This Is Why I Have Joy

In the first chapter of the letter to the church penned by James, he stated… ” Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials…” Notice that he didn’t say “if”. He said “when”. I cannot speak for anyone else, but my life has seen its fair share of trials. I have witnessed heartache, loss, pain and hardship. I have suffered physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. Some of the hardship was brought on by bad decisions that I made and some of it was brought on by circumstances beyond my control. Either way, it was hard. It still is. Just yesterday I learned that a friend of many years had died of complications brought on by cancer. He was a young man with a young wife and two young children. As hard as it was for me to find out, my pain cannot compare to the pain that his family is enduring at this moment. He was a faithful brother in the Lord whose trust in Christ never wavered. Yet, his life ended tragically. How does one find joy in that? Opponents of Christianity would point to this very occurrence as proof that God doesn’t exist. They would say that a good God would never allow that kind of evil to take place, especially to one who calls themselves a believer. What they don’t know is that a trial like this does not erode the faith of those who put their trust in Christ. Instead, as James continues, it…”produces endurance.” The scriptures don’t tell us that our lives are going to be bubble gum and roses. In spite of what prosperity preachers claim. The Bible warns us that treasure can be lost, possessions rust away, relationships end and lives evaporate life dust. We are here but for a moment. That is why our JOY is not in our possessions or even our circumstances. Our JOY is Christ. He is our joy, and our reward. He is our strength and our treasure. For those of us who call Him LORD, there is no greater source of joy and hope than Jesus. It is He who gives us supernatural strength to endure the kind of pain and hardship that might break others. We know that this life is temporary, and that death is not final. In fact, death is only the beginning. My friend’s journey ended on this earth, but he opened his eyes before the throne of grace and heard “Well done my good and faithful servant. Enter into your reward!”. Why can we have joy in the face of such tragedy? It is because we know that this world is not our home and that every trial that we face refines us more and more into the image of our amazing savior. There is no greater hope than that. No other religion promises that. No other religion promises unmerited grace and mercy to any and all who call upon the name of Lord. That is because no other religion has Jesus. My friend knew this and made Jesus Lord of his life. That is why I have confidence that I will see him again. I will miss him, but just for a season. Someday soon I will close my eyes for the last time on this side of eternity and I will open them to behold my God in all of His glory. Just the thought makes it all worth it. This is why I have joy.