Joy is a powerful force.  But it is also a force that needs to be fought for.  If we give up the fight, we plummet ourselves into a state of sorrow and despair.  But a true, deep and lasting joy is not found in anything that this world can give.  It is found in the eternal satisfaction of an eternal God.  In Jesus Christ we are liberated to relentlessly pursue realities and rewards that far surpass anything this world offers.  He calls us to pursue a deeper satisfaction and a superior joy that is only found in the life that Jesus secured for us on the cross.

Jesus sums up the source of our joy in a parable.  He says “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”[1]

The man who found the treasure in the field saw the infinite worth of Jesus and then, being driven by joy made every sacrifice to gain the full reward.  Jesus leaves no doubt that belief in him is driven by a joy that exceeds every momentary satisfaction that this world offers.  It’s a joy that readily and gladly forfeits temporary pleasure for the hope of eternal reward.  And it is this eternal hope that sets deeply in our hearts and echoes back into this life which provides superior joy and satisfaction.  If we were to consider the full weight of the extravagant eternal rewards promised in the gospels it would make us blush.  Many of us settle for far less, fooling around with drink, sex and possessions when infinite joy is offered to us.  Like ignorant children, we settle for making mud pies in the slum because we cannot imagine the beauty of a holiday by the sea.[2] Eternity will blow our minds.  We cannot begin to imagine the sights, the sounds and the wonder of the presence of God. Knowing that there is something far greater waiting for us becomes our source of joy in this life.

But Jesus did not die to make life easy for us.[3] [4] He did not die to make us healthy or prosperous.  He died to remove every obstacle that stands in the way from us having a relationship with him.  The fight for joy on this side of eternity is the struggle to trust God with the burdens of life.  It’s a fight for freedom of worry and for peace and hope.  It is the fight to believe that God will be faithful to fulfil his promises.   But this fight does not come without scars.  It sings happy songs with tears.  It remembers the dark hours and knows that more are coming.  The road to eternal reward is hard, but it is driven by joy.  Joy in suffering is how the believer shows the world that Jesus is more valuable than any earthly possession.  If we simply follow Christ because we think he will make us healthy, wealthy or successful then we desire exactly the same things the world wants and we become no different.  But if we fight for satisfaction and superior joy through suffering, loss, depression, terminal illness and broken relationships then it will be apparent to the world that our hearts are set on a different fortune than theirs.  To give up on the fight for joy is to proclaim that Jesus is not sufficient for our daily lives and that we do not desire heaven.

[1] Matthew 13:44

 

[2] Adapted from: C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, and Other Addresses (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1965), 2.

[3] Mattew 5:11-12

[4] Acts 14:22

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