Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: JOY (10/28/21)
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TITLE: My Joy, My Pain | Previous Challenge Entry
By Doug Laird
11/03/21 -
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Yet to the surprise of many, Jesus made it clear that He,” … did not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matt. 10: 34 NASB).”
The peace on Earth that the Christmas angel (Luke 1: 14) announced was peace between God and sinners through faith in Christ.
Only a minority in each generation would find this form of peace (Matt. 7: 13, 14).
Those who do find this Luke 1: 14 peace with God will find themselves at war with the devil’s world, especially if they choose to advance in the post (after) salvation spiritual life.
International (Matt. 24: 6 - 8) and interpersonal (Matt. 10: 35, 36) peace was not yet to be experienced on a global level.
There is little joy, as human viewpoint perceives joy to be, in the heat of either military or spiritual combat (Eph. 6: 11 - 17).
Paul and Silas were not all smiles when they were beaten with rods and then placed in stocks. Yet at midnight, from their jail cell, they sang praises to the Lord (Acts 16: 23-25).
Peter and the apostles were not all smiles when they were flogged, but, “… they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name (Acts 5: 41 NASB).”
Jesus did not enjoy the physical, emotional, and spiritual agony He suffered in the events leading up to and during His crucifixion, “…but for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12: 2 NASB).”
There certainly are mountain-top experiences in the spiritual lives of every born-again believer. Among these mountain-top experiences is the day that one realizes that all of his or her sins are forgiven; the day that one realizes that the issue of where he or she will be spending all of eternity has already been settled; the day that one identifies his or her spiritual gift and accompanying ministry; the day that one realizes that God accepted us just as we were, but has something better in mind as we are conformed to the likeness of Jesus; the day one began to see that death is not an end, nothing to be feared, but only a change in location as one moves forward in the plan of God.
Such mountain-top experiences result in giant steps being taken along the road to spiritual maturity.
But the joy of the Lord is not only to be experienced in days on the mountain tops, but down in the valleys of trials, tribulations, adversity, and persecution.
“…we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; (Romans 5: 3 NASB).”
Scripture teaches that joy in the Lord can take place within both the angelic (Luke 15: 10) and in the human (Luke 15: 23) environment when lost sheep are found, repented prodigals return, and when we see persons that we have reached out to moving forward in the plan of God.
To the degree that a born-again believer advances toward spiritual maturity, what had occupied his or her thoughts and consumed much of his or her time and resources begins to fade away.
As these things fade away, God and or the things of God, becomes more and more the source of his or her joy in life, regardless of circumstances.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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I'm all for an easy life, but the Father has established growth comes as He has established.
The butterfly developes it's wings by fighting it's way out from the cocoon.
His joy is a maginifcant weapon- as you've indicated.