TGIF
Over the past few months, I introduced you to some “acrostics” that Tina had shared with us in a church bulletin. An example of one acrostic I wrote about was BIBLE = Believers’ Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Last Friday, I discovered another acrostic that I thought was interesting enough to share with you. That acrostic came from the October 27 daily message from the book One-Year Devotional: Mission Possible written by Tim Tebow. The title of that daily devotional was JOY = Jesus Over You. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 – Rejoice always.
Happiness and joy are two distinct words with different meanings. Happiness stems from an external source. It’s a state of being “delighted, pleased, or glad as over a particular thing”. We’re happy when the sun is shining, when we get in a good workout before the workday, or if the dentist says “No cavities” at our six-month checkup. Joy, on the other hand, is deeper. It’s birthed in an internal source rather than tied to a specific situation or event. Joy is actually one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and is found in God.
Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
It’s no wonder Paul told us to rejoice always. He didn’t want a believer reliant on only external circumstances for joy to show up. It’d be impossible this side of heaven. I like to think of the word joy as an acronym that stands for Jesus Over You. When I think of joy in the context of my Lord and Savior reigning supreme over me, over the cares of this world, over my failings and shortcomings, over the scenes in my life that spur disappointment and rejection, I feel more capable of choosing it. Joy isn’t something you feel. It doesn’t give you goose bumps or make the little hairs on your arms stand up. The only way to choose joy – and keep choosing it – is to seek it in Jesus. He is unlike the fickle emotions we judge or the shifting circumstances of life. He never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
I really liked this message. I believe Tim is saying we can expect to have many happy days and also unhappy days in our lives, each day is influenced by many external events surrounding us and influencing our level of happiness with each particular day. In fact, our day can start out happy and end up unhappy (or vice versa), as our level of happiness is related to the events going on around us at any particular time.
However, joy is a different emotion. We can always be joyful because we know our eternal future is secure through our belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. No matter what we may be experiencing on any particular day, be it happy or sad, we can always find an inner peace, comfort, and hope in knowing that our future is secure for eternity because of God’s continual presence with us.
Psalm 16:8,9,11 – I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will dwell securely. … 11 You will make known to me the way of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.