HOW
TO HAVE THE JOY OF
LIVING
By Clinton
White
Christ said, "Blessed
(happy) are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7).
Mercy is the fruit of love. Love has everything to do with keeping your joy. He
also said, "Love one another as I have loved you" (John 15:12). All
people everywhere are offenders and in need of mercy. If we who have received
mercy will give as liberally as we have received, the joysprings will flow; but
if we harden our hearts, those springs will turn to dust.
How do we keep that
commandment? How do we demonstrate that love?
The Bible says, "Be ye
kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for
Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:32). Spiritual love is not
just a feeling of affection toward another. In fact, a love that exists only in
"feeling" is actually in the soulish realm; it is an emotional thing and may be
as changeable as the wind. Love is something that is demonstrated by deeds.
Love, by its very nature, springs into action! I have heard hundreds of
Christians pray, "Oh God, give me more love!" What they really want is a sort of
weepy, sentimental, glowing feeling toward their fellow man . . . something like
the adolescent girl's dreamy, but unrealistic, ideal of married love. They want
to be transported to a pinnacle of emotional love where they will never feel any
resentment, nor unkindness toward any human being. This is, unfortunately, the
very unscriptural idea some Christians have about love.
Don't chase this illusion!
It is nothing but a mirage. It doesn't exist. If this is your quest, then wake
up . . . you are in a dream world.
For instance, if someone
whacked you in the face, your old human nature would react with anger. Who could
blame you? But because you love God, you obey Him. You turn the other cheek. You
don't feel like turning the other cheek; you feel like giving him a good sock on
the nose. You don't feel any love for this fellow at all. But you do the deed of
love. You deny your urge to pommel him. You deny your urge to pray that God will
turn him inside out, and instead you pray, "Father forgive him." You don't tell
anyone about how he hurt you; you don't wish him any harm; you don't want any
vengeance. This whole matter is forgotten as far as you are concerned. This is
forgiveness. This is giving someone undeserved mercy. This is love! And later as
you pray for him more, the feeling of love may come.
Jesus said, "Whosoever
will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow
Me" (Mark 8:34). Deny himself means to refrain from expressing the reactions
of self (human nature). Nowhere does the Bible indicate that you won't feel
those normal reactions to being hurt, rejected, lied about, robbed or insulted.
Certainly you will feel the pain of rejection, or the resentment of being
falsely accused, or the anger at being cheated. Your "self" will want to strike
back, or explain your side of the story, or retaliate; and you will feel like
fervently praying for vindication if you have been falsely accused.
On the cross an innocent
Jesus was executed as a criminal. He did not protest His innocence, neither did
He utter hateful words of retaliation at those who falsely accused Him and
jeered at the moment of His terrible agony. "He was oppressed, and He was
afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not
His mouth" (Isaiah 53:7). In the face of the greatest injustice the world
has ever seen, He said, "Father forgive them." The cross is the most
brilliant manifestation of God's love. He "so loved the world, that He gave
His only begotten Son" (John 3:16). Forgiveness is the message that the
cross shouts to all generations.
We received God's love in
the form of a sacrifice that brought us forgiveness. Jesus said, "Love one
another, as I have loved you." That means we must also forgive.
I know a man who had a
tragic experience. A doctor who was treating him inadvertently gave him a wrong
medication. This medication resulted in a paralysis which has changed the whole
course of that man's life. He is a dear, precious Christian brother. Not long
ago he called me and said, "Please Clinton, pray with me. I still occasionally
have feelings of resentment toward that doctor." He said, "I must have more love!" He was berating himself
because he had what he terms a "lack of love." However, I pointed out to this
man that in spite of his "feelings," he had forgiven that doctor and in every
way fulfilled the commandment of love.
He could have sued the
doctor for a lot of money. He could have ruined his reputation. He could have
made a great deal of adverse publicity and told many people about this . . . but
he did none of these things. He forgave the man. He took no action against him.
He prayed for the doctor and didn't tell people what happened. The only people
who knew about this were other physicians who treated him and, in fact, they
were the ones who determined that he had been given the wrong
medicine.
This same thing happened to
another man I know. Wrong medication administered in a veteran's hospital
affected his eyesight. That man filed suit; he went around and told everyone he
knew what had happened. Now this is understandable and perfectly natural. There
is the difference right there! The first man did what is unnatural, completely
opposite the normal reactions of human nature. He was guided by supernatural,
divine love. The second man simply did "what comes naturally."
The first man is one of the
most saintly, consecrated men I know. The presence of Jesus Christ exudes from
his life. The second man has talked and moaned, and complained about that doctor
so much that he has become mean, cranky, hateful and empty of any joy. He has no
love for life.
The Bible says, "He that
will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil" (1
Peter 3:10). The secret of loving life and seeing good days! Refrain the tongue
from evil? What evil? The utterances of an unforgiving heart!
If a loved one, or a
relative has hurt you, don't tell everyone about it. Don't dwell on it and
continually bring it up. If you have forgiven, really forgiven, then it will
only be a matter between you and God. You will not speak of it again. Talking
about it will rob your joy because it will eat away at your heart like a
disease. The more you talk about it the more it will disturb you. Christian
wives, don't take part in any conversations with a group of women who sit around
and gripe about their husbands' faults. God forgave you, you forgive your
husband. Brothers and sisters, don't take part in any conversations that condemn
people for their doctrinal beliefs, or criticize people for their sins. You
might have fallen into the same error, or the same sin if God had not opened
your eyes and forgiven you. Be humble. Be thankful for what God has given you
and never, never, scorn another because he isn't as "spiritual" as you. If you
do that you are no longer spiritual but carnal.
We have looked at the most
common reason Christians lose the joy of the Lord and the joy of living, and
more important how they may have it glowing in their hearts once
again.
Jesus said, "As the
Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep My
commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's
commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that
My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is My
commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you" (John
15:9-12).
"Love one another, as I
have loved you." Be sure you understand that keeping joy is contingent on
that! It is so simple and easy to see . . . just be merciful as God has been
merciful to you.
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