CHILDLIKE FAITH: RECKLESS JOY

So, exactly what is a “childlike faith?” For starters, it’s something not to be taken lightly. In Matthew 19:14, when the disciples rebuke those who have brought little children to Jesus, what does Jesus say? “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Clearly, Jesus is big on children. He sees something special in them. He defends them… But what is it about children’s approach to faith that’s so engaging? Though Jesus doesn’t get specific about that, the answer is in their approach to life. As children, we are not jaded by the sophistication of the world. We’re real. We’re humble. We’re willing to admit our needs and trust that others can help us. We’re unpretentious and adventurous. We’re lighthearted and imaginative. And we’re fearless, willing to take a risk -- a juvenile version of what the early twentieth-century Bible teacher Oswald Chambers calls “reckless joy.”

And then, of course, we grow up. And what happens? In many cases, we get jaded by the world. Instead of being real, we rationalize behaviors. We learn to put our personal spin on our shortcomings rather than deal with them. We become pretentious. We throw ourselves into all sorts of physical adventure but are cowardly regarding relationships, flitting from one person to the next, lacking the courage to commit.

We hide our needs from others. From God. From ourselves. We play it safe, settling for too little in life. Rather than live by faith, we embrace one of the many forms of legalism, be it a secular or religious version. Rather than try to please God with simple faith, we complicate things by trying to prove to Him how worthy we are by our works. We’re full of fear, but we mask it with everything from busyness to addictions to rationalization, as we desperately seek to convince ourselves that we’re content. In reality, we know little of Chamber’s “reckless joy.” 

-- Bob Welch in “52 Little Lessons from It’s a Wonderful Life”

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THE IRREPRESSIBLE THEME OF JOY

“Be full of joy in the Lord always. I will say again, be full of joy. Let everyone see that you are gentle and kind. The Lord is coming soon.”  (Philippians 4:4-5 NCV)

To a large extent, joy flows from a certain kind of thinking. Cognitive psychologists remind us that always between the events that happen to us and our responses to them lie our beliefs or interpretations of those events. This thought helps us to understand the irrepressible theme of joy in the New Testament. The New Testament writers were engaged not so much in some form of positive thinking as in what might be called "eschatological thinking." That is, they viewed all events in light of the Resurrection and the ultimate triumph of the risen Christ.

-- John Ortberg in “The Life You've Always Wanted”

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JOYFUL ADORATION

“Joyful, joyful, we adore You,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow'rs before You,
Op'ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!”  (Henry Van Dyke)

God desires that our relationship with Him isn’t lived out of a sense of duty as much as a sense of joyful devotion. In other words, God longs for us to long for Him. In the beauty of His presence, we can’t help but find our affections set on God, our hearts captivated by His love. Caught up in the delight of God, powerful feelings of joy and gratitude swell within us and our natural response is worship -- words of thanks that roll off the tongue, songs of adoration that spring from the heart, or some other creative form of joyful praise. When we give back to God, the One who has gifted us with all good things, we reflect His beauty. 

-- Adapted from “Pursuing God’s Beauty” by Margaret Feinberg

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CALLING ORDINARY SAINTS

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things -- and the things that are not -- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God -- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’”  (1 Corinthians 1:26-31 NIV)

The church and the world need saints. They need saints more than they need more canny politicians, more brilliant scientific discoveries, more grossly overpaid executives and [professional athletes], more clever entertainers and talk-show hosts. Are there any on the horizon…, either of the extraordinary or the ordinary kind? I think there are. Maybe I should say that there are saints "aborning" by God's grace. [Douglas Steere described "saints" as] those whose lives have been irradiated by God's grace, who seek not to be safe but to be faithful, who have learned how to get along in adversity, who are joyful, who are dream-filled, and, above all, who are prayerful. That is what the church and the world need most. It begins with you.

-- E. Glenn Hinson in “Spiritual Preparation for Christian Leadership”

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JOYFUL WORSHIPERS

“Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of Your presence, LORD.”  (Psalm 89:15 NLT)

Happy are they who have reached the end of the road we seek to tread, who are astonished to discover the by-no-means self-evident truth that grace is costly just because it is the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

Happy are the simple followers of Jesus Christ who have been overcome by His grace and are able to sing the praises of the all-sufficient grace of Christ with humbleness of heart.

Happy are they who, knowing that grace, can live in the world without being of it, who, by following Jesus Christ, are so assured of their heavenly citizenship that they are truly free to live their lives in this world.

Happy are they who know that discipleship simply means the life which springs from grace, and that grace simply means discipleship.

Happy are they who have become Christians in this sense of the word. For them the word of grace has proved a fount of mercy. 

-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as quoted in “His Passion: Christ’s Journey to the Resurrection”

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LIVING IN MY PRESENCE

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength;…”  (Habakkuk 3:17-19a NIV)

Remember that Joy is not dependent on your circumstances. Some of the world’s most miserable people are those whose circumstances seem the most enviable. People who reach the top of the ladder career-wise are often surprised to find emptiness awaiting them. True Joy is a by-product of living in My Presence. Therefore you can experience it in palaces, in prisons… anywhere.

Do not judge a day as devoid of Joy just because it contains difficulties. Instead, concentrate on staying in communication with Me. Many of the problems that clamor for your attention will resolve themselves. Other matters you must deal with, but I will help you with them. If you make problem-solving secondary to the goal of living closer to Me, you can find Joy even in your most difficult days. 

-- From “Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence” by Sarah Young

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