What Is True Enjoyment?

Now the God of hope fill you with all 

joy and peace in believing, that ye may 

abound in hope, through the power 

of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

     Joy is a hallmark of Authentic Christians, not some worldly joy, although there is much joy to be found in our world, not in a joy based on the culture of this world, but joy that comes by the power of the Holy Spirit. This joy that God will fill His children comes to those who are believers in His Son Jesus Christ, that He is the Savior, their Savior, and they have come to know that they have sinned, done that which is wrong, to God who is Holy. Repentance in prayer is a prayer that God will always hear and will accept. 

     Authentic Christians have great joy, peace, a life of blessings that come by doing what God has revealed for His children to do and that first comes by a person denying themselves and cleaving to Jesus Christ, His words, His commands. Here are some examples that will bring joy: Driving the speed limit: no need to worry about getting a speeding ticket, will this not bring joy? Yes! Checking your car, the tires, the oil, the water, and doing maintenance to ensure a good working car. Will this bring joy? Yes! Allowing enough time to get to a place without rushing. Will this not bring joy? Yes! Keeping your yard clean, mowed, flowers, painted house, clean house, will this not bring joy? Yes! Giving aid to those in need. Will this not bring joy? Yes! There is so much joy in just the everyday things that need to be cared for and those things that we do to care for others. Think on this: we have great scenes, mountain, lakes, ocean, parks, trails, monuments to see, all bring joy in this life. Well, this joy can only be real, a lasting joy if the person is a believer and doing all for the right reason, the right motive. Life is tough, but not as tough as we make it to be, we sometimes will let our guard down and allow depression to come in when God by the power of the Holy Spirit will fill you with joy, and peace. You have to let Him! 

     Peter in 2Peter 1:5 says to add to our virtue.... it means that there is something that we must do. Remember: we cannot do what God can do. We cannot save ourselves or sanctify ourselves, albeit that we do the right things, it is God that does the sanctifying and this He will not do if we do not take the initiative. For instance: God will not give us habit, nor will He give us character, He will not make us walk upright. WE MUST DO IT! We have to work out the salvation that God has put in! Begin now! We have to take the initiative where we are, not where we are not. 

     Lets talk about joy. Joy is a noun, that is it is a state of great delight or happiness. Enjoy is a transitive verb: to take pleasure in, or to experience joy. Enjoyable is an adjective, that is giving or capable of giving enjoyment. Enjoyment is a noun, the act of enjoying, a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction, delight, or gratification. Enjoyment is a by-product: a contented, fulfilled state that comes from concentration on something other than yourself. There are conditions to enjoyment and if you are seeking enjoyment you will probably miss it for you are disregarding the conditions of it. We must acquire the grace to stop looking for enjoyment and giving our attention to persons and matters external to ourselves. Bible study will not necessarily bring enjoyment and this is true if the study is not leading us to conform to God, in belief and in our behavior; we must put our trust and obedience to God, then, and then only, will one find true enjoyment.

     Yesterday I wrote about the Bereans, those that believed would testify to the joy of their coming to knowledge of the Bible study. The Bereans did not undertake a Bible study to find that joy, no, they undertook the Bible study to find certainty about God's way of salvation, and by this their joy was found and abounded. So what brings us joy, enjoyment, to be enjoyable, is to fellowship with God by reading His words, the Bible, and here find God's way, even if what is revealed may knock us flat, that is, we find that we must make changes, to change from the inside/out. 

     Do you want joy? Do you want life to be enjoyable? Do you want people to see that joy that comes only by believing and comes by means of the Holy Spirit? Good! Now take the initiative and do it!

Come, and let us return unto the LORD:

     for He hath torn, and He will heal us;

He hath smitten, and He will bind us up.

                      Hosea 6:1

May joy fill your life

Richard L. Crumb