Don't let Anything Steal your Joy

"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

“I've got an Old Church Choir singing in my soul. I've got a sweet salvation and it's beautiful. I've got a heart overflowing 'cause I've been restored.” I’ve been restored… “Oh Lord,” I thought to myself as I pondered those words and sang along with the praise band yesterday morning at church with my hands lifted high in praise. “My body may not be totally restored right now, but 'there ain't nothing gonna steal my joy. No there ain't nothing gonna steal my joy.'” You see, my joy isn't dependent on whether things are going well. So what if I have a little tendinitis in my ankle that's keeping me from running right now. I still have Jesus. So what if the world is falling apart. I still have Jesus. So what if life is far from perfect. I still have Jesus. Get the point? I have the joy that comes from the Lord which as defined is the happy state that results from knowing and serving God and is the fruit of a right relationship with Him. It's the only type of joy that lasts because it's dependent on the presence of Jesus rather than the conditions around us or within us. This joy is a perpetual and unchanging gladness of the heart that comes from knowing, experiencing, and trusting Jesus. Martin Lloyd-Jones said it this way, “joy, in other words, is the response and the reaction of the soul to a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

And you know, this is the same type of joy that Paul commended the church at Thessalonica for having saying, "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." You see, the message of salvation they received, which is the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, led to intense persecution from both the Jews and the Gentiles. But "in the midst" of it all, they remained joyful because that's the natural response of a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit. It doesn't matter what people do to them. They know that they still have Jesus and there's nothing that can separate them from His love. Does that fill your heart with joy or what? 

So choose to rejoice at all times my friend knowing that Jesus is all you need. He will never leave you, He will never forsake you, and He is coming back again. I don't know about you but that has me singing, "When the valleys that I wander turn to mountains that I can't climb. Oh, You are with me, never leave me…. Oh, 'cause there ain't nothing, there ain't nothing gonna steal my joy."

Heavenly Father, thank You for filling our hearts with the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Compel us to do whatever it takes to grow in that knowledge knowing that the level of our joy is directly proportionate to the closeness of the relationship we have with You. Cause us to be so jubilant  Lord that it would inspire the lost to be imitators of us so that they too would have this joy that comes only from You. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!