Joy and gratefulness are two things that are eternally connected and inseparable. Gratefulness is the byproduct and the evidence of someone who is truly filled with the joy of the Lord. True thanksgiving comes from the understanding that we were rebel sinners scheduled for damnation, but because of what Christ has done for us in the gospel we as Christians have been pardoned from hell and have been adopted into the family of God.
Knowing this at the heart level will change everything about your life. If your hope is tied up in salvation through Christ and the promise of a future reward that is beyond comparison to anything in this life, then gratefulness and thanksgiving is just evidence that you really believe it, it is evidence of your transformation.
Many people in this life claim to know Christ in this way but are still ungrateful and unthankful when they believe life is hard or unfair. Gratitude is like a thermometer by which we can judge the condition of our hearts as Christians. We can’t judge our walk with God based on the circumstances that surround us.
Many people pursue wealth and worldly success and believe because they achieve it that they are blessed by God, but take all of their success away and they become bitter and upset. Show me a person who is full of joy, contentment and gratitude in either circumstance or I'll show you a person whose heart is rooted in Christ.
“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:12-13 (ESV)
The Apostle Paul wasn’t perfect and through his writings we see that even he became discouraged at times. He writes that sometimes he felt abandoned and forgotten, but these are a few passing statements not the bulk of his writing, and even in those times he was still filled with thanksgiving and joy. Why? He drew his hope and his strength from Christ. This is a supernatural strength that, like the joy of the Lord, this world can’t give you and this world can’t take away.
When you read the first chapter of Paul’s epistle to the Philippians, it is hard to believe he is writing this letter from prison. He is full of thanksgiving and gratefulness for the opportunity to use this experience to forward the gospel and to suffer for the name of Jesus and the only concerns he seems to have are for his brothers and sisters in Christ at the church in Philippi, not for himself or his well-being.
Paul was filled with the joy of the Lord, which is expressed in gratitude and is magnified by the fact he was in chains and in prison. He was joyful and even grateful that these extreme circumstances showcased the fact that his joy was rooted in a future destination and a future reward, and he proved this by living it out until the day he was martyred.
The lives of Jesus and the apostles were obviously not spent in pursuit of comfort or happiness in this life. If we are really following Jesus like the apostles, neither should our lives. If you are pursuing happiness outside of Christ it’s probably because your life is not rooted in him, or at the very least your relationship with him is shallow and superficial.
The answer for the unsatisfied life is Christ. The only true fulfillment in this life is found in Christ. In him are deep rivers of joy and unwavering peace. Pursuit of happiness is wasted time and, in the end, will be the ultimate waste of your life. Pursuing happiness is like trying to take hold of the wind with your hands, although it’s there and you can feel it as it passes you by, it was never meant to hold you or be held by you.
In the end you can only pursue one thing. Although our hope comes from God and our joy and peace comes from God, as disciples it is not even these things that we are pursuing, it is God himself. To know God and be known by him is the aim of the true follower of Christ. Knowing God is the highest aim and pursuit of the life of a Christian.
Thinking we can pursue happiness and pursue God at the same time is a lie that self-deceived people tell themselves to soothe their consciences as they chase things other than Christ. You can enjoy other things along the way but don’t be deceived, you can only pursue one thing in this life and what you choose determines your destiny and eternity.
In Christ,
Pastor Joshua
Joshua West is a pastor, evangelist, and author. He is also director of the World Challenge Pastors Network.
