“A woman, when she is in labour, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.” (John 16:21, 22 NKJV)
Childbirth is a difficult and painful experience. One moment women are in excruciating pain and the next the pain is secondary to the joy of having a newborn baby to finally hold in their arms. But Joy can be defined as: “Inner happiness, which is not dependent on outward circumstances.” The O.T. word “simchah” means “gladness of heart,” the NT word, “chara” means “inner delight.” Jesus chose to use these words to illustrate how the sorrow of His followers would turn into joy. But how does this work? How can the sorrow of losing Jesus be turned into joy? And how can the sorrow and grief believers experience in this life be turned to joy? Please note verse 22: “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you”. How is it that their hearts will rejoice and no one will take their joy from them? Yes Jesus will physically be with them for a time after His resurrection, but won’t He leave them again? Won’t they stand and watch Him ascend into heaven and won’t there be just a little sorrow on their part again at His departure? Yes, these are true. This wonderful promise and its fulfillment by our Lord to His disciples should be strength enough for them and for you and me.
The path of a “successful” Christian walk is one of daily commitment to Christ and submission to the leading of His Spirit. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Paul understood this commitment when he said, “I die every day” (1 Corinthians 15:31). Our old nature died when our heart was transformed by the Spirit of God; yet, there remains an on-going death which occurs as we continue our walk and battle temptations from a world which seeks to pull us away from Christ. Our daily commitment, denial, and “self-death” can become a painful burden if we focus on our present circumstances. Anytime our walk is characterized by self-pity, and our trials become viewed as the heavy cross we must bear for Jesus, we have missed the true joy and peace – the true success – that God desires for our life. 1 Corinthians 15:19 says “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” If our hope in Christ is only for today’s protection and blessings, then we have grossly underestimated the power of the gospel. This limited view of a Christian life will always fall short of our expectations. Through faith in Jesus, we have been given eternal life! This means the life we now live must be viewed on an eternal time scale.
Beloved, when we place our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, our life begins anew. But this means far more than a fresh start. In an instant, EVERYTHING has changed. The burdens that were once so heavy must now be weighed against the magnificent glory of Heaven. And our “never-ending” trials must now be timed on the clock of eternity. The world screams at us to focus on the here and now – on immediate gratification from what we can see and feel. It tells us life is short so fill it with sensual pleasures and tangible possessions. God’s Word agrees that our earthly life is short; “A mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14), but it also teaches that our spiritual life continues forever! “What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Beloved, when we place our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, our life begins anew. But this means far more than a fresh start. In an instant, EVERYTHING has changed. The burdens that were once so heavy must now be weighed against the magnificent glory of Heaven. And our “never-ending” trials must now be timed on the clock of eternity. The world screams at us to focus on the here and now – on immediate gratification from what we can see and feel. It tells us life is short so fill it with sensual pleasures and tangible possessions. God’s Word agrees that our earthly life is short; “A mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14), but it also teaches that our spiritual life continues forever! “What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Dear friends, We have been given new eyes! Let’s begin to view our life in the context of eternity and gain the greater hope and power this view can provide today. Let’s carry our cross with greater joy, live with more peace and contentment, and experience new victories in life’s many battles. Let’s find true success as we evaluate all areas of our life from an eternal perspective.
Have a blessed time on earth as you make heaven, and heavenly values, your focus!
Your brother, Vicar & Archdeacon
S. Igein Isemede