not the kind of joy which would cause glad shouting. But it was a firm realization that because God was with me everything was okay.

I learned from this experience that being okay is not a matter of circumstances always working out. Being okay is about us being with God and Him being with us.

A few months later my mother would die. However, the Lord used Isaiah 43 to speak to her heart about being redeemed.

But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you (Isaiah 43:1-2)

Before then, she’d always ask me if she’d lived a good enough life to go to heaven. No matter how many times I reminded her that our “good life” doesn’t get us to heaven, she’d ask me the same thing later. But then God enlightened her heart with the truth. She understood Jesus had lived that “good life” for her and had redeemed her soul for eternity. She trusted in Jesus for her salvation before she died. This brings me unspeakable joy.

Challenge

No matter what you are going through right this moment, joy is available in God’s presence. He is our Comforter. Call Him near. Verbally or in writing, seek the Lord as you tell Him what you’re going through.

Sustaining joy can never be found in our circumstances. This world has many troubles.

Joy is found in the presence of God.

Behold Him and He will BE your strength and joy.

Prayer

Lord, thank You that, in spite of very difficult circumstances, You made me aware of Your joyful presence. It’s so easy for me to try and find joy in my circumstances and feelings. Thank You that you give me a deep rock-solid joy which is unaffected by ANYTHING I face. Please keep me aware that You are my Delight, my Joy, my life. AMEN.

Other posts in our series In The Moments:

As Sea Gulls Fly

The Gift of Presence

It is Finished

Behold the Moments

Tranquility

Stop Striving

Simplicity In Christ

What is Good

Yet Will I Rejoice

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

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

 

Robby Buck

Nonfiction books by the Author:

Because joy is rooted in God and is eternal, it doesn’t ebb and flow with the waves of circumstances. In fact, as we grow in our understanding of joy, we can even experience it more acutely when life is hard. Why? Because God uses trials to conform us into the image of Christ. With this awareness, which gives us glimpses of God’s greater purposes, we rejoice because of His masterful work to free us from needing anything but Him.

For these reasons, and many others, joy in the Lord is commanded in scripture. It’s not just a good idea, it’s vital to our journey as human beings. Rhythms of Joy

Novels by the Author:

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 an 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

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

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The Juxtaposition of Sorrow and Joy

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I was teaching a two week interim class at the Governor’s School of Science and Mathematics in Hartsville, South Carolina. My mom had been complaining of abdominal pain for a few weeks. We hoped it was her diverticulitis, but when antibiotics didn’t clear it up, the doctor talked about something more serious. They scheduled exploratory surgery the day I was finishing up class.

I hadn’t heard anything when the class ended. So I headed home along a dark rural road.  Suddenly my car lost all power. I clutched the steering wheel and navigated to the narrow shoulder of the road, as a massive eighteen wheeler whizzed by, shaking the car. Later, I discovered that my oil pump had failed, causing the engine to seize.

Almost simultaneously, my cell phone rang. It was my wife. Mom was out of surgery. She had stage three primary peritoneal cancer. I stumbled through a couple of questions, and ended the call.

I called a tow truck and settled in the darkness for them to arrive. The two events had happened so closely together, I could barely take them in. It all felt surreal. I was numb.

As I waited, I began to feel God’s presence. Slowly, but ever so steadily, I sensed the warmth of His peace. The feeling intensified to something I can only describe as joy. Not the kind which would cause exuberant celebration, but the deep joy of God being near, closer than a breath.

In spite of what had just happened, there was a strange understanding that everything was okay, no matter how things would turn out.

In His Presence is fullness of Joy. (Psalm 16:11b)

I learned from this experience that being okay is not a matter of my circumstances always working out, it’s about my being with God.

Redeemed

About a month later, my wife and I had church at Mom’s house one Sunday. 

After singing a hymn, we read portions of Isaiah 43.

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine (Isaiah 43:1b NASB).

When we finished reading, Mom said, “redeemed” in a way which made us think she had a new understanding of the word in this context.

Looking back I wonder if she’d first heard the word as a little girl, returning pop bottles at Coopers Grocery. I wish I’d asked her then.

Before that Sunday morning, she’d often ask me if she’d lived a good enough life to go to heaven. No matter how many times I reminded her that our “good life” doesn’t get us to heaven, she’d ask me the same thing later.

Seven months later, mom would be gone. Surgery and chemo left her weak and despondent. About a day before she died, my brother, sister and I showed up, unplanned, at her care facility. We were surprised we all picked the same time. We watched her unconscious breathing for a while. Each said our goodbyes, and walked out together. She would die before any of us would see her again.

After that Sunday morning, right after her diagnosis, she told me she was no longer afraid to die. Isaiah 43, and the presence of God’s Spirit, transformed her fear.

She believed that Jesus had lived that “good life” for her and that His death on the cross had redeemed her soul for eternity.

