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The advice most people give is to ‘look after number one’, because if you don’t put yourself first, no one else will. Jesus, again, contradicts this. ‘He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.’ Matt 10:39.
‘Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works”.’ Matt 16:24-27.
Nature also teaches us this. For a tree to bear fruit, its seed first goes into the ground and dies. The fruit it bears is not for itself, but is a gift to all who will partake of that fruit. New life and abundant fruit is the result of the seed going into the ground to die.
Jesus taught us that if we tried to put ourselves first and looked after ‘number one’, then there would be no fruit of happiness. But if we would deny ourselves for Christ, we would find abundant life in Christ. Jesus said, ‘I have come that you might have life and have it in abundance’. This abundant life that Jesus spoke of is a life of joy in Christ.
‘Be of good cheer’, is a statement that Jesus made on several occasions. One of the occasions was to do with finding joy in a world of conflict and sorrow. He taught that He had overcome those pressures of the world that rob and destroy, and found peace and joy. He taught that it was possible for His followers to also overcome through prayer and the enabling presence and life of the Holy Spirit.
‘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 16:22.
‘These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’ John 16:33.
On another occasion, Jesus said, ‘Be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you’. Forgiveness of sins would be the most important reality for true joy and happiness. Sin robs us of peace. Sin brings guilt and shame. Sin leaves our soul in darkness. Sin stands in the way of open relating. Sin separates us from God. We have no power or capacity to forgive and remove our own sin. No man can forgive sin. Jesus, only, can forgive our sin. He came to earth that He might take away the sin of the world. Christ died for our sins. Happy is the person whose sins are forgiven and for whom God has removed all record of sinful deeds.
Jesus invites you to come confessing your sin to Him and accepting that it was your sin that He bore on the cross. Turn to Him, call on Him to be your Lord and receive His life. Jesus taught very clearly that for His life to be in us we must participate and abide in the fellowship of the body of Christ which is His church. He said, ‘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 remain in you, and that your joy may be full.’ John 15:10-11
It is His joy that enables us to have our joy full. His disciple John said that this is experienced through the fellowship of the body of Christ which is the church.
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