LIFE Posts - Joy on the path
Last week we took a look at the fact that Jesus described the path that leads to life as narrow and difficult. We looked at Matthew 5:48, where Jesus said His followers are to be perfect as their Heavenly Father is perfect, and noted that we’re not told to be perfect on and in our own strength – we’re called to strive for perfection through our submission to the Holy Spirit. We start this week by revisiting one of last week’s closing verses.
John 16:33 (AMP2015) 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.] [1]
In context, John 16:33 concludes Jesus’ instructions to the disciples in the upper room, which was His final teaching session with them before His arrest and crucifixion. John 16:33 emerges from a deeply troubling moment. Jesus has just prophesied that the disciples will be scattered, knowing their courage and faith will fail them, and that they will abandon Him when facing hostile opposition. Theologian Arthur Pink says that this prediction was spoken to prepare them for the coming crisis and to humble them, destroying their at-the-time self-confidence.[2]
In this tense atmosphere of impending abandonment and failure, Jesus brings a counterbalance of hope in John 16:33. He reminds them that His entire message has aimed at giving them peace, with “these things” referring to all He has said to calm their fears and enable peace even amid apparent defeat. The contrast between “in Me” and “in the world” is critically important; in Christ there is peace; in the world there is tribulation. Though they will not remember it at the time, afterwards the disciples will recall that Jesus foretold everything that indeed happened (John 12:16).
Because Jesus has “overcome the world,” He can offer peace. Arthur Pink notes that Jesus was concerned with the peace of His disciples, even though it was He who was facing the coming crucifixion. He doesn’t focus on His own grief, and instead He comforts those who should have been His comforters.[3] This paradox defines the moment of John 16:33: the disciples will fail Him, yet He extends reassurance not based on their faithfulness but on His victory and continued presence with them, including the promised Holy Spirit.
Because we too live in the world, these statements of Jesus apply to us as well. The Greek word translated “be courageous” in John 16:33 is tharseo, meaning “to be of good courage, of good cheer.”[4] Isn’t it interesting that Jesus didn’t say, “be stoic and brave” when going through troubles – but instead said to be of good courage, which included being with good cheer?
Elsewhere in the New Testament, we have similar exhortations about being joyful through challenges, trials, waiting, or affliction:
James 1:2–4 (AMP2015) 1:2 Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. 1:3 Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. 1:4 And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing. [5]
1 Peter 1:6–7 (AMP2015) 1:6 In this you rejoice greatly, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 1:7 so that the genuineness of your faith, which is much more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested and purified by fire, may be found to result in [your] praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. [6]
Philippians 4:4–7 (AMP2015) 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice! [Ps 37:4] 4:5 Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near. 4:6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. 4:7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours]. [John 14:27] [7]
1 Peter 4:13 (AMP2015) 4:13 But insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, keep on rejoicing, so that when His glory [filled with His radiance and splendor] is revealed, you may rejoice with great joy. [8]
The words above are clear, but we often don’t feel like rejoicing during trials, do we? If we’re honest with ourselves and the Lord, what we want in those times is relief and respite and nothing else. Yet when our expectations are focused only on our own relief instead of submission to God, the trial seems to go on forever – and every second drags on for what feels like eternity. It is when we stop and slow down our thoughts and focus on the Lord that we experience change, because we begin to exchange our idol of expectations for submission to Him. This is the endurance that James talks about above in James 1:3, which is built through the testing and development of our faith.
As an analogy, when we develop our physical strength by going to the gym or other forms of exercise, it takes effort. Importantly, it takes choosing to make that effort. Growing muscles and strength require pushing ourselves to lift more weight or do more repetitions. Such exercise results in soreness, but the end results can be seen in our body’s composition and strength levels. Spiritually, we do not tend to grow when everything is going great. Too often, when we are comfortable, we fall into traps of believing we’re self-reliant and begin to shift our priorities away from God. Just as ceasing to exercise our bodies causes them and their strength to atrophy, a life of spiritual ease will cause us to lose our hunger for God – and without our spirit growing closer to Him, our joy will diminish.
