OK! We're in the home stretch...
Did you ever consider that joy is not an “end” but a “means?” Sure, sure, of course, I may say. But do I really live this way? If I am content to stop with “how do I find joy?”, I will not find it at all. I struggle with this too—content to seek happiness just for its own sake. I mean, when is the last time you heard someone wrestle with the question, “Why do I want to be happy?”
These passages show us “joy gone wrong”… leading us to see that joy is not our end goal…
-The people were joyful that God gave them a king, but God was displeased because they had rejected Him as their king. 1 Samuel 10:17-18; 11:15; 12:12-13, 19
-David’s adversaries rejoice over David when he is shaken. Psalm 13:3-4
-King Solomon warns, “Rejoice and follow the desires of your heart, but know God will judge you for these things…” Ecclesiastes 11:9
-Some receive the Word with joy, but have no firm root and wither away in persecution. Matthew 13:20-21
-The world rejoices when Jesus goes away. John 16:20
So we see a type of joy expressed that is clearly not lasting or rightly placed. But does the Bible lead us to the purpose, the end goal of joy?
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