Joy in it all

I want to talk about something rare, something that has only been truly revealed to me, to my heart, in recent days. There are Christian phrases that you hear all the time, said with impotence and ignorance and in that they are stripped of their meaning, Satan takes ground. But there are deep truths that are so simple they blow your mind, they cannot be understood through words, only experience. And oh, oh how you are blessed if you understand the common Christian phrase, “Christ is enough”. As the natural man we seek pleasure, our own self gratification, it’s a hunger. We have an appetite for leisure. Since we are separated from God in our natural state we seek to fill that hunger every day. We long for praise, for peace and affection.  Since these things in their true form are of great value, rarity and often take work and energy on our parts, we seek out the fast food versions; physical pleasure taking form in many ways, food, sex, self praise, money. The belly of our soul is filled and stretched with not food but garbage, plastic, dry bleached flour  and when it’s been digested quickly we are left with an even bigger appetite than before, needing more food, sex, and self praise to satisfy. And then what happens when sorrows come? What happens when your are living on garbage, on filler and your mom dies or your child is hit by a car? Then, self pleasure is lost, seen for what it is, a veil to blind the eyes from the truth that this world is dead and dying and full of sickness and disease, it CANNOT satisfy. And there it is, the truth that comes just before salvation or deep destruction. This world cannot satisfy. It either leads you to the cross and your knees or to the alter of Satan where you sacrifice yourself and everything you care about. Even as a Christian you have to learn this, you have to come to realize that this world is not enough to satisfy your soul and you are either ruined or reunited with Jesus. I think this is where a big choice is made. In the face of suffering, when there is no explanation for what you are enduring you have a choice to make. You can either trust that what God says about Himself is true,

“but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." Jn4:14.

 that Jesus is enough…. or you chose bitterness, indulgence, death for yourself. You say, “God you are not enough either! This world is not enough and God you are not enough for this wound that I have, it’s your fault that I am here and I hate you.” And Satan gains ground. But oh if you chose to trust in the redeemer of your soul! If you chose to believe Him, He will make it true in your heart, that He is enough. And then a really crazy thing starts happening, you start rejoicing in your sufferings. You start looking for oppression in your life so that you can ask Jesus, “Lord please reveal to me what you are trying to teach me in this. I want to know you more, I want to know you in and through my suffering.” I’m beginning to believe that’s actually the only way we can truly know Jesus is in our suffering. So when you see the promise of heaven more clearly than the promise of Vogue or Play Boy you stop seeking the pleasure of this world. Jesus turns you inside out and you start seeking the trials, for that’s where the true joy, the true pleasure is, in knowing the heart of Jesus. He was the man of sorrow. You cannot know Him until you hurt for what He hurts for.

 You will know when this change has happened. You will know when you have made the right choice because you start saying, “Come Lord! Come with your afflictions, with your blessings of wounds that cannot heal, that bind my wandering heart to thee! Bless me with what the world calls a curse and sustain me through it so that YOUR name might be praised. Put me under the dirt and give me praises to sing in the grave yard of my family. Let me sing for joy at the graveside of my father. Let me walk in worship as the lives of my children hang in the balance, as I am in pain and sickness for the glory of your great name, that I might know you when I come into your courts, that you might recognize me, for we shared so many tears together, so many hurts brought us both sorrow. Lord let me know you in my suffering for YOU oh Lord can only satisfy” . And He does, He does satisfy. Not only does he bless you for your tears but He fills that empty stomach of your soul with joy, with singing, with hands raised and waving over lips that move but make no sound for being paralyzed by peace and assurance because Christ in enough. Christ is enough, hallelujah Christ is enough.