Moments of happiness...a wedding, a game-winning-shot, an ice cream sundae, a warm beach in January, your kids coming home from college, a pay raise, seeing a high school friend, an intriguing book, your first home, your first baby, your first job...have a way of defining our lives. The problem is what happens in the opposite experiences of life...those experiences that are filled with pain and struggle?
Joy vs. Happiness – is the ultimate choice! James was the half-brother of Jesus, and when he wrote this letter to Christians scattered everywhere, he did so with a theme of joy in the beginning. What is interesting about this letter is that it is very different than Paul’s epistles that were written to various churches focusing on various needs. Not the case with James. He wrote to every Christian, everywhere, with an “everybody kind of problem” - how to face your struggle with strength. He wanted us all to know that it’s not “if” but “when” problems will come into your life. It’s inevitable, so how are we going to handle them? How will we handle a lost job, a struggling marriage, a work injustice, a sickness, an abandonment from someone we love, persecution for speaking the truth in a culture that opposes it, etc.? He emphatically challenged his readers (including us) to handle it with joy.
Again, what truly is joy. We understand that happiness is based on our circumstances or “happenings.” Joy is based on supernatural trust in God that leads to a peace that makes no sense to an unsaved culture. Joy is supernatural from God; it’s mystical for us in the sense that it’s really hard to define, but you know when you have it. It puts a smile on your face in the pain. It pushes you to see the big picture beyond the immediate challenge. It does not change who you are, whose you are, and what you believe. In fact, it only strengthens it in a deeper way.
The ultimate result of joy is perseverance. What happens from the beginning to the end is the maturing process. In reality, you are “proving” your faith to be real. The person who is living in joy can have a debilitating disease, yet he is serving on the Welcome Team every Sunday. The person who is living in joy could have gone through a messy divorce, yet he is praying for God’s best for his ex-spouse. A person who is living in joy could have been threatened to stop preaching Jesus to others, yet he is not worried about the consequences of his actions if he continues to preach Christ. His journey of faith is not a phase; it’s the “real deal!”
Notice Jesus’ words about pain in the process in Hebrews 12:1-3: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Jesus understood that The Cross was the gateway for our salvation. Therefore, he was willing to endure the pain with a positive spirit, knowing what it would produce.
Maybe our biggest problem is that we lack an eternal perspective. In other words, we simply live for the “here and now.” That mentality is always going to push you into pursuing “bigger and better!” Instead, we need to ask God to remove all fear and anxiety from our lives and simply live one day at a time for his honor and glory.
The next time you go through a trial in life, see it as an opportunity and not an obstacle. Ask yourself the following questions:
You’re either living your life focused on happiness or joy. There’s a big difference – one of the two leads to faithful maturity.
Joy vs. Happiness – is the ultimate choice! James was the half-brother of Jesus, and when he wrote this letter to Christians scattered everywhere, he did so with a theme of joy in the beginning. What is interesting about this letter is that it is very different than Paul’s epistles that were written to various churches focusing on various needs. Not the case with James. He wrote to every Christian, everywhere, with an “everybody kind of problem” - how to face your struggle with strength. He wanted us all to know that it’s not “if” but “when” problems will come into your life. It’s inevitable, so how are we going to handle them? How will we handle a lost job, a struggling marriage, a work injustice, a sickness, an abandonment from someone we love, persecution for speaking the truth in a culture that opposes it, etc.? He emphatically challenged his readers (including us) to handle it with joy.
Again, what truly is joy. We understand that happiness is based on our circumstances or “happenings.” Joy is based on supernatural trust in God that leads to a peace that makes no sense to an unsaved culture. Joy is supernatural from God; it’s mystical for us in the sense that it’s really hard to define, but you know when you have it. It puts a smile on your face in the pain. It pushes you to see the big picture beyond the immediate challenge. It does not change who you are, whose you are, and what you believe. In fact, it only strengthens it in a deeper way.
The ultimate result of joy is perseverance. What happens from the beginning to the end is the maturing process. In reality, you are “proving” your faith to be real. The person who is living in joy can have a debilitating disease, yet he is serving on the Welcome Team every Sunday. The person who is living in joy could have gone through a messy divorce, yet he is praying for God’s best for his ex-spouse. A person who is living in joy could have been threatened to stop preaching Jesus to others, yet he is not worried about the consequences of his actions if he continues to preach Christ. His journey of faith is not a phase; it’s the “real deal!”
Notice Jesus’ words about pain in the process in Hebrews 12:1-3: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Jesus understood that The Cross was the gateway for our salvation. Therefore, he was willing to endure the pain with a positive spirit, knowing what it would produce.
Maybe our biggest problem is that we lack an eternal perspective. In other words, we simply live for the “here and now.” That mentality is always going to push you into pursuing “bigger and better!” Instead, we need to ask God to remove all fear and anxiety from our lives and simply live one day at a time for his honor and glory.
The next time you go through a trial in life, see it as an opportunity and not an obstacle. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What is God trying to teach me?
- How can I honor him through the trial?
- Who is watching how I handle the trial?
- How can I draw closer to God through the trial?
You’re either living your life focused on happiness or joy. There’s a big difference – one of the two leads to faithful maturity.