Choose Joy by Kay WarrenSample

Day Five

Jesus, Man of Joy

As Savior of the world, Jesus would leave the perfection of heaven and come to earth, where he would know immense suffering and pain and sorrow and heartache and betrayal and loss. He would become a man of sorrows. But in his essence, Jesus was a man of joy.

In fact, the Bible tells us, “The Son of man came, enjoying life” (Luke 7:34). I love that! The Son of Man didn’t come bent over in pain. He didn’t arrive with a scowl on his face. Jesus came eating and drinking and loving life. He was a vibrant, compassionate man, a man of both sorrow and joy who could enter fully into life with all its brokenness. 

Why does it matter that Jesus was a man of joy? Because you may need permission to seek a life of joy for yourself. The burden of grief that you carry, the health issues, the relational pain, the financial questions, the internal struggles and temptations no one else knows about—sometimes all of that weighs you down so much that you give up on the idea of joy. But it is possible to choose a life of joy while still recognizing sorrow.

There was a reason why Jesus chose to endure all that he did. Hebrews 12:2 tells us: “who for the joy set before him endured the cross.” 

What was that joy before Jesus? What joy was so rich, so satisfying, so deep that he was willing to suffer such terrible abuse? You were the joy set before him! He suffered so he could be reconciled with you.

Jesus knew that for him to fulfill his God-given role here on earth, he would have to experience abandonment, betrayal, and death. Yet knowing full well what was ahead of him, he chose to laugh, to tell jokes, to roll around on the ground with children, to build rich relationships, to have meaningful work, to experience joy. 

Jesus’s life is an illustration of the two train tracks converging into one. He shows us how to see joy, a joy that sometimes comes in darkness. 

Thank you for showing me, Jesus, that you are a full-of-joy kind of Savior. Thank you for showing me that even in sorrow I can know blessings and joy and laughter. Teach me what it means to choose joy. In the name of Jesus, man of joy, I pray. Amen.