Circling back to what we noted about John 14:33 – Jesus’ reassurance and encouragement to the disciples who were about to fail Him was not based on their faithfulness, strength, or bravery – it was based on His strength and victory. At that moment, the disciples did not yet understand Jesus’ message to them fully; it was only after they’d walked through their failures and Jesus coming back to them that their maturity grew. It is an understatement to say that the disciples’ world was shaken completely over the days that followed – a narrow and difficult path, one which they absolutely strayed from how they were instructed, but through God’s Grace they were not abandoned by God after they abandoned Jesus!
We, too, are preciously loved by Jesus. We have His Word given to us, and His Holy Spirit living inside of us. We have an eternal future with Him, and His plans for us are greater than we could ever plan for ourselves. Keeping the perspective of knowing anything we’re enduring during our time on earth is temporary while we have eternity to look forward to with Him helps ground us in His Love. Resting in God’s Love for us enables us to choose to consider or regard any challenge or trial to be a time for joy, since we are able, in the midst of the difficulty, to draw closer to the Lord.
If you are going through a time of difficulty currently, know that the devil, our enemy, doesn’t fight fair. He will attempt to abuse you through your feelings and try to make you lose all hope. Joy may feel out of reach and hope hopeless. Some have felt that all they have left is faith, with hope slipping away as time goes on without the answers or relief they are praying for. If this is you, please know that you have been prayed for, prayers that you tangibly feel the warm, tender comfort of the Holy Spirit, and for your hope to be rekindled in Jesus’ Name. Be encouraged that the Bible has given us examples of people who have walked through challenging times – including those who were in moments of exasperated desperation. One of my favorite scriptures is below:
Mark 9:14–29 (NLT) 9:14 When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 9:15 When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet him. 9:16 “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked. 9:17 One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 9:18 And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.” 9:19 Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” 9:20 So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. 9:21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. 9:22 The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” 9:23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” 9:24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” 9:25 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!” 9:26 Then the spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, “He’s dead.” 9:27 But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he stood up. 9:28 Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?” 9:29 Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.” [9]
I’ve loved this scripture not just because the boy was healed, but because of how Jesus handled the boy’s father. The man was desperately trying to obtain healing for his tortured son. I can almost feel this man’s end-of-his-rope desperation for his son to be delivered. Note that Jesus responded first to the man’s doubt in verse 23, “What do you mean, ‘If I can?’ … anything is possible if a person believes.” Many people, having grown up or are currently around people who have criticized, condemned, or judged them, would think that Jesus is going to walk away because the man expressed doubt or lack of faith in Him. Instead, the man honestly says that he does believe but asked for help in the unbelief that was also there. In His Mercy and Grace, Jesus answered both of the man's requests – certainly by delivering the boy from the demon He also healed the unbelief that was present in the boy’s father.
In the midst of our own struggles and trials, we can and should draw near to the Lord, fully honest with Him about our faith and our lack of faith. Of our hope and our hopelessness. He loves us so much! Just as the man was challenged to grow in his faith, we too are challenged – but also like the man, we are loved so much that our Savior will answer. Am I saying every prayer will be answered in the way we desire or expect? No – that isn’t always the case. But by submitting to Him and His love, and trusting in Him, we will find His answers are best for us and we can absolutely rely and rest upon Him.
Before closing this week’s message, I want to emphasize that as we rely upon the Lord we grow in Him and His Ways. A critically important aspect of His Way is to be part of the body of Christ, that is, His Church. Being part of the church means more, so much more, than just attending a service on Sundays. If you’re not a member of a church, ask the Holy Spirit to direct you to the best one for you. If you are but are an “in-and-out on Sundays only” member, not connected with other believers in small groups, ask the Holy Spirit for direction on getting connected. The church is the body or family of God. Being connected with other believers as a family is the intention of God for His children. We are built up when we need help by being connected, encouraged by the friendship and testimony of others. We are also able to be the encourager for others by sharing our own testimony. All this enables us to walk the narrow path that leads to life with joy, courageous in good cheer, even in challenging times.
Application/Questions/Journal your thoughts
- How do you keep track of your thought life? The old adage “think about what you’re thinking about” holds as good guidance, since quite often in our busy worlds we don’t “manage” our thinking. Doing so helps us “consider” or “regard” challenges as opportunities for joy. Ask the Holy Spirit for understanding of how this can be done – both for yourself and others around you.
