SIN LEAKS JOY

And these things write we unto you, that YOUR JOY may be FULL – Luke 15:7

It appears that some of the most joyless people are not the unsaved, but Christians who are disobedient to Christ! When people continue in sin, they invite God’s fatherly chastening which comes with much remorse: “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Heb.12:11). With the benefit of the indwelling Holy Spirit and knowledge of God’s will in His Word, such Christians may feel more wretched in their backslidden state than those who have not accepted the Saviour.

The Psalmist admitted: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psa.66:18). Any Christian who has lived for a season with unconfessed sin can confirm such heart-wrenching experiences. To be joyful Christians, we must seek to know God’s will in His Word and through prayer. Then in submission to the power of the Holy Spirit, we must endeavour to do His will, walking in the light as He is in the light (1Jh.1:7). If we do sin, we must be honest and open with God and rest on His grace to overcome (v.8-9).

SIN leaks JOY. Sin causes the cup of Joy to leak. Sin punctures Joy’s bubbles. The Lord be praised for the assurance that: “sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom.6:14). On the other hand, Righteousness is partner to Joy. Psalm 45:7 testifies concerning the Lord Jesus: “Thou lovest RIGHTEOUSNESS, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the OIL of GLADNESS above thy fellows.”

The lyrics of a hymn come to mind: Trust and obey – For there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.