Chances are that if you are reading this article, you have been through some traumatic experiences that you can credit for robbing you of joy. Perhaps you have a picture in your mind of what joy looks like. You believe you have seen the evidence of joy manifested in the lives of others, but you believe that you are devoid of it. This perceived lack may even make you doubt that you are a Christian. Did you know, however, that the manifestation of elevated fervor is not the factor that determines who a true Christian is?
A very high calling of God is the call to holiness. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (conduct); because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:14,15). But what exactly is holiness? “Holiness is not rapture: it is an entire surrender of the will to God; it is living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; it is doing the will of our heavenly Father; it is trusting God in trial, in darkness as well as in the light; it is walking by faith and not by sight; it is relying on God with unquestioning confidence, and resting in His love.”
In several recent studies, I noticed that Jesus was constantly opposed even during his childhood years. I was zeroing in on how much persecution he endured because of his holiness. The book, The Desire of Ages, shares that Jesus' brothers (the sons of Joseph) posed great difficulties for him since he didn’t, like the rabbis, exalt traditions as if they were God-given requirements. The scribes and elders also tried to compel Him to adopt the traditions that came from the ancient rabbis. Even the mother of Jesus tried to compel him to subject himself to the rabbis in His day. But Jesus presented a “Thus says the Lord” in every instance in support of all His actions.
When Jesus was asked why his demeanor appeared different from that of others, He did not enter into controversy with those who assailed Him with labels. He would say, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways” (Psalm 119:1-3, DA 89.3). Jesus would often quote similar texts that highlighted the importance of obedience to the scriptures. Unmistakably, the communion He had with His Father at the beginning of each day seemed to prepare Him for the trials He encountered.
We are sometimes faced with temptations that are similar to those Jesus endured while He lived on this earth. As difficult as it is to hear falsehood spoken to or about us, it is crucial that words that may be uttered to wound us will have no lasting impact on our mental health. O to have the mind of Christ, and instantly resort to the scriptures as our shield. We cannot change how we may have responded to traumatic experiences in the past — internalizing the labels placed on us, lending approval to character assassinations, or choosing to think certain situations imposed upon us rendered us worthless or cheap. We can, however, choose a different response today to traumatic experiences. Now, as we hide the Word of God in our hearts, we can, like Jesus, trust in what God can do to help us in difficult circumstances to keep self-deprecation, bitterness, anger, and retaliation at bay, and to leave vengeance to the Lord.
May there be a sense of joy in choosing to follow Jesus’ ways. The psalmist says, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8). Perhaps like the psalmist, you don’t feel as though it is a delight or a joy, but know that you are walking in holiness when you choose “to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6).
Comments