Spiritual Joy # 3

Spiritual Joy # 3

Some are waiting to rejoice until they have attained a sinless perfection, forgetting that if they are never to rejoice until then, they will never have peace until they get to heaven; and thus show by such a delay that they are rather looking to rejoice in themselves, than in the Lord. Oh! how numerous are the machinations of satan to keep God's people from being happy, when he cannot keep them from being holy - how numerous and how subtle are the methods by which he causes the children of light to walk in darkness!

Limited knowledge of the scheme of redemption, and the great truths of the gospel, is a common hindrance to spiritual joy. As the source of spiritual comfort is in the truth, we can receive that comfort only in proportion as the truth is understood and believed. In the minds of many godly people there is much confusion of thought; much mixture of law and gospel; a lack of clear discrimination between justification and sanctification; and an equal lack, of course, of discrimination between grace in God and merit in man. They are ever looking for marks and evidences in themselves, instead of looking to Christ; and find more to distress and harass them in the least ascertainable imperfections in themselves, or in a single dull season of prayer - than in all the fullness of grace in the Saviour to comfort them! By thus dwelling continually upon himself in the way of gloomy despondency, the Christian is apt to acquire a sickly, feeble, morbid mold of piety. It is not humility, penitence, and an aim at something better, (of which the believer cannot have too much,) but discontent, wretchedness, and a hopeless sorrow. Christians, study as well as read the gospel. Labor to comprehend the system of salvation by grace through faith. Penetrate to the bottom, as far as possible, of that wondrous word GRACE; and especially grow in the knowledge of that glorious union between justice and mercy, which is established by the death of Christ!

Christians are kept back from joy, sometimes, by being afraid to let their religion make them happy. Even though they do not deny in words that they have some right and reason to rejoice, and that it would be no presumption in them to be glad in the Lord; yet they seem afraid to go to high degree of spiritual delight, lest it should "exalt them above measure." There are times when most Christians have a more vivid and delightful sense of Divine truth, when there is an unusual transparency of the soul's atmosphere, through which the eye of faith discerns spiritual objects with particular clearness, and when the soul seems instinctively to exult. The note of praise is struck with new strength, and the heart is beginning to swell into a fullness of delight. At that moment a surmise creeps over the soul, "i must restrain these feelings - they will endanger my humility, inflate me with pride, and expose me to satan's temptations!" All spiritual joy is now checked - and the mind which was invited to soar, cowers down, and dooms itself to creep!

SIN damps spiritual joy - and ought to do so! I do not now mean immorality, for this puts it quite out, but the lesser workings of our corruption - the sins of the heart, the sins of the tongue, the sins of the character. Sins known only to God and conscience. Sins of omission and of defect. Sins that do not unchristianize us, any more than they excommunicate us from the church. Such sins unopposed, unmortified - do, and must, prevent or diminish our joy. They may not put out the light of our piety altogether - but they surround it with an impure atmosphere, a thick fog, which prevents its light from shining upon the heart.

And then connected with this, I may observe, that the piety of many is too feeble altogether; they are too worldly, too lukewarm, live too far from God, to derive much joy and peace from their piety. Spiritual joy, is joy in God, in Christ, in holiness, in heaven! And when, therefore, the professor who lives so little in the closet, communes so little with his Bible, attends so little to the frame of his own mind, and lives so far from God, that he doubts himself, and others doubt for him, whether he loves God or not - it can be no wonder that his religion does not make him happy!

The religion of some people is just enough to make them miserable. It spoils them for the world, without fitting them for the church. These are the men who are so taken up with the world, that they do not desire the joy of true religion, and are unwilling to cast out a single earthly care or enjoyment, though it were to make was for all the consolations of the Spirit. My dear friends, let me now entreat you to avoid these hindrances, and to seek after more of that heavenly, holy, happy frame of mind. Pray for it, for it is a fruit of the Spirit. Find time for private, silent meditation. Watch against sin. Cultivate all the branches of holiness; for holiness is happiness.  Be diligent, yes, give all diligence to make your calling and election sure.

Do you need MOTIVES for this? Think of your own happiness. You are not to be indifferent to this. God wills you to be happy, and has most abundantly provided means to make you so. You must enter into His design and strive to be joyful. God loves to see His children happy, and does not allow them to be indifferent to their own peace.

~John Angell James~

(continued with # 4)