Temple Baptist Life

No this is not a Christmas article. It is just a reminder that we are to experience, and pass on joy.

Joy is one of the most essential fruits of the Holy Spirit. Without joy you have nothing of use.

Take for instance Joy detergent, Almond Joy, or a Joystick. What happens when you run out of Joy?

You have an empty bottle, all you have left is Almond, and you video game doesn’t work. Life just isn’t as good when you run out of joy Maybe you’ve lost some of your joy. Something is bothering you, troubling you or you’ve got worry that just wont go away. You’ve been disappointed, hurt, or grieved or you’re running on empty, you’ve lost your joy. We read in John 2:1-11 how Jesus restored joy to those who attended a marriage celebration in Cana. Jesus can do the same for you today. Jesus is in the joy restoring business.

Our joy is completely found in Jesus. It is not found in things or stuff, it is not found in people, it is not found in a church, or a pastor, it is found only in Jesus.

The story is told of a man who was shipwrecked and lived most of his adult life alone on an obscure island on which no other human being had ever set foot. After many years of isolation, a ship came his way and a rescue party was sent ashore. He welcomed them, of course, then proceeded to show them around. Pointing to a small log cabin, he said, “This is my house. I built it with my own two hands.” Then he showed them a second building. “This is my Church,” he said. “I built it with my own two hands.” Then he showed them a third building, saying, “This is the Church I used to go to.”

No matter where we may go or what may happen to us, we can always find joy in Jesus. As you read this take your Bible and read John 15:11 and John 17:13. These verses tell us Jesus desires for us to experience and have within us His joy. In every experience of life there can be joy. As I attended a funeral of a very good friend a few days ago, I was reminded that her life was full of joy and we need to carry that on.

The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, “This is good!”

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, “This is good!” To which the king replied, “No, this is not good!” and proceeded to send his friend to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took him to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.

As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. “You were right,” he said, “it was good that my thumb was blown off.” And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. “And so, I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this.”

“No,” his friend replied, “This is good!”

“What do you mean, ‘This is good’? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?” “If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you.”

Even when we do not think at the moment, a life experience can be joyful, it can be when we follow Jesus. We just have to make sure we are following Jesus and not our own hearts or our own desires.

I heard the story of the woman driving through a snowstorm just outside of Denver. She was completely lost and struggling under the hazardous weather conditions. She was relieved when she happened upon a snowplow. Since she was lost she decided to follow the truck and kept as close to the machine as she could while it removed snow from the road. At times the blowing snow almost cut off her view, but she kept following it.

After some time, the snowplow stopped and the driver got out and came back to her car. “Lady, where are you going?” he asked. “I’m on my way to Denver.” she replied. The truck driver replied, “Well, you’ll never get there following me! I’m plowing a parking lot!”

Before we let others lead us, it would be helpful to know their direction. The Bible teaches that one of the fruits of the spirit is joy. It is produced by the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Are you spirit filled? If you are there can be joy.

I pray you will have a joyful time each day.