Prophet’s Reading Plan: Isaiah 13-16
And the fruit of the
Spirit is… joy…
Habakkuk 3:18 (NIV) yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
While
happiness is rather dependent upon circumstantial success and immediate
pleasure, joy is a delight of the heart and mind due to an “assured approaching
possession of good.” (1828 Webster’s Dictionary) As believers our joy is found
in our hope, grounded in an assured future with Christ. When we recognize and
rejoice in this as our end, what can steal our joy? Unhappy circumstances and major
disappointments cannot – a lost job or a struggling relationship or failing
health cannot shut out the hope that is our joy. Even death cannot stand in the
way; essentially death for the Christian is a gateway into the realization of eternal
hope!
Though
there are many things that bring joy into our lives, including family and
friendship and the activities we share together, our joy must be rooted in our eternal hope as
Christians. This does not mean that the other things are unimportant; rather
they alone are an unstable foundation
for joy. Friendships shift throughout our lives, family members will fail us at
times, and activities themselves will not provide deep fulfillment in life.
When our joy stands upon Jesus Christ and our future in His kingdom, we will be
able to remain steadfastly joyful even when friends and family disappoint. It
is then that we will be able to say, as Habakkuk did, “yet I will rejoice in the Lord!”
PRAYER &
MEDITATION
1. Think about the things and people that bring you joy. Is God
at the centre of that joy? Think through the things you’ll be doing today that
you are looking forward to. How can you keep God at the centre of these,
allowing Him to be your true Source of joy?
2. Spend some time meditating on the eternal hope that you have
as a Christian. Think about Heaven – the real Kingdom where you will spend
eternity with God! Ask God to fill your heart with joy in response to your
future.
3. Habakkuk’s words are quite powerful! Can you make his
words your own motto? Choose that when disappointment comes your way your first
response will be to say, “Yet I will
rejoice in the LORD!” Think of any situations today where you need to respond like
this.
