Restoration Road Ministry.org

Scripture says, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways” (1 Corinthians 13:11, ESV, 2001, Crossway).

Unfortunately, along with giving up childish ways we often leave behind the joy we once had, not because we lack the desire for it but because somewhere along the way, in growing up, we let it go.

As a result, many find themselves struggling to replace the joy left behind with a counterfeit experience that leads to fleshly preoccupations and spiritual sin.

Let’s begin by pointing out some of the reasons why joy is lost as we mature, and how these lead us further away from the joy we seek. Then we will examine scripture to hear what Jesus desires from us and how we can reclaim the joy we are instructed to receive and which we hope to find.

And through this process we hope to reveal a human tendency that causes us to drift away from our Heavenly Father, rather than remain under his care.

Firstly, as children we did not treat our relationship with our parents as optional but rather as an essential requirement for our daily survival.

Secondly, as children we were unable to excuse our behavior as acceptable if it contradicted our parent’s expectation.

Thirdly, as children we were allowed to live in our innocence and naivety instead of becoming aware of that which corrupts and dismantles it.

Fourthly, as children we allowed our parents to function as our protectors, providers, and sustainers, rather than assuming these responsibilities for ourselves.

As each of these reasons listed above disappear, whether through neglect or surrender, the innocence and naivety we once possessed are no longer maintained and with them the biblical joy God desires for us to have are left behind.

This occurs as we surrender each of them with each passing year, moving further away from the freedom and blissful joy we once enjoyed through our childlike laughter and dance, as well as the untainted outlook we had on life, and the security we once felt under the care of a loving parent.

While God designed us to naturally grow, mature, and assume responsibility, we would argue that he never intended for us to outgrow our dependence on him as our protector, provider, and sustainer. Nor to neglect our relationship with him, through faithless acts of disloyalty and disobedience to him and his instruction over our lives.

Because of our neglectfulness on all of these accounts mentioned above, we often find ourselves moving in a counter direction to the path Jesus is walking. And with each step we move further outside of his path. We experience the consequences of our disobedience through the emotional turmoil that unfolds in our lives, not because God is vindictive, but because he allows us to experience the outcome of our choices. Yet through this often painful process, he is waiting for us to hit the wall that will cause us to turn back towards him and restore the blessings he bestows on those who remain faithful to him.

Many find themselves chasing after fleshly happiness rather than spiritual joy. While these are quite similar to one another in our general application in speech, they differ in the biblical perspective we are to experience.

As a result, chasing after happiness is often met with disappointment through an inability to maintain happiness indefinitely, through a fleshly reliance. On the other hand, the biblical joy we are to possess is not only obtainable, but also maintainable through acceptance of our position in Jesus Christ while surrendering ourselves to him through our obedience and faith.

To illustrate this more clearly let us look at the parable of the Prodigal Son, which Jesus taught for our instruction. Many are familiar with the general idea behind the story but lack the personal application of it into their own spiritual life. This is crucial for our spiritual maturity and necessary for our transformation, if we are to return back to the narrow path Jesus is calling us to walk and reclaim the joy we are hoping to find.

Jesus says, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into the fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything”(Luke 15:11-16).

Here, in the first portion of this parable, we should observe our human tendency to move away from the care our Father extends us. And as we do, we will experience a spiritual famine in our lives as a result of being led astray, and no longer receiving his active word to feed the spiritual hunger and thirst we require for survival. This happens as we are drawn away from him, through cares that are focused in this world, just like with the Prodigal Son. And with it, our spiritual inheritance is surrendered as we do.

Our inheritance includes the emotions, attitudes and behaviors we are to wear when we bear the likeness of Jesus Christ through our faith. But when we walk according to the world instead of Christ, we will forfeit God’s spiritual inheritance he has given us. In spiritual terms, these are the fruits of the spirit, giftings, talents, blessings, mindset, and actions we are to possess when we are walking with Jesus as our Shepherd.

But through our spiritual deficiency, we will satisfy our emotional hunger and thirst elsewhere with a fleshly substitute. Why? Because we are no longer covered by God’s truth and protection once we have chosen to walk in a different direction than his. This is the story behind the Fall of Man, told in Genesis Chapter 3, that continues to repeat itself, and that we are all charged with through our own defiance. We are all guilty of the same crime, and we are all willing to accept a counterfeit instead of the real thing when we are no longer spiritually discerning through the Holy Spirit’s help.

