The burden of joy

    I have run into something time and time again in Scripture the past couple of weeks... joy. Why is it that almost every Scripture verse that I've looked up contains joy? I think of myself as being fairly optimistic and happy most of the time, but why does joy seem to be commanded from Scripture so often? Have a look at the following.

Thought the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off
from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation. Habakuk 3:17-18

    There is a gloomy picture if there ever was one, but what does the prophet say? He will rejoice and take joy in the God of his salvation. If he is praising God and rejoicing in times like that, why is it so difficult to be joyful living in America, the land of opportunity? Why is it so difficult for me to rejoice when I have a loving wife, a beautiful daughter, a nice apartment, 2 good cars, a great job being youth/education minister at a church where I am loved, and even enough money to occasionally go out to a nice dinner with my wife? What about you? Are you rejoicing with all that God has given you?

    I believe that the reason we do not rejoice as we should is that we are sinful, covetous (envious) people. We look at the things around us and only see the things we don't have. We want more, bigger, and better stuff. This is WRONG! We can not indulge these thoughts that continually take our minds from our savior and turn them to the idols that we have formed around us. Like Habakkuk, we need to look to the God of our salvation and find all of our needs and more than we could ever want to be fulfilled in Him. Do not neglect such a great salvation (Hebrews 2:3) in a desire to have more earthly things that will amount to nothing. According to Hebrews 1:10-12, all things, ALL things will pass away, heaven and earth included. Not even angels are worthy of out praise and adoration, much less the tiny things like houses, cars, jobs, and social standing.

    According to these Scriptures and several more, our focus should be on God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Then we find true joy that is offered in Scripture. We find it a burden to put on plastic faces when we come to church and everyone expects us to be happy and we blame it on the state of the church. Sometimes this is the case, but how often are we sad and depressed because our focus has fallen off of the God of our salvation and onto the small things around us. I say this, not to condone the state of the church, but for those who have spiritual eyes should turn them on themselves first. And that includes myself, first and foremost.

    In conclusion, focus on Christ and seek Him through His Word. Seek to understand what He has done for us through the shedding of His blood for our sins. Do you want to know where your focus is? Look at your conversations and where you spend your time and money. These betray our true priorities far more than our hollow words often do. Make an effort to praise God during your conversations with others and you will see how quickly your focus shifts and joy will come naturally. Spend time seeking Him through prayer and reading the Bible. Don't just read it to finish a chapter, but read it in order to know what God would have you do with your life and see what He has already done for you. And please, make sure that you focus on God with your money as well. Tithing is a part of every believers life where we acknowledge that God is providing for us and we give back a small portion of that to him. We may not always be happy, but we will have a deep sense of joy at what Christ has done. In all things remember, be committed that "I will rejoice in the Lord, I will take joy in the God of my salvation."