- One facet of joy that can be had during a trial is realizing that how we walk through the trial is an opportunity to help others. Often people struggle with giving their testimony about Jesus and witnessing to others. When we realize that people are watching us, and when we are going through a trial (health, financial, relational, work) and have the serenity that the joy of the Lord has for us, they notice. The “how are you able to be so calm” or similar questions are opportunities to share the undeniable difference God has for us. What other ways do you think there is joy to be found in walking through a trial? Share and discuss with another person in Christ.
Scripture of the week
Hebrews 11:1 (AMP2015) 11:1 Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]. [10]
2 Corinthians 5:7 (AMP2015) 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises]— [11]
Psalm 28:7 (AMP2015) 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my [impenetrable] shield; My heart trusts [with unwavering confidence] in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I shall thank Him and praise Him. [12]
Romans 15:13 (AMP2015) 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises. [13]
John 15:11 (AMP2015) 15:11 I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing. [14]
Galatians 5:22 (AMP2015) 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [15]
Weekly prayer
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for Your Joy, which is a manifest fruit of your Holy Spirit living in me. Thank You that Your Joy is always available, and that every moment – whether one that is of ease or one of challenge – is joyful because of Your Love for me. Help me, Lord, walk in the manner that I desire to be – that is as Your child who wants to be more like You. Amen!
Freedom Facet
Considering, regarding, or purposefully thinking that every challenge is an opportunity for joy isn’t a worldly way of thinking. Submitting ourselves to the Lord enables us to live spiritually in order and will mark us as different. Resting in the Lord provides us relief in discomfort and encouragement in times of desperation. Praise God for His Love!
Jesus's Freedom is for those who call Him Lord - those who believe in Him. If you’ve not yet accepted Christ Jesus as Your Lord, and would like to, say the following prayer aloud.
Lord Jesus, I confess and realize that I am a sinner, and without You, I am lost and separated from God. Thank You for going to the cross and dying for my sins – I ask for Your forgiveness for my sins, and I thank you and receive the forgiveness of my sins Your Word says is now mine! Holy Spirit, I thank You that You now reside within me. I lay down my will for Yours and ask for Your daily guidance and direction to make me more and more like You. Amen!
The Bible tells us that if we confess Jesus as Lord with our mouth and believe in our hearts that God resurrected Jesus from the dead, we are saved for eternity. If you’ve just accepted Jesus as Lord, know that heaven is celebrating right now (Luke 15:10)! Rejoice because you are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and now have begun the process of sanctification becoming like Him. Keep coming back, as we explore Freedom facets and what our Identity in Christ truly is. Share this joyous news with a brother or sister in Christ and get connected in your local church! LIFE is yours!
Small Group Invitations - Week of June 28, 2026
Below are invitations to just a couple of Men's Small Groups that are happening this week, both a part of Celebration Church, Georgetown, Texas. If these don't work for you, or if you're not a Celebration Church, TX attendee - regardless of the church you attend - being a part of small group is immensely important! If you're not involved in one, I pray that you find one that works for your schedule and you get plugged in. Being connected in the local church will bless you immeasurably!
Tuesday Morning Men's Fellowship Group: 6am - 7am at Rudy's BBQ in Round Rock, Texas. Join us for a time of fellowship where we'll discuss the message from the Pastors on Sunday, the newsletter contents, or whatever is going on in the lives of the brothers meeting.
Friday Morning Celebration Men: No meeting this week - enjoy your time with family for the Fourth of July Weekend!
[1] Amplified Bible | 2015 (AMP). 2015. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[2] Pink, Arthur Walkington. 1923–1945. Exposition of the Gospel of John. Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot.
[3] Pink, Arthur Walkington. 1923–1945. Exposition of the Gospel of John. Swengel, PA: Bible Truth Depot.
[4] Vine, W. E., Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr. 1996. In Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 2:97. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.
[5] Amplified Bible | 2015 (AMP). 2015. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[6] Amplified Bible | 2015 (AMP). 2015. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[7] Amplified Bible | 2015 (AMP). 2015. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[8] Amplified Bible | 2015 (AMP). 2015. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[9] Tyndale House Publishers. 2015. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[10] Amplified Bible | 2015 (AMP). 2015. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[11] Amplified Bible | 2015 (AMP). 2015. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[12] Amplified Bible | 2015 (AMP). 2015. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[13] Amplified Bible | 2015 (AMP). 2015. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[14] Amplified Bible | 2015 (AMP). 2015. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[15] Amplified Bible | 2015 (AMP). 2015. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.