Jesus, Our Eternal Joy

A couple of weeks ago I was standing in line at the customer service counter at Kohl’s.  There were several people in front of me, so I decided to look up my order number on my phone to have it ready when my turn at the counter came.  As I was scrolling through my email, I began to notice a commotion occurring at the front of the line.  A woman was trying to return some “World’s Greatest Grandma” hand towels and apparently things were not going well.  Her arms began to flail and the volume of her voice began to increase at an alarming rate.  As the customer service rep calmly explained the return policy and began processing the return, this woman slouched on the counter, buried her forehead in her hand and began to dramatically (and repeatedly) sigh.  One thing was abundantly clear.  She was not happy.

The word “blessed” is repeated nine times in the introductory section of the Sermon on the Mount known as the Beatitudes.  The root word in the Greek is “makarios,” which means happy or blissful.  This is the kind of happiness that is impervious to the randomness of life.  The last line of verse one in “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” describes Jesus as the “joy of every longing heart.”  To be blessed is to experience steadfast joy – Jesus – in your heart.

Jesus said in John 15:10-11, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.  These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” (emphasis mine)  The kind of joy that Jesus offers has nothing to do with circumstances, and everything to do with abiding in Him.  When we accept Him as our Savior, we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit.  His love is complete and we can rest in this joy because we know it is secure and will last forever.  John 10: 27-28 says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.”  

When we truly begin to understand this magnificent truth and internalize it into our minds and hearts, it begins to be a little easier to understand how to “consider it all joy” when we encounter various trials.  Trials are part of the sanctification process.  James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”  In John 16:23-24, Jesus says, “…Truly, truly, I say to you, if you shall ask the Father for anything, He will give it to you in My name.  Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.”  Joy is a fruit of the Spirit.  John 15:16 says, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give to you."  

One of the best descriptions I’ve seen about this kind of joy is, “Human happiness is something that is dependent on the chances and changes of life, something which life may give and which life may also destroy.  The Christian blessedness is completely untouchable and an assailable.” (William Barclay)  

To be blessed is to experience life with Jesus.  By His Spirit, we have the kind of joy that dwells within, is full and complete, eternally secure, and freely given to those who call upon His name. What a blessing it is to know that whatever life throws at us, Jesus is our steadfast joy!

Start at the Beginning

One of my favorite songs from the Sound of Music begins with Maria singing, “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start, when you read you begin with A, B, C, when you sing you begin with Do, Re, Mi.”  Maria wants to share her love of music with the children and encourages them to join her by teaching them the basics.  She gives each note a name and sings them in the order of a scale.  She understands that if they learn the notes and the general framework of music, they can join her in the joy of singing a song together.  That’s one of the beautiful things about music-- once you understand the basic structure, the song possibilities are endless!

In the gospel of Matthew, we find the Sermon on the Mount, and at the beginning of the sermon is a section of verses often referred to as the Beatitudes.  This is the place that I have chosen to begin my study of the word “blessed,” because its repetition caught my attention and sparked my interest in wanting to dig deeper into the word.  While the sermon was given in the presence of a multitude of people, it was specifically directed to Jesus’ disciples.  The Beatitudes embody the fundamental characteristics of a true believer in Christ, and thus a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.  It is important to understand from the outset that we cannot achieve this kind of living without the indwelling and empowering of the Holy Spirit. 

Perhaps it is the musician in me, but as I read through the Beatitudes it reminded me of a musical scale.  The first note of a scale is called the root note.  The melody of a song is built on, and revolves around the root. Just as Maria started with the naming of the notes of a scale, so Christ names the characteristics that describe a true believer in ascending order.  Jesus teaches his disciples that the root or foundation of a life with Him begins with, and revolves around, a spirit of brokenness and humility.  It means acknowledging that you are a sinner, completely unable to save yourself.  Without an emptying of yourself, you cannot be filled with the Spirit who enables you to live as a true representative of His kingdom.  All of the other “notes” of His scale are based in humility, and that is why He begins with it.  It is the foundation on which your life in the kingdom is built.

The characteristics listed in the Beatitudes serve as both the identifiable marks, as well as ongoing goals, of a believer.  He promises blessing, both now and forever, to all who call upon His name and live according to His commands.  He invites us to join Him in the song of heaven, and the first note we must learn to sing is humility.  To sing His song is to be truly blessed indeed.

One Word: Blessed

Each year in the fall, I pray and ask the Lord if He has a word for me to dwell on in the upcoming year.  During my extended break from blogging, I was given the words “Grace” and “Intentional.”  I spent a little over two years with the word “grace,” and it changed my life.  It quieted those inner voices of accusation and guilt that I battled with for years.  I began to practice the discipline of preaching the gospel to myself every day.  Gaining this knowledge made the transition to “intentional” living a natural progression.

My word for 2020 is “blessed.”

It is not the passive form of blessed, as in “I am blessed,” but a call to action.  I see this word as an extension of the word “intentional.”  God promises blessing to His children who obey His commands.  In order to obey, and walk according to His commandments, we must be intentional in the way we think and act.  If we do that, He will bless us.  My plan is to begin the year in the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount, and then follow where He leads me from there. 

I am excited for the journey, and look forward to a deeper walk with Him in 2020!