Full Strength Christianity: Joy

In most churches, the occurrence of exuberant outbursts of joy are rare. Sometimes, the priest or pastor might try to artificially ‘stir up’ the congregation to manufacture a shout of ‘Praise the Lord!’ or ‘Hallelujah!’ And other churches might use music, shouting and repetitive songs to create an ‘atmosphere’ where people emotionally experience joy.

Though, having said this, joy should be the natural state of a Christian. After all, it is the second fruit mentioned in Galatians,

Galatians 5 v 22

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Someone who is filled with the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit who shared in creating the World, should naturally be full of joy at this knowledge. Understanding how Death has lost its sting, and eternal life is awaiting for them, surely this would be a cause of great joy.

We know what joy is. When we watch a comedy which makes us laugh. When we spend time with a close friend over a cup of tea. When a parent looks at their child achieving a ‘great feat’, like taking their first steps, passing a critical exam or getting married. But what is the joy which comes from God?

John writes in the Gospel,

John 15 v 11

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

This joy he gives to us is the knowledge that He loves us, like a parent loves a child. Or like the appreciation a craftsman has for his artistic endeavour. Or a groom has for his beloved bride. All analogies do not go far enough to explain how much God loves us. And knowing the existence of this unfathomable depth of love, brings about great joy.

We know this kind of joy when we meditate on Christ, either through the Scriptures or during the church service. We find it when we ponder on Creation. We feel it when we resist temptation. We experience it when we carry out a ‘good work’ God has given us to do and when we show love to our neighbour.

This is the joy which God gives. It is the experience we have when we feel everything is well ordered and right with the world, or in other words, when we are ‘blessed’.

Nietzsche wrote, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how”. Which means that no matter what suffering we might go through in this life, if we have a strong enough reason to suffer it, we will get through it.

In Nehemiah, we read,

Nehemiah 8 v 10

Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

The Lord’s joy is our strength. It is the reason by which we can carry on, no matter what we may suffer in this life. His joy will get us through. Knowing He loves us with a never-ending, never-giving up love, strengthens us against the storms of this life.

Though, we need to be cautious of emotionalism. Feelings of ecstatic joy is great to experience, but we should not have it as our primary goal.

If we do, we will orientate our worldview around emotions. We then build a theology based upon subjective foundations, and not on the objective reality of God’s love. So when the difficult times come, and our foundations are based on our feelings, we can falter in our faith. We then don’t feel God is with us and we may give up.

Full Strength Christianity is not about manufacturing false emotions, but engaging deeply with the joy Jesus gives. Allowing the knowledge, that He loves us, to fill our thinking, our decision making and our lives will keep us enduring. With His joy within us, He gives us strength, so we can truly become what He has called us to be.