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Be Joyful Always
Brian Mashburn
June 26, 2016
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Be Joyful Always?
There is no way around it. Paul commands us to be joyful. Many times. But am I the only one that wonders if he can do that? Is that fair? Is that even a "followable" thing to command someone to do? In the most concise and forceful of his writings about this, he says, "Be joyful always." (1 Thessalonians 5:16). And in my most appalled voice, I respond, "Say what?"
When I go back to Jesus for a gut check, I find that he speaks romantically of putting into us his joy. He speaks of making our joy complete. He speaks of a joy that no one can take away. He speaks of delivering what he calls the full measure of joy within us.
So, I guess Paul, as always, is taking his cue from Jesus. But, seriously? How can we live this life, and be expected to walk around with non-stop joy? If they can say such things with a straight face, well, either Jesus and Paul are hopelessly separated from reality - from real life here on the ground - OR they know something about joy that we don't.
Perhaps we should be slow to dismiss this idea? After all, if it WAS possible to have invincible joy, wouldn't you want it? If it were available, and Jesus and Paul knew it, wouldn't you want them to tell you about it? Certainly.
And besides, whether every-single-moment joy is possible or not, I must admit that too often, when I look around at many Christians - including myself sometimes - people who, at a minimum, say they have eternal life secured - I am inclined to ask what Paul did in Galatians 4:15 - "What has happened to all of your joy?"
This is another one of those texts that sounds so impossibly idealistic, that we will argue against it before giving it a chance. Today, let's give it a chance.