Life Without Joy
For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 2 Timothy 3:2 NASB
Ungrateful – One day quite a few years ago my wife remarked about the joylessness of my life. “Why are you so down all the time? Why don’t you just take one of the Ferraris out and drive? Do something to cheer yourself up. I hate to see you so depressed.” Why didn’t I take one of the cars and just go out for a drive? There were three sleek machines in the garage. Most men would have been ecstatic to have one of those Italian chariots. But it didn’t matter to me. I had a life of pointless affluence. Without a purpose bigger than myself, there was no joy in having it all. God had to strip me of everything (and He did) before I realized that joy is a product of gratitude, not possessions.
Sha’ul uses a Greek word that should make the connection with gratitude quite obvious. The word is acharistos. If you know something about Greek, you will recognize that this is the negative form of the word chairo, the word for rejoicing, joy, grace, giving freely and blessing. When Greek wishes to write the opposite of an idea, it attaches an alpha to the beginning of the word. So a-charistos is not rejoicing, not being joyful, not experiencing grace, not giving freely, not blessing. An ungrateful life is joyless no matter how much a man accumulates.
What would you pay for joy in your life? Here’s the price—everything you have! Most men decide to keep something for themselves. As a result, three Ferraris in the garage are joyless pieces of metal. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that wouldn’t happen to you, that you would be excited, joyful and grateful to have a few of those engineering wonders. Believe me when I tell you that I knew many men who had garages with all the right names on the hoods. Their lives were no more joyful than mine. What will a man give for peace of mind? For joy? Everything—if he has the courage.
God knew I could never let go by myself. He knew I was afraid to be empty. So He took it upon Himself to bless me with loss. In a day it all went away. After I came back to life from financial death, I realized that He would rather I have joy than junk. My life has never been the same.
Sometimes someone who knew me when I was in the Ferrari Club of America will say to me, “Oh, you’re so clever, so talented. Someday you’ll have them all back—and more.” They don’t know what I know. Joy only finds a home in an empty heart. There is no room for other temporary guests.
In the last days life will be joyless for most people. They will accumulate substitutes in an effort to stop the bleeding of the soul. It will be too late by the time they realize they are already dead.
Topical Index: ungrateful, joy, 2 Timothy 3:2
You are at your best when you write like this, Skip.
WOW!! So.. “excellent!!” Thank you, Skip!- and thank you ABBA-Father for “busting” and breaking this man!! Today, “Let there be JOY!!”
“He took it upon Himself to bless me with loss.”
This is so humbling and so true. The greatest losses in my life have really just made more room for Him, and however painful it was at the time, I wouldn’t go back and trade what I have gained for anything.
Thank you Skip. He did the same for me, not quite the same scenario as He relieved me of my alcohol addiction. I had to be all the way at the bottom. He has been drawing me closer each day.
Skip if you are ever inclined, I think many of us would like to hear your story on how you were apprehended by the Father in this way. I went from rags to being financially set myself, and am now joyfully waiting the opportunity to give it away which the Father has made clear he will ask my wife and I to do.
It’s not just grudging obedience He wants, but joyful obedience. Much like Mary and her perfume lavishing ( or as the apostles thought of it wasting ) everything she had on her Lord. This ultimate lavishing attitude is what brings joy to the bridegroom, and it can only be born of the Spirit of God.
ARTIFICIAL JOY
For me it wasn’t a Ferrari.
It was a freshly purchased bag of pot.
And a full bottle of Jack Daniels.
I was convinced for years I was receiving joy from
these “possessions”.
On the day I was ready, the Lord took it all away.
How? He shoved everything out of my cluttered mind,
and impressed upon my listening ear something I had
never really realized. I felt His overwhelming presence
saying to me that I loved those substances more than
I loved my life, my wife, my kids . . . and Him!
That truth broke me.
I committed on the spot to quit, not knowing how that would be
possible. Then something happened. Instantly, and I mean instantly,
my insatiable desire and need completely vanished. No withdrawal.
No detox. No rehab. No nothing.
That’s when I realized that I had finally, truly, and fully accepted Him.
As He had finally, truly, and fully set me free!
On that day, I discovered real joy.
awesome testimony Rich!!!!
Yes Skip, we would love to hear the whole testimony of how God drew you to Himself. It would encourage the body of Christ. Knowing the transformation could help others to see God working in their lives in similar ways. Maybe you have written it or recorded it on a dvd already?
God has given you have an incredible ministry with your understanding of history, philosophy and the biblical languages, etc and ability to teach it in simple form for the rest of us. Thanks for sharing your work.
Thanks for today’s TW, Skip. It is very encouraging.
I, too, would like to hear your full story as to how YHWH took you from the possessions state to submitted state.
so are we not able to share today’s word anymore? I can’t find the share button…
I’ll ask Mark to take a look. I didn’t know there was any change.
This is excellent…..so right on. Thank you for sharing your pearls of wisdom!!
Excellent teaching!
So many of you have asked about my story. I gave that testimony once in Adelaide some years ago. I have a recording somewhere and I may post it. I don’t like doing this because I don’t want it to be about me. But maybe it is time.
Good word. Do you think the concept of gratitude applies to relationships as well as material things? Even when things are difficult, if we have thankfulness for our spouses, children and others close to us it, it changes how we approach the relationship.
EVERYDAY you have caused my eyes to open with the way truth flows through you. I have learned so much and this has caused me to be not only more benevolent but grateful…..thank you for obeying God’s word….because of you, I’m learning about HIM in a way I’ve never learned before….by the way….your transparent and unselfish character causes me to pay even more attention
Skip, thanks for sharing the truth about what you really felt like when you acquired material possessions, and how much better and fulfilled you feel knowing Yeshua better.
Good word. I’ve been blessed to hear a little of your testimony at Covenant Center. Don’t think it would be about you. True testimony never is. There is power in our stories, but only when we tell them.
Joy vs. Happiness: Joy comes from rejoicing; intentionally, voluntarily celebrating the honor of another. By definition, joy is communal and shared. Happiness, by contrast, is personal and defined by the individual. Happiness comes from the feelings one associates with the pursuit and indulgence of pleasure, amusement, and self-interest. Happiness tends to be illusive and elusive, since it’s reality is determined by the one who tends to be unsure and dissatisfied with their choices. Joy, on the other hand, is easily found, often experienced, and routinely repeated. For its origins are of the ancient days, with each succeeding generation handing to the next sustained songs and praises that triumph and transcend violence, death, and loss.
A strong testimony for those who are chasing wealth and fame in possessions. A lesson most of us here have learnt.
I was married to a very successful business man who owned five companies, but he got more ambitious, and was involved in race horse ownership being influenced by our wealthy neighbours. We traveled annually around the world during the kids’ school holidays. Our envious friends and relatives think of us as ‘richy rich’. We owned the latest and biggest BMW that arrives on the scene.
My kids were chauffeured to school, thus the envy of their schoolmates. We lived in an expensive area, had a maid and a gardener.
My ex husband had no joy in his accomplishments, for sure, as he subsequently got addicted to alcohol and night life.
Yes, we did enjoy the travels, staying in top hotels, but that cannot be compared to the joy of knowing ABBA in a much better relationship in understanding Him and His ways through some fabulous books that ABBA led me to, then to Hebraic teachings, and then to Skip’s. What absolute joy!
“…..joy is a product of gratitude, not possessions”. It is when discontentment
/unthankfulness/bitterness have a reign in folks’ lives that joy will not be found.
Shalom.