Let’s pick up where we left off in the prodigal son story. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants”‘ (Luke 15:17-19).

What we must recognize in this portion of the parable is our lowly state of depravity that we find ourselves in and our need to awaken from it, so that we might restore what has been lost through our own humble and honest assessment of our circumstances. And then find forgiveness from our Heavenly Father through sincere repentance for the wayward life we have chosen to live without him.

Let’s continue with the story. “And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate” (Luke 15:20-24).

There are two perspectives that this parable is showing us. The first is that of our own on the life we live and the view that we perceive our Father to have towards us through our disobedience. The second is the true perspective that our loving Father has towards us and the inheritance he longs to bestow us with upon our return.

We must understand that our mindset will not be protected if we are walking outside of his protection through a lack of sound biblical understanding, which cannot occur unless we are actively engaging with scripture. Our enemy, Satan, will use any spiritual weakness we are struggling with against us, to further separate us from God’s love and compassion towards us. This is the battle we each face, and in which we are all responsible to work out through a spiritual walk that is pleasing to the Lord.

And when we acknowledge truth rather than the lie, we recognize that God is not only there to receive us back, but to lavish us with his affection and restore our inheritance.

In order for us to reclaim the joy that was lost we must understand what Jesus is teaching and then apply his instruction into our life accurately and fully. We must not ignore his instruction or his warning. He has made his way clear, but our willful defiance will prevent us from claiming what he desires for us to receive.

Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another” (John 15:1-17).

And we know through scripture that, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:22-24).

Note that joy is one of many spiritual fruits he offers us, and that we are to possess, but can only occur “if” we belong to Jesus Christ and have “crucified” our fleshly passions and desires. In other words, to put to death those passions and desires that cause our flesh to sin. We cannot remain tied to the world and our flesh and hope to receive our inheritance at the same time. His inheritance comes with our surrender to this world and to our fleshly desires.

Jesus is offering us joy that comes through our obedience to abide in him, by bearing much fruit, which glorifies our Heavenly Father, and to keep Jesus’ commandments to love one another and lay down our life for our friends. Through our obedience we will receive his love, peace and joy through this protective relationship he offers.

For this to occur we must remain as children in our innocence, free of all wickedness, and also mature in our faith through biblical understanding and application. We do that by ensuring that what we hear and what we believe to be true actually adheres to God’s word, rather than to the heart of man, which is corrupted by sin through the deception of our enemy, Satan.

Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

This means we must surrender our lives, direction, goals, attitudes, behaviors, needs, and protection to him, just as a child would be expected to do with their earthly parent.

Paul writes, “Brothers, do not become children in your understanding, but with respect to wickedness be as a child, and in your understanding be mature” (1 Corinthians 14:20, LEB, 2012, Baker Publishing Group).

Jesus says, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11, ESV, 2001, Crossway).

Unfortunately the struggle we carry in our flesh towards sinning often takes precedence over being led through the faith we are to walk in Christ. And consequently, through these fleshly agreements we make, those spiritual fruits we are to possess are no longer readily available for us to receive, just like what occurred with the Prodigal Son. Instead we live in the mindset of our flesh through childish ways of sin, which manifest through fits of anger, depression, anxiety, fear, lusts, addictions, and the like, rather, than love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Without a moral compass our human instinct is to preserve our fleshly needs without considering the consequences. It is only through a spiritual lens that we are able to redirect our pursuits to regulate these emotional needs through the help of the Holy Spirit. As a consequence, we find joy in Jesus Christ through our daily walk of spiritual transformation that leads to increased spiritual joy which surpasses understanding.

We cannot expect to receive joy if we harbor anger, depression, resentment, lust, or any of the other emotions that align with sin. Joy is distinct and set apart from fleshly happiness, and it requires a Godly focus while surrendering everything else that opposes his righteousness. And joy can only be experienced through our close walk with Jesus Christ, while remaining under his protection and care, through our obedience to his will and instruction.

As we commit ourselves to walk with him, we can attest in confidence to the truth of scripture when we say, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).

The joy we seek after is not of this world, and it will remain elusive until we look for it through a proper spiritual lens. This can only happen when we keep our focus firmly fixed on Jesus Christ, while living out our lives under his authority and instruction instead of our own.

The joy is there, but it requires us to let go of ourselves and the sinful emotions and behaviors that keep us separated from the joy we are hoping to find.

In Christ.