Even now, over twelve years later, this brings me indescribable joy.

Mom

Challenge

No matter what you’re going through right this moment, peace and the joy of the Lord’s presence are available.  

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7 NASB)

We can’t look for sustaining joy in our circumstances. The world offers much sorrow. Look instead to Jesus, the Sustainer of our souls.

The follow verse reminds us that God’s nearness is our ultimate good: But as for me, the nearness of God is my good. (Psalm 73:28b NASB 1995).

Sorrowful yet always rejoicing, (II Corinthians 6:10)

The juxtaposition of sorrow and rejoicing, in Paul’s life and in ours, captures the essence of faith

Prayer

Lord, thank You.  You make me aware of Your joyful presence no matter what I face. It’s so easy for me to try and find joy in how I’m doing. Thank You that You want more for me than that.  You give me deep, solid peace and joy which is unaffected by anything I face. Please keep me aware that You are my Delight, my Joy, my Life, my King.  Amen.

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:

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

Other posts in our series In The Moments:

As Sea Gulls Fly

The Gift of Presence

It is Finished

Behold the Moments

Tranquility

Stop Striving

Simplicity in Christ

God's Comfort, God's Love

God’s Love in a Broken World

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He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; (Isaiah 53:3a NASB)

It’s a cold rainy day and we don’t have to go anywhere until later. I’m soaking in the comfort of being with my bride and our dog before a warm fire. Sipping my coffee, I’m reveling in the reality of God’s presence. I don’t always feel His nearness, but I know He indwells me and is always closer than breath. I’m learning to find my completeness in His love no matter how unloving the world around me might be. For me, the path to experiencing His love more fully has been through sadness.

Until recently, I believed sadness was to be avoided at all costs. How could it be good? How can I function during it?

But I’ve noticed when I avoid dealing with my sorrow, I’m not being true to myself. I feel detached. I’m learning pain is there for a reason and I can’t afford to deny it. My heart must be tended to.

What’s helped me more that anything is knowing Jesus was known as a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. My Savior understands. When I bring my pain to Him, His comfort is real.

He said, “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b NASB)

We live in a broken world. What goes on now is not what will be. But Jesus invites me to draw near to Him in my sadness. When I do, the joy of His nearness overshadows my pain.

 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (II Corinthians 1:3-4 NASB)

 When I tend to my heart and call Jesus near in my pain, the Man of Sorrows meets me. His nearness is the oil of gladness which soothes the crevices of my crusty heart. It’s strange how dealing with grief, and not avoiding it, can be the path to experiencing a deeper measure of God’s love.

Hannah Hurnard, in her book Hind’s Feet on High Places, writes of Much-Afraid’s travels with Sorrow and Suffering. They were unwelcome, but very necessary companions on her journey to the top of the mountain. When she arrived, her Shepherd, the King gave her new names of Grace and Glory. Her companions Sorrow and Suffering were renamed Joy and Peace.

I’m understanding the value of not running from Sorrow and Suffering in my own journey. Though these companions aren’t comfortable, they usher me to the Comforter who give me a Joy and Peace which can not be shaken by any circumstance.

There are so many broken hearts in this broken world. Creation groans for the redemption of the bodies of God’s adopted sons and daughters at Christ’s return.[1]

In the midst of Sorrow and Suffering, Christ offers a deeper measure of His Love in the Joy and Peace of his nearness. He is our Comforter, waiting to be called near.

For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5 NASB)

 Lord, I’m sorry for running from sadness. What a relief to know that sorrow and suffering are a part of your path to Joy and Peace. I’ve spent so much effort trying to carve out a happy heart when all along it was okay to be sad. Please teach me to tend to my heart in times of sorrow and not seek only a carefree life. I’m amazed how much more I understand your love for me because of my journey with Sorrow and Suffering. Thank you.

[1] Romans 8:22-24

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

Joy Required, The Joy of the Lord is my Strength, The Nearness of God

Is Joy a Vital Part of a Healthy You? (Part 2)

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Have you ever considered the fact that we need joy? Have our hearts been designed for it, but we didn’t realize it? Is joy a required part of our overall health?

When the Israelites heard the words of the Lord, after years of exile, they began to weep. Nehemiah, who had become their governor, told them not to grieve. He said the joy of the Lord would be their strength.[1]

What did he mean?  Nehemiah meant the gladness of heart which comes from the nearness of God  fuels our lives by giving courage and strength.

Our hearts are fueled by joy. We have to have it. It’s fundamental to our well-being. We’ll keep on searching for it down whichever life path seems most promising. When one way comes up empty, we’ll look for it in another. Deep within our hearts, there’s an unquenchable craving for something more.

God has set eternity in the hearts of men.

Consider the etymology of the word “heart”. The Latin word for heart is “cor”. From it, we get our English word “core” – the core of an apple, our core exercises, the essence of who we are. The French modified it to “cour,” from which we get the word courage.

