Joy, Joy, Joy – Part 3
“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ 3 The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad. 4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negeb! 5 Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! 6 He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126 – ESV).
Notice the psalmist said that “those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!” How can that be? Jerusalem was a big city and depended on food supply from the country. The Assyrian armies had swept through the countryside and taken everything but were unable to take Jerusalem. God delivered Jerusalem miraculously (2 Kings 19:32-36) but they still had to wonder how they were going to feed everyone. There seems to have been a choice. The farmers had enough food to plant or to eat the seed and not plant. What were they going to do?
Trusting in God, the farmers chose to plant the seed so that they would have food for the future, trusting that God would provide their immediate needs. Thus, they wept as they sowed, but sure enough, when it came time to harvest, they had survived and reaped with shouts of joy. Trusting God had paid off. Joy came with fruitfulness! The principle is that if we will be fruitful, we will have true joy. We must sow seeds in several areas of our lives in order to bring about fruitfulness.
Principles of Sowing
We reap what we sow. Our sowing can lead to great sorrow if we sow to the flesh. Our sowing can lead to great joy if we sow spiritually. Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7-8). Too many people sow their “wild oats” and then pray for a crop failure. Usually, it doesn’t happen. We reap what we have sown.
We reap in proportion to what we sow. Again, Paul expressed a principle: “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). The more wickedness one sows, the greater wickedness he or she will reap. On the other hand, the better spiritual work one sows, the greater will be his or her joy. There are some people who just seem to have a life full of joy. The secret is, they continue to sow to the Spirit and God continues to reward them with a deep joy that cannot be shaken through the physical circumstances around them. Would you like to be that kind of person?
Sowing that Bring Joy through Fruitfulness
There is joy in the fruit of soul winning. Paul said he wanted to go to Rome “that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles” (Romans 1:13). Have you brought someone to Christ? There is no greater joy on this earth than to know that you had a part in someone being saved! That begins when you sow the seed of the kingdom, which is the word of God (Luke 8:11) in the minds and hearts of men and women. No doubt, there are some people with whom you associate who needs the grace of God and the blood of Jesus. Help them reach that and you will have joy unspeakable.
There is joy in the fruit of living a righteous life. We can rejoice when our sins are washed away by the blood of Christ (Romans 6:3-4; Ephesians 1:7; Acts 22:16). That is not the final way to have joy. Our joy continues to grow as we grow in holiness. Paul explained, “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life” (Romans 6:22 NKJV). Paul’s prayer for the Colossians brethren ought to be our prayer today. He wanted them to “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:9-10). Remember, sowing to the flesh through sinful actions brings corruption and hardships. Righteous living does just the opposite.
There is joy in adding the fruit of the Spirit to our lives. Again, Paul wrote, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Think about all those great characteristics of that are said to be the “fruit of the Spirit.” The more of these and the great degree to which we had these, will produce a greater degree of joy.
Contrasts
Satan’s message is, “sow in joy today and don’t worry about tomorrow – do your own thing.” Satan always begins with joy and ends in pain. Sin always begins in freedom and ends in bondage. Sin always takes us farther than we intended to go, keeps us longer than we intended to stay, and costs us more than we intended to pay. Don’t let Satan fool you. Let’s not give Satan any advantage “for we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11).
Conclusion
First, the world is confused, thinking that happiness is the same a joy. Happiness depends on what is happening around us. Joy is what is within us. True joy is not going to be determined by what goes on around us. The psalmist summed up from where true joy comes: (1) Freedom, (2) Fullness, (3) Fruitfulness. Christ offers us the greatest joy. He said, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” (John 15:11).
Wayne Burger