The General of Joy!
2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
I am writing from a hotel bed tucked beneath the shadow of MD Anderson Cancer Institute in Houston, Texas. MDA has been my home away from home for the past 2-3 years. I have lost count how many surgeries I have had in the past two years. Tomorrow I face a 2nd major surgery in the past 6 months to remove another piece of my outward man or “tent”. 2 Corinthians 5:1-2 shouts through the corridors of our frail bodies,
5 For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,
I am learning that weakness, pain and suffering are master-teachers to point us toward eternal priorities and purposes. More often than not, ‘removal is the harbinger of renewal’. The new covenant of grace in Jesus Christ’s broken body and sacrificial blood made a way for our “heart of stone” to be removed to be replaced with a new heart upon which the laws of God could be written! Jesus announced we must “lose our life” for the sake of the gospel in order to gain our life…LOSE to GAIN!
Somewhere in the midst of “my groaning” I have discovered the proverbial tip of the iceberg of the joy of the Lord! What say you? How does groaning and joy square up? Well for starters, Jesus, in Gethsemane, cried out in agony to the one who was able to bring Him through death to resurrection (Heb.5:7) In fact, Jesus CONSIDERED THE CROSS OF SUFFERING A NECESSARY BRIDGE TO RUN ACROSS TO WIN THE CROWN OF ETERNAL JOY (Heb.12:1-3)!
YOU and I are the Crowning achievement of His Joy!!!! PURE Joy is forged in the fires 🔥 of obedience to the will of God not the will or lusts of the flesh! Godly desires lead to godly fires which produce the fruit godly pleasures!
Eric Liddell, English Olympian gold medalist and missionary to China, said, “when I run I feel the pleasure of God!” Joy is not characterized by a sedentary life, but rather, a strategic intentional activated pursuit of the will of God for His glory!
Biblically and etymologically…Joy and Gladness are not identical twins but fraternal. What do you mean SwimmingMonk? Well I mean they are very similar but completely different too…Koine Greek synonyms! They are both born of the Holy Spirit and they often work hand in hand to express our deepest spiritual yearnings and achievements. Gladness” (AGALLIASIS) and “joy”(CHARA) are found both coupled with and independent in Scripture:
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Luke 1:14,44: The father of John the Baptist, Zacharias was told he would experience both “joy (chara) and gladness (agalliasis)” through his son. John “lept for joy” in the womb of Elizabeth when she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Children rejoice when their parents are continually being filled with the Holy Spirit!
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Luke 10:21: Jesus openly CELEBRATES (agalliasis) in the Holy Spirit because the 70 disciples return in JOY (CHARA) from their victorious internship. He tells them to “rejoice” (CHAIRO) and maintain proper perspective because it is more important that their names are “written in the heavens.” Satan, fallen angels, deliverances and demons are not to be the primary focus, but rather, the work of salvation revealed by the Father to His children (Gk., neipios; the trusting simple childlike-faith). Perhaps, we run amuck when we pay more attention to the enemy of souls rather than the Chief Shepherd-Guardian of our souls (1 Peter 2:25).
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Acts 2:46: The early church lived in an atmosphere of “gladness (agalliasis) and sincerity” in the presence of the Risen Jesus Messiah.
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Hebrews 1:9: The Son of God was anointed with the oil of the Holy Spirit with “gladness” (agalliasis) above his fellow Israelites because he loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.
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Jude 1:24: Futuristically, Christians will stand in the presence of the glory of God with great joy or gladness (agalliasis).
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Romans 14:17: The kingdom of joy is third in a trifecta with righteousness and peace. You can’t have true joy without righteousness and peace in the Holy Spirit. Jehovah is our righteousness, Jehovah is our Peace and Jehovah is our joy!
Therefore, “gladness”, is exuberant joy or extreme joy….outward CELEBRATION. Gladness is joy that is manifested in bodily outbursts of shouting, leaping, singing, praying and dancing. Gladness is joy that has tasted victory in the now and explodes with exuberance. However, JOY Is the deep well from which GLADNESS like a bucket is filled to brought to the service for all to see! JOY is the Greek word CHARA from which the word CHARA-CTER may derive. Joy is a critical foundational stone of character. Joy is the fruit of the Spirit of love. JOY is the abiding known presence of God in the believer which enables them to trust God in the midst of trials and tribulations. JOY also springs forth from a deeper source which is GRACE (CHAR-IS). We can REJOICE AlWAYS because GRACE is God’s presence in us influencing our heart to trust Him in full-spectrum of human experience.
Scholars agree that GRACE (Charis), JOY (Chara) and REJOICE (CHAIRO) are cognates. All three are rooted in the soil of God’s favorable disposition toward His chosen people. They are like fraternal triplets that all are blood related but distinct! We are born of the Spirit of God and we are partakers of the divine nature through the precious blood of Jesus Messiah.