Courage is vital for each day, especially when we face life’s challenges. The antonym of joy, sorrow, can disheartened us. When this happens, we need to be encouraged, filled with courage. A spark of joy, in the midst of discouragement, gives us hope and strength to keep taking breaths and stepping forward.

Joy is more than an optional “add on” to our lives. In fact, you may even call it the sustenance of our souls. And though we experience joy in God’s creation around us, especially in our encounters with people, God himself is the source of all joy.

Speaking of God, David wrote, “In your presence is fullness of Joy.” Psalm 1611b

The more we know God, the more joy, courage and strength we experience.

Challenge: What circumstance has stolen your joy? What lie has blocked your awareness of the Lord’s nearness and love for you? Is there anything you believe will give you more Joy than the Lord Himself? Answer these questions honestly before the Lord. Embrace the joy of His presence and the courage He brings to your heart.

Prayer: Lord, you alone are my great joy. I’m so sorry for desiring any relationship, any circumstance more than you. Thank you that right now you indwell me and are closer than breathe. Your love for me cannot be shaken in spite of anything in heaven and on earth. I embrace you and ask you to strengthen my heart with the joy of your presence. Amen

Is Joy a Vital Part of a Health You (Part 1) 

 

 

[1] Nehemiah 8:10

Joy Required, The Nearness of God

Is Joy a Vital Part of a Healthy You? (Part 1)

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Have you ever considered the fact that you need joy? Has your heart been designed to require it, but you didn’t realize it? Is joy a necessary part of your overall health?

The word “joy” and its derivatives, is used in many different contexts in this adventure called life. According to the dictionary, if we “enjoy” an event or an occasion we are delighting or taking pleasure in it. To “Rejoice” is to feel or show great delight or joy.

“Joy” is defined as “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.” Synonyms include delight, jubilation, glee, exhilaration, exuberance, elation, euphoria, bliss and ecstasy.

As I hear these words, I think, “I want to get me some of that.” They conger up feelings of well-being, of deep security. They may even bring back impressions of childhood delights, feelings which flourished before our hearts were seared by life’s pains.

We may get whiffs of joy as children, when we smell a cedar Christmas tree, see a white snowcapped mountain or taste grandmother’s fudge cake brownie. Our hearts come alive with these encounters, they fuel us, delight us. These eternal brushes awaken something deep within. We cry out for more, but aren’t sure where to find it.

These traces of joy can get lost in life’s sorrows. We lose the scent and hunt for it down roads of success, romance, popularity and pleasure. Like fool’s gold, these pretenders may bring a semblance of satisfaction, but eventually they fade and we’re left longing.

Have we been created for something far deeper than this world?

Consider the following verse, written by the wisest person who ever lived.  “He has made everything [appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart.” Ecclesiastes 3:11a

What if the deep longings you’ve felt all your life can only be filled by God Himself? What if all your empty pursuits, including seeking a happy life, were your vain attempts to solve a problem you could never solve on your own? What if only God can fill the void inside?

Challenge:  Think about what you think would complete you and give you inner satisfaction. It might be a life free of troubles. It could be embracing human love or being considered successful in life’s endeavors. Maybe you would feel fulfilled once your 401K is at a certain level.

Human history is filled with individuals who have proven these pursuits aren’t enough to satisfy the deep longings of the human soul. We can realize this now and turn to the One who does complete us. Or, we can keep on pursuing our worldly dreams until they prove to be empty and our lives are surrounded by the collateral damage of our choices.

Prayer: Lord, these longings deep inside are undeniable. You made me this way. You alone truly satisfy. Forgive me for thinking I could solve my need for inner fulfillment myself, with my own choices. Forgive me for trying to solve a problem I never could. Thank you for revealing how empty my worldly pursuits of pleasure, popularity, success, security and significance really are. You want to be my all in all. You tell me to offer my life as a living sacrifice. I surrender my life to you, knowing surrender is a continual act of my will.

Stay tuned for part 2.

Choosing Joy, Joy

Can Joy be a Choice?

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“Joy does not simple happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep on choosing it every day.”  Henri Nouwen

Violet

A few months ago I crowded in a chapel attending the funeral of a little girl named Violet. Violet died during her birth, the first child of Joseph and Judy.

Many wore violet articles of clothes to the service, honoring her life and her parent’s courage. Though Violet’s life was short, she impacted us all.

After the service, we were all given violet helium balloons to release on cue. When we did, the sky was filled with floating circles of purple, growing smaller and smaller as they drifted to the heavens; a salute to violet’s life and a message of love to her from us all.

As inspirational as the balloons were, what hit me most was Violet’s parent’s response. We learned from the eulogy that in the midst of incalculable sadness and grief, Joseph and Judy were choosing joy.

