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Joy Turned Loose Taylor Caldwell tells of a time in her life, many years ago, that was very difficult—20 years old, recently divorced, unemployed, and a young daughter to support. Her faith waning, she thought, "Oh, for the joy of the Lord! While on the bus during a torrential downpour, making yet another trip to the employment office, she found a rather fancy umbrella—engraved with the owner's name. To make a long story short, Taylor called the appreciative woman, turned down the $20 reward, had a wonderful visit, and made a new friend. The next six months were plagued with temporary jobs and meager salaries. Her last one ended that night on Christmas Eve, and unless a miracle happened, she would be homeless by January. "What a way to begin the New Year," she thought to herself, as she picked up her mail and trudged up to her third floor apartment. She longed to give little Peggy some kind of Christmas, but all they could do was warm up a can of beans. Just then, a deliveryman came with a couple of packages—a huge doll for Peggy and a leather purse, gloves, and candy for her. They were overjoyed as they saw the card—it was from the "umbrella lady." After Peggy was asleep, Taylor sat down to tackle the bills that just came. Bills? One was a bonus from a previous summer job—the exact amount for January's rent. The second one was an offer of a permanent job beginning on January 2nd. Tears streamed down her face as she heard worshippers on their way to church, singing "Joy to the World" and "O Come, All ye Faithful." Taylor joined their singing, and all the while thinking, "I am not alone. I was never alone. God is with me—Emmanuel!" As we enter the New Year of 2006, let's take a moment to hearken back to the Christmas season when two other women realized the same thing as Taylor did. In Luke 1:39-45, we find this amazing event—Mary, having been "overshadowed" by the Holy Spirit and now expecting God's only Son, goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who is also pregnant—even in her old age. It is this latter woman that I really want to focus on, for if anyone had the right to face the upcoming days with an attitude, it was she. And yet, we see nothing of the sort. Her husband, Zechariah, had not initially believed the angel's report of their coming child, who would ultimately prepare the way for Jesus. She, on the other hand, knew it was all from God—"Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein He looked on me, to take away my reproach among men." (vs. 25) Mary, filled with urgency, zeal, and diligence, rushed to see Elizabeth, who lived in Judea. When she entered the house, it happened—"And it came to pass, that, when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost." (vs. 41) Now, don't think that this was just the baby kicking—it wasn't, for this was the Spirit in Elizabeth recognizing Himself in Mary. A few verses later, this real reason for the baby leaping is declared—"For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy." (vs. 44) Yes, for joy! Nell Mohney once wrote, "The gift of joy is the miracle of a life in whom Christ, the babe of Bethlehem, lives. Receiving the gift of Christ in our lives means turning loose and surrendering ourselves in the firm belief that whatever happens, He will hold us up. Joy is the amazing result of that surrender!" If anyone would need joy loosed within, it would be Elizabeth and Mary—one was quite elderly, and therefore, at great risk of a problem pregnancy, and, the other was quite young, single, and at great risk of ridicule. Praise God, they had joy! Notice that in the previous verses of this chapter, the emphasis is on future events—the future coming of John the Baptist and the future coming of Jesus. In fact, the words "shall" and "shalt" occur 24 times in 38 verses, but now, the focus changes—the time is at hand. We see it clearly in Elizabeth's words to Mary following the leap for joy—"And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?…And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord." (vss. 42, 43, 45) Notice the emphasis I placed on the present tense verbs—it was God who emphasized them first! Their joy is not just something on the outside—forced smiles in the midst of hard times. Their joy was turned loose on the inside, and it exudes outward to affect all those around them—even you and me. Their joy comes from the Spirit of God that is within both of them. Throughout the Old Testament, the coming promise was just that—coming. It all pointed to the day when the Lord would not just be on the outside looking in, but actually within—working in the heart and changing it. The Lord described it graphically in Jeremiah 31—"…after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people…for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." (vs. 33b, 34b) So much of Christianity today is for outward show and fuzzy feelings, but God is concerned much more with changed hearts and lives, and that, He can only deal with from the inside. William Law, the great Puritan writer of the 18th Century, put it this way: "A Christ not in you is a Christ not yours." Perhaps that says it all! This meeting of Elizabeth and Mary is but a precursor of that—"Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Col. 1:27b) The same Spirit of God that formed both John and Jesus in the wombs of these women, wants to do a very similar thing in us. And in this, comes the true joy. Using phrases such as "in Christ," "in Him," and "in the Lord," Paul expresses this vital thought 164 times. He told the Church in Rome, in referring to Jesus Christ—"By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." (5:2-6) Without Christ actually in us, there is no love, no hope, no joy—not the eternal kind, anyway. Remember—if Christ is not in you, actually working His will in and through you and your daily life, then He is not yours. It sounds harsh, but it is true! Modern Christianity is not only about outward show, fuzzy feelings, and not sounding harsh, it's true focus is convenience. If allowing the Word of God to be lived out in our moment by moment decisions and activities takes even the slightest effort or commitment, the whole thing is often chucked. We get so busy that we think that we don't have time or energy to be and even give a testimony of His redeeming grace. As this New Year begins, stop in your tracks, make time for hearing from Him, and then go His way! So much depends on our spiritual hearing. To illustrate this, let me tell you of a man named Tim from New York City, who had a friend visit him—a native American named Tal. As they walked down a bustling 5th Avenue in Manhattan, amidst all of the well-dressed people and stylish stores, Tal grabbed his friend's arm and said, "I hear a cricket." "What?" replied Tim, "In this racket of the city, you can't possibly hear a cricket!" Looking up and down the street, Tal spotted a fruit vendor, and there, on his cart, was a cricket! A stunned Tim asked, "How did you know that?" Without a word, Tal took out a quarter, dropped it on the sidewalk, and no fewer than a dozen people—stopped—to listen. You see, we hear what we listen for, and that can be either good or bad. If we are honed in on this world and its systems, we will hear its lies and probably even believe some of them—you don't need to always be seeking a deeper life and closer walk with the Lord, after all, you are already a Christian; you don't need to gather all the time with others in the Body of Christ, after all, you are already a Christian; you don't need to make this relationship with Jesus—this, "Christ in you"—so all-encompassing, after all, you are already a Christian. Really? Don’t believe these lies of the Enemy. Remember—if Christ is not visibly in you, then He is not yours. As we proceed into this New Year of 2006, come to Him, and Him alone, to receive His joy, for "the joy of the Lord is your strength."(Neh. 8:10) May we, with Taylor Caldwell, know that we are not alone, nor have we ever been—God is with us, and will be in us, if we surrender to His Lordship. Joy is turned loose! Copyright (c)
2006 Christ Our Rock Bible Church. |
