The joy of the Lord does not really have to do with, “I am rich or not” but Jesus filling you up with Himself. Setting you free from the chains and entanglement of mundane things. Reminding you of what is important either to die to sin and live for Christ or live in sin and die to Christ. Urges and feelings that entice, trap, imprison, torture, incarcerate and traumatise us are relieved from us and sent packing. Then Jesus sets us free.
Isaiah 49: 9a saying to captives, ‘Come out!’ and to those who are in darkness, ‘Be free!’(ISV)
Most joy and happpiness derived from our achieving our desires fade. They do not last and are not all-inclusive. A deeper look shows that we exalt our achievements to the position of slave masters and we become sold to them like captives. We then become possessed with the thought of “let this not be destroyed”, “if this gets destroyed, then I think I get destroyed with it”.
Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has anointed me to tell the good news to the poor. He has sent me to announce release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set oppressed people free,
19 and to announce the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Lord Jesus brought us into the understanding of not been ruled anymore by desire but by our divine responsibility and mandate. Then, what happens to our achievements in fulfiling our divine responsibility and mandate? They are the Lord’s glory, we give them to Him. What if they are not good enough? We will dump them at the foot of the cross. And move on. We are free! We now know what is corruptible, incorruptible, timeless, ageless, that which passes and fades away with time. Jesus Christ has released us from such prisons and has opened our previously blind eyes, which the devil was taking advantage of.
Now, you know why in abundance of wealth, power and fame there is no joy for many. While most people are joyful but only for a moment.
Those who receive the joy of the Lord are those people see, and ask how they come about their joy. And their answer would be, “I have found Jesus. The day I found Jesus, I found my lost joy. The best understanding is in the experience.” Please, come to that well of the living water. Drink and be filled not with wine but with the joy of the Lord.
John 4:3 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again:
( How momentary and brief is the joy from our desires!)
John 4: 14 But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life (KJV)
Will you come also to the joyful companies? Then come to Jesus.
With Jesus you will realise that what you think is your joy is really not your joy. Just as the Samaritan woman must have thought that the water she was fetching from the well would be her joy, until Jesus pointed out where her joy lies.
15 The woman said unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come here to draw.
(Thinking the water was her joy)
16 Jesus said unto her, Go, call your husband, and come here.
Jesus’ response seemed off point to her request! No, it was that she did not know rightly, where her joy lied, until Jesus opened her mind and pointed it out to her.
Please, look deep into her response and discover how Jesus dug out her joy for her!
17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, You have well said, I have no husband:
18 For you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband: that said you truly
19 The woman said unto him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.
Yes, now, Jesus has located and unearthened her joy for her.
28 The woman then left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and said to the men
What followed was joy- uncontrollable, that, she abandoned her water pot and ran to share the goodnews, calling all to that river of joy.
They came and also testified to this joy
41 And many more believed because of his own word;
42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of your saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
So also, I urge you to talk to this Jesus, from the depth of your heart. Tell him to come into you.Tell Him to fill you. Tell Him to set you free. Tell Him to open your eyes. Tell Him to fill you with that joy.
May the joy of the Lord indeed fill you in Jesus name.