 Choosing Joy?

As I ponder Joseph and Judy’s resolve, I wonder how it’s possible to choose joy just days after her death.

How could this really be true? Isn’t joy supposed to be something good? Seeing the pain on Judy and Joseph’s face, I’m conflicted.

Paul’s command in I Thessalonians 5:16 comes to mind, one of the shortest verses in the Bible: “Rejoice always;”

The word ‘rejoice’ is from the old French word ‘rejoiur’, which means full of joy.

I’m to be full of joy even when my circumstances are difficult. I’m to rejoice always. But this is extreme. An only child is dead. Are we to be full of joy even then? My heart fights this notion.

What makes choosing joy possible?

In another place I read “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” Philippians 4:4

Be full of joy in the Lord.

God is joy. He is the source of joy, it exudes from Him. “In your presence is fullness of Joy.” Psalm 16:11b

Choosing joy is choosing God in the midst of anything and everything I’m going through.

As children of God, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing, including being sealed in Christ with the promised Holy Spirit. [1]

We are in Christ and He is in us. See also Galatians 2:20a  “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me;”

Joy, true joy, is found in our nearness to Christ and His nearness to us.

Joy is eternal, unaffected by the circumstances of our lives. Joy is God himself.

Judy and Joseph love Violet so much. Their whole world was flipped upside down on the day she was born. Months of anticipation and excitement were at once turned to horror and indescribable sadness. Yet through it all, when hearts were crumbling, they clung to each other and choose God’s nearness. They choose to find their comfort in God. They choose joy.

“In your presence is fullness of joy.” 

Challenge:  What circumstance is zapping your joy right now? No matter how difficult your situation is, choose at this moment to rejoice in God’s nearness. In spite of all, choose God, choose joy.

Lord, thank you that in all I go through, you never leave me. Indeed you are closer than breath. You are my joy. Help me continually choose you. Amen

[1] Ephesians 1:3-13

 

Joy in Trials

Sorrowful yet always Rejoicing (Updated and reposted 8/13/2024)

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Sorrowful yet always Rejoicing

sorrowful yet always rejoicing, II Corinthians 6:10

I was teaching a two-week interim class at the Governor’s School of Science and Mathematics. My mom had been complaining of abdominal pain for a few weeks. We hoped it was her diverticulitis, but when antibiotics didn’t clear it up, the doctors talked about something more serious. They scheduled exploratory surgery the day I was finishing up my class.

I hadn’t heard anything when the class ended, so I headed home along a dark rural road.  Suddenly my car lost all power. Navigating to the narrow shoulder of the road, a massive eighteen-wheeler whizzed by shaking the car.

My cell phone rang. It was my wife. Mom had a form of stage 3 ovarian cancer. Hanging up the phone, I felt numb.

But then a strange peace welled up deep in my soul. A sense of God’s presence filled me with unusual joy. Not the kind of joy which would cause glad shouting. But it was a firm realization that because God was with me everything was okay.

I learned from this experience that being okay is not a matter of circumstances always working out. Being okay is about us being with God and Him being with us.

A few months later my mother would die. However, the Lord used Isaiah 43 to speak to her heart about being redeemed.

But now, thus says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you (Isaiah 43:1-2)

Before then, she’d always ask me if she’d lived a good enough life to go to heaven. No matter how many times I reminded her that our “good life” doesn’t get us to heaven, she’d ask me the same thing later. But then God enlightened her heart with the truth. She understood Jesus had lived that “good life” for her and had redeemed her soul for eternity. She trusted in Jesus for her salvation before she died. This brings me unspeakable joy.

Challenge

No matter what you are going through right this moment, joy is available in God’s presence. He is our Comforter. Call Him near. Verbally or in writing, call upon the Lord as you pour out your sorrow’s to Him.

Sustaining joy can never be found in our circumstances. This world has many troubles.

Joy is found in the presence of God.

Behold Him and He will BE your strength and joy.

Prayer

Lord, thank You that, in spite of very difficult circumstances, You made me aware of Your joyful presence. It’s so easy for me to try and find joy in my circumstances and feelings. Thank You that you give me a deep rock-solid joy which is unaffected by ANYTHING I face. Please keep me aware that You are my Delight, my Joy, my life. AMEN.

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

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Robby Buck

Nonfiction books by the Author:

Because joy is rooted in God and is eternal, it doesn’t ebb and flow with the waves of circumstances. In fact, as we grow in our understanding of joy, we can even experience it more acutely when life is hard. Why? Because God uses trials to conform us into the image of Christ. With this awareness, which gives us glimpses of God’s greater purposes, we rejoice because of His masterful work to free us from needing anything but Him.
For these reasons, and many others, joy in the Lord is commanded in scripture. It’s not just a good idea, it’s vital to our journey as human beings. Rhythms of Joy

Novels by the Author:

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

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