May 27

May 27, 2016

John 16

How much joy do you have this Memorial weekend? Many Christians struggle with living life with the type of joy Jesus described in John 16. It seems that the circumstances and worries of life steal the joy that Jesus promised. There are many reasons for this joy drain but mine originates from my signature sin of "performance."  

Christian psychiatrist Frank Lake and theologian Emil Brunner identified my problem with something called "The Cycle of Grace." Jesus spoke of this cycle of grace in John 16. The cycle of grace is a way that keeps our "joy tank" full even when we are put out of the synagogue, filled with grief, or scattered from our homes. It is a way to live that keeps us grounded in Christ and lets his joy and grace flow out of us to others.

Notice verse 22, "Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy."

Here are the four steps in the Grace cycle:

Step 1: Acceptance: Accepting our identity in Christ at a heart level.

Step 2: Sustenance: Engaging practices that keep us connected to God.

Step 3: Significance: Allowing God's grace to flow through us to others.

Step 4: Achievement: Taking action and doing things as an outflow of God's grace in us.

This cycle starts in the heart by truly accepting who we are in Christ—that our value and worth are not dependent on what we do (or don't do). Instead, it's based on the fact that God made us and loves us. When we know who we are, we can endure the worse life can throw at us. We can even be joyful in the middle of these trials because we are connected with the source of joy and grace, Jesus.

The order is important though … acceptance, sustenance, significance, and then achievement. This is why Jesus never had a "joy tank" on empty.

Mess up the order and it will automatically drain your "joy tank." What I have done is to reverse the order…achievement, significance, sustenance and then acceptance. This slight rearrangement really messes up the equation.

When achievement comes first and that achievement is not A+ the joy starts to leak. Several days of having this reverse order will result in a drained "joy tank." Please don't repeat my error. In the end joy can never be taken from someone who knows they are deeply loved and valued by our immensely good and compassionate God. 

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"Multiplying leaders to change the world"