Is the joy of the Lord lighthearted happiness, seriousness, a nonchalant attitude towards the cares of this world, or perhaps the security of the knowledge that we are safe in His hands and always will be.
This life takes on a duality, if you will, for the born-again believer, its prizes and rewards mean little to us if they cannot in some way be used to glorify God, as with our past talents that served us, they are considered dung, (Phil. 3:8) frivolous, and the closer He draws us to Himself, the less value we see in any of them. Yet, at the same time, we see a great need to be here, but not for us. Our lives are to be spent in service to the Lord, and the majority of that life is towards those others that share this planet with us, our neighbors and enemies.
Our sole purpose to those who do not yet call Him Lord is to show them His love for them, the error of the path that they are currently on, the eternal torment that awaits them if they do not in repentance call upon His name for the salvation of their souls, if they do not see and recognize that Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. (Rev. 19:16) For those that are our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are to reach out to them in that same love, to edify them, to build them up and strengthen them in their faith, so that they can become even more profitable for the kingdom of the Most High.
The joy we speak of here, the joy of the Lord must remain within us no matter the circumstances or the consequences to ourselves. Whatever momentary despair and fear that Paul felt as he was being led away again to be whipped, when the ship was sure to be destroyed, when the stones began to be hurled at him was assuaged by the joy of the Lord. The knowledge that we are being obedient by our own free will to the will of the Father is what brings us joy.
Far too many who call Jesus Lord confuse this joy with an emotional state, with a feeling, and always only with a positive one, they base that joy that is to be unchanging and constant on the circumstances of the moment, on the possibility of physical harm, of emotional distress, of a life without inconvenience, and so they miss out on what is intended, a blessed assurance. “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:29)
There is no greater joy in this life for the born-again believer than that we will indeed be welcomed into the kingdom of God, that all that happens to us, no matter what it is, is for our good, (Romans 8:28) that no evil will befall us, (Psalm 91:10) that we are eternally safe. Those who believe that their salvation can be lost will never know this joy, those who will not believe in the rapture of the church will always feel anxiety and fear, they will never understand the joy that is available to them. Those who seek for some form of works to ensure their salvation cannot comprehend Ephesians 2:8-9. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” And so will never rest in the assurance of their salvation, they will never know the peace that passes all understanding, the joy of the Lord.
It is both an incredible happiness, it is seriousness in the extreme, it is a lack of care and concern of the way the world has chosen to go, and it is a complete and total disregard for our own lives. The joy of the Lord is the unswerving knowledge of the promise of John 14:3, “That where I am, there ye may be also.”
