"You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit." 1 Thessalonians 1:6 NIV
Paul Fetcher, 72, completed his 300th 26.2 mile race Sunday when he crossed the finish line of the New York City Marathon in 5 hours, 29 minutes and 17 seconds, a feat he described as "painful, but in a pleasant way." And although he described his finish time as "awful" because the winners in his age group beat him by about two hours, Paul said the race still gave him "joy," as running has done for the past six decades. “It’s taken me a lot of places, and I’ve done a lot of things,” Fetscher said. “Running has literally taken me around the world.”
And while hobbies, passions and possessions can certainly bring us joy, or a feeling of great pleasure and happiness, true joy is only found in Jesus Christ. You see, pleasure is temporary and happiness is fickle and fleeting. They can both disappear the moment things don't go well or the possessions we look to for contentment are lost or taken away. But joy, because it is "given by the Holy Spirit" remains in us even "in the midst of severe suffering."
So if you're just not feeling the joy today my friend, consider the words of Billy Sunday, "If you have no joy, there’s a leak in your Christianity somewhere." Then find that leak through prayer and Bible study and plug it up. Life's too short to frown!
And while hobbies, passions and possessions can certainly bring us joy, or a feeling of great pleasure and happiness, true joy is only found in Jesus Christ. You see, pleasure is temporary and happiness is fickle and fleeting. They can both disappear the moment things don't go well or the possessions we look to for contentment are lost or taken away. But joy, because it is "given by the Holy Spirit" remains in us even "in the midst of severe suffering."
So if you're just not feeling the joy today my friend, consider the words of Billy Sunday, "If you have no joy, there’s a leak in your Christianity somewhere." Then find that leak through prayer and Bible study and plug it up. Life's too short to frown!
Heavenly Father, thank You for the Holy Spirit who fills us with joy even in the darkest of times. If there is someone out there who has never experienced this for themselves, I pray today that they would ask the Spirit to dwell inside their hearts and make the decision to obediently follow You. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
Joy - For King and Country
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