Thus, the God of all grace gives us all joy so we can rejoice in all His ways!
JOY IS THE RECOGNITION OF THE FAVOR OF GOD IN THE MIDST OF ALL THINGS!!! JOY IS BOTH A PRESENT AND FUTURE POSSESSION! JOY RELEASES THE POWER OF GOD TO DO HIS WORK!
SELAH…click on this link below and sing along …I’m Trading My Sorrows!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KsfwvpcQhY&feature=share
James 1:2-3 is the lightning rod that attracts the power of JOY to fulfill the yearning of Jesus Himself who prayed (John 15:11) , “that My joy may be in you, and that your joy might be made full!” One of the many ways He fills us with His joy is THROUGH TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS.
What exactly is The JOY JESUS is talking about? JOY is the fruit of the Resurrection in the believers life by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Biblically, true joy is to be found fully and only in the PRESENCE OF THE LORD! “All Joy” for James, is not whimsical feelings that fluctuate with changes in circumstances. Joy is a steady RIVER bending and flowing in all seasons. JOY is steady resolve and deep strength within the human spirit. JOY IS A RIVER IN THE DESERT! JOY IS THE WELL OF SALVATION! CREATE IN US A CLEAN HEART AND RESTORE UNTO US THE JOY OF OUR SALVATION!
The chief goal of man is to “glorify God and enJOY Him forever”. We can practice HIs presence now, we don’t have to wait until we are fully redeemed and are clothed with immortality in likeness of His resurrection body. The Chief Purpose of man is to be “conformed to likeness of His Son”. Don’t confuse the goal with the purpose. The Goal keeps us going when we don’t know how to pray, when we don’t understand, when all seems lost and beyond hope. The PURPOSE enables us to embrace the necessary means to achieve the GOAL. The means are often pressure and various pains and problems.
Some final thoughts:
GENERAL GEORGE PATTON
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FOLLOW THE GENERAL OF JOY(James 1:2-3): By “General” I mean the position one holds in the military…like a “4-star General”. Joy is like a General we must follow into our battles. James, the Lord’s brother, is declaring when you are “surrounded all around “ by tests and temptations you need let the JOY OF THE LORD lead you! The idea behind the word “consider” (James 1:2) means to pay tribute to a dignitary who has come into your presence. “Consider” in this passage COMMANDS the Christian to ‘yield the floor to joy’ as the principle leader in the midst of your trials and tribulations. Esteem joy and it will lead you into a victorious attitude. Why should we yield to joy and allow it to lead us? The answers are found immediately following the call to “consider it all joy, brethren…”
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TRUST: The trial you are in will prove the trustworthy character of God. Your faith in God will be strengthened. Variegated Tests and Temptations are sides of the side coin. The temptation is often tin the test. God tests us to bring forward the best in us. Temptations are never directed by God but are used by the enemy to bring out the worst in us. God allowed both Job and Peter to be tested in different ways but both tests proved the faithfulness of God and purified their faith. Jesus literally prayed for Peter that his “faith would not fail” though he himself did deny His Lord.
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ENDURANCE: Stamina will be increased in order to love others more. Love “endures” all things (1 Cor.13). The end times demand that our hearts have an enduring love to deal with the fear that will be unleashed on humanity. Jesus “endured” the cross in love so “JOY” could be released in salvation by grace. Do not push eject, but fully surrender to the endurance found in Jesus Christ.
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MATURITY & WHOLENESS: Growing up in Christ is to become like Messiah Jesus! Unfortunately there are no pills,short-cuts,self-improvement gadgets that can supplant the need for endurance. Endurance must grow in us to pave the way for mature character. I at time default to childishness, demanding an early exit from life’s trials. However, I am learning that staying under the pressure is what produces the desired result. My wife of 36 years is one of the most MATURE people I know, as she has had to endure me. She has demonstrated the grace and truth of Jesus in such a JOYFUL manner it has often broken down my pride and led me to humility and God’s grace time and time again. DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN BE MATURE BUT NOT WHOLE? Joy leads us to both maturity and usefulness. James says, “trials” produce endurance, maturity and wholeness or fruitfulness. Why did Jesus curse the barren fig-tree? I think it was because it was mature but fruitless…ouch! Oh friends, may our later years be more glorious, and more fruitful producing greater works than when we first believed. May the glory of the latter house be greater than the glory of the former!
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FULL-TIME SUFFICIENCY: James ends the chain-reaction of the leadership of JOY with the caboose of HIS SUFFICIENCY in us for every good work…you and I will fall behind in nothing. I see it this way…not only will I never lose, I will be enabled to help anyone keep pace with the Holy Spirit of JOY to finish their race with a TRIUMPHANT SHOUT OF JOY , “IT IS FINISHED”!
FINISH STRONG!
