Are we radiant with joy in the Holy Spirit? I reiterate the question. Are you—am I—radiant with joy in the Holy Spirit?
As Christians we are to be different—aren’t we? We've been changed by God from being a sinful person to one saved by grace—isn’t that right?
I know that sometimes I don’t feel different. I struggle with hurt feelings, with feelings of insecurity, and sometimes I get angry. I’m not sure where all these feelings come from. I pray repeatedly from the depths of my heart for God to change me. I read over and over again Romans 8:26-27:
“In the same way, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
It’s doubtful that any of us will ever totally shed our insecurities. But by looking to God, praying to Him, and reading His Word, we can have joy—real deep down joy in the Holy Spirit, as Paul talked about in Romans 14:17:
“—for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Then here's the real clincher whether we can have real deep, down, visible joy in the Holy Spirit. It's found In Psalm 34:5 where David wrote the following:
“Those who look to him are radiant with joy.”
I want to look to him when I have hurt feelings, periods of insecurity, and definitely instances where I feel anger ready to burst out. I want instead to look to Him—to be radiant with joy in the Holy Spirit!
Last year, my brother Craig and his wife Linda went on a six-month around-the-world cruise. An elder in my church lost his wife some years ago, and each summer ever since, he has spent a couple of weeks in the majestic Rocky Mountains at a horse ranch engaging in daily trail rides. The pictures taken by both parties gave me a sense of the wonder and adventure that each of them experienced.
I grew up in Holmes County, and I am old enough to remember the travelogues that came to our high school from time to time. Going with Dad I loved listening to the narration and watching the traveling adventures shared by the presenter in the form of picture slides or videos of mountains, people, and wild animals in faraway lands. Many Amish and Mennonite people, and myself lived the presenter’s adventure vicariously through their travelogue.
I know that some people with conservative values have varying opinions about PBS, the Public Broadcasting System, because of their sometimes liberal views. But there are two shows that I watch almost every time they come on. One is “Rick Steves’ Europe”, and the other is “Alone in the Wilderness”.
I love "Rick Steves’ Europe" adventures with the vast mountain ranges where Mr. Steves shows videos of himself engaging people of different cultures and wonderful mountain ranges. I don’t like Mr. Steves frequent references to “climate change”, but I love the video adventures he shares. I joke with Dee that I think I like them because they are where “my people”, the Anabaptists, came from.
Also, I’m always fascinated by Richard Proenneke’s “Alone In The Wilderness” movie of his compilation of video clips he shot of himself, living and surviving a primitive life over thirty years from 1968 to 1999 alone in Alaska’s harsh and sometimes unforgiving climate. He used no power tools, but only primitive hand tools to build his cabin and many other features around his cabin. I especially remember him saying with his cabin fire crackling, “It’s a toasty 43 degrees” as the outside temperatures sometimes dropped to 40 below zero.
Why do I like the pictures and videos of all the people I have mentioned in this post? It’s because I realize at the age of 70 years old that I will likely never experience the vast majority of these adventures myself. My guess is that most of the Amish people at the travelogues have never gone to faraway lands. So, we resort to living vicariously through others who share their experiences.
Most of us encounter circumstances and even peril beyond our control. My brother Merv was shot and blinded by a gunman in 2001. My wife has some physical problems, and I am realizing that at my age I will likely never travel to experience physical and visual adventure. Even Richard Proenneke, at the age of 83, had to give up his Alaska adventure. He and his family members came to the realization that he would be in physical danger if he continued.
That being said, the other night Dee and I shared what we think is missing in many people living the Christian life, including ourselves. It’s the sense of adventure—the sense that all of us are on a great spiritual journey almost too wonderful to comprehend.
Smokey and Juanita, two 90-year-olds in our church can experience that adventure—and it goes all the way down to babies and toddlers in the church who are at the beginning of their adventurous lifetime journey.
Following are two Bible passages that gives us just a partial view of this adventure of a lifetime here on earth that we as Christians are on. Here they are:
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3.
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints.” Ephesians 1:18-19.
Then, every adventure has a climax—which is the reason for the adventure of a lifetime in the first place. You can find the reason in Philippians 3:13-14:
“But one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”
The reason for our adventure of a lifetime, whatever twists and turns it may take—is to be in the end with Jesus in heaven forever and ever!
