We have been conditioned by our culture in believing one of the main purposes of life is to find happiness.
For some people, the source of happiness maybe from career advancement. For some, it is to gain fame and popularity among peers. For others, maybe it is achievements, accomplishments, recognitions, For some, it is in relationships, in connections, in identity.
We all search for this source of joy, this source of happiness. However, what truly brings joy in life? What is the ultimate source of joy in life?
Some tried searching for this joy through material means. However, only to realize after fallen in to mindless consumerism, that this grandeur eventually numbs into a habit. What was once bliss and ecstasy... faded. Usually another source is found to prolong this euphoria, only to be left empty and desolate.
Paul went through a similar journey where he discovered the life he had been chasing after, turned out to be totally meaningless. The heart and soul he poured out in passion towards what he initially thought was all for God, turned out to be all in vain.
Paul was a Pharisee. He was also part of a movement under the high priest and council of elders to completely extinguish Christianity after the death of Jesus. He persecuted the first Jerusalem church. He was there when they stoned Stephen to death. He arrested followers of Christ, in his own words, “throwing them in prison”, and “hounding some to death”.
However, just as Paul thought he was being zealous for God, it turns out every effort he was putting in turns out to be meaningless. Because while on the road to Damascus, an epiphany completely changed his perspective and awaken him to the reality he is truly in.
From then on, Paul completely changed. He found new purpose and new meaning in life, a life that is in and through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:7-8
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
What is “knowing Christ”?
Knowing Christ is entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Knowing Christ is the pursuit of trust, of faith, of reliance, of love, of purpose in and through Jesus Christ.
Joy comes
In our relentless pursuit of knowing Christ Jesus
Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
1. Do I have this desire (however small) to want to know Jesus Christ more?
Everything begins with a thought; a thought that leads to a desire; a desire that leads to actions. Without the initial thought of wanting something different will never propel you to any change.
2. Is what I am engaging my time with bringing me closer to Jesus Christ?
We need to be intentional with what we engage ourselves with.
Because the choice of pursuing Christ is an intentional conscious decision that must be done with deliberate painstaking sacrifices.
3. Am I experiencing joy and finding passion in my life?
We must constantly re-evaluate ourselves whether the life we are experiencing is in fact joyful. If we thought we have tried, but are still unable to rejoice in all circumstance, then it must mean we have yet experience the truly liberated life promised by Jesus.
The command rejoice in all circumstance is a natural outward flowing result from a life that dwells in and find satisfaction in Christ Jesus. It is a natural “by- product” from a life that knows Christ; a life that is in relationship with Jesus.
Our intention is to engage into this relationship with Jesus Christ, then JOY will comes In our relentless pursuit of knowing Christ Jesus.
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