Joy

I haven't written in my blog in a while but I've had some things on my heart, so I'm just going to jump in here.

I started this book called "In Our Joy" and it's based on one of Jesus' parables. In Matthew 13:44 it reads, "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." In the introduction it talks about how, minutes earlier he would have thought it crazy to sell everything he had. That was his stuff that he had worked hard for. Now, here he was running around like a mad man IN HIS JOY selling it all. As many times as I've read that, I've never really noticed those 3 little words before. Imagine what his neighbors were thinking. If you were one of his neighbors, do you think you'd try to talk some sense into him? They had no idea what he had found. They only see a man happily selling away everything he'd worked for his whole life. But that man knew what he had found. He knew that once he possessed that field, he would prosper so much more then he currently was. He knew his life's work was nothing compared to that treasure he had buried in that field. 

Jesus compared that treasure to the kingdom of heaven. Once we discover the value of the kingdom of heaven, we should joyously give up everything of our past to obtain it. But do we? Do we truly understand the value of the kingdom of heaven? How many of us wants to hold on to some things? How many make excuses, "That's just the way I am"? When we do that, we aren't really doing all we can to obtain that great treasure. And we are definitely not doing it in our joy. 

Following Jesus requires us to die to self, daily. I'm 43 years old and I still question if I've gotten rid of all of the old me. I do have a deep desire to be all that God wants me to be. To do that, all of the old me has to go so the new creation can live through Him. Have I shed all of the old me? It's hard. I've been this way for 40+ years. Change isn't easy for anyone. But when I recognize part of the old me coming out, I should shed it joyously. Because I know that my reward is great. 

As I'm reading this book and examining myself, I'll probably share more here. But, just before I started reading this book, I saw a question somewhere asking, "Is not having joy a sin?" Think about it. Romans 14:17 says, "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." James tells us in chapter 1, verse 2, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations." Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." And he also tells us in Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say, Rejoice." These are just a few example of scripture on joy. We sing songs about it, but do we practice it? Do we truly have joy in our life? Or are we still pouting about things we have had to give up? Are we still struggling to do everything our way? These are some of the questions I keep asking myself. Do I truly have joy in my life?