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Tidings of J.O.Y.
The late Marvin Zindler always ended his Friday news segment on Channel 13 with the same words: “Have a good weekend – good golf, good tennis, or whatever makes you happy.”
Whatever makes you happy. We are a culture committed to that concept. Whether it’s how you use your time, how you spend your money, or what you do with your body, the main objective is your own happiness. Even if it means that others are hurt in the process or certain principles are violated along the way, as long as it makes you happy.
This is no new philosophy. When the thirteen American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain in 1976, Thomas Jefferson wrote that all men were endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights such as “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” But therein lies the problem. It is a pursuit. It’s just beyond your grasp. Right around the corner. Over the next hill. It’s what Solomon refers to in Ecclesiastes as “striving after wind” (Eccl. 1:14).
Happiness, as the word suggests, depends on what happens. When something goes well, you’re happy about it. If not, you’re not. Life is like that. It has highs and lows, peaks and valleys. Just when you think everything is coming together, an emergency arises that can change your priorities in a heartbeat. Is there anything steady and stable that gives you something to hold on to amid all the good and bad happenings of life?
Enter joy. Joy is a constant that helps you keep your perspective in prosperity and your perseverance in adversity. It is the realization that no matter what happens, God is still your Father and heaven is still your home. While happiness may come and go, you can “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4).
How do you get joy? And keep it? The answer is in the word itself. I don’t remember who first showed me this acronym, but I will never forget its impact on my life.
J - Jesus
O - Others
Y - Yourself
In other words, J.O.Y. is found when you arrange your priorities this way.
1. Jesus. Putting Him first is something that God has demanded throughout the Scriptures. The very first commandment given to the Israelites on Mt. Sinai was “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:3). He was the God who brought them out of Egypt; He had the right to tolerate no rivals.
Jesus also said to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33). Don’t forget the context in which this verse is found. Instead of being anxious about things you need, seek God and trust Him that “all these things shall be added to you.” In so doing, faith and joy will replace worry and fear. You will never be able to “rejoice in the Lord always” until you elevate the Lord to the place that is rightfully His.
2. Others. When you seek God first, you will want to become more like Him and follow in the steps of His Son. You will be drawn to passages like, “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who... emptied Himself, taking the form of bond-servant” (Phil. 2:4-5).
When you make Jesus’ life the pattern for your life, your eyes will be opened to people who need what you have to offer. And you’ll find no greater joy than in loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving your neighbor as yourself.
3. Yourself. Ironic, isn’t it? Conventional wisdom says to put yourself first and look out for #1 if you want to be happy. But the wisdom that is from above assures us “whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted” (Matt. 23:12).
Put yourself last. It’s what servants do. And when you do, don’t look around for your reward or acknowledgment. Just know that you have done only that which you ought to have done (Luke 17:10). And be certain that eternal joy awaits.
J.O.Y. It’s for every season. What a great gift from God!
