We wouldn't think of gladness as a Christian command, but that's exactly what it is. Philippians 4:4 gives us the charge saying, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice."
However, the command to be joyous has very little to do with pursuing what the world has to offer that promises happiness, but has everything to do with pursuing Christ.
The great French mathematician Blaise Pascal once said, "All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never take the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves."
There is no question that we all pursue joy and meaningfulness. But the question is: Where do you seek it?
Our answers to that question could vary. For some the pursuit of joy could mean the pursuit of success, money, relationships, meaning, or purpose. How convenient it is that all these things point us back to the source of them all—no less than Christ Himself.
The pursuit of Christ, His kingdom and His Lordship is equivalent to the pursuit of joy. As we pursue Jesus, it is His Spirit that brings us joy and meaning. Romans 14:17 says, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
But then comes this problem of people—sometimes even Christians—thinking that joy is found in things of this world. I am reminded of this tale of a wanderer who went the farthest heights to find Utopia. He soon stumbles at the doorway of paradise only to mistake the entrance as the promise itself. He spends his lifetime at the doorway thinking he has found true happiness.
That's the picture of so many people today. They stop with pursuing joy by pursuing success, money, relationships, meaning, or purpose—failing to see that all these things are simply the doorway to an even greater source of joy.
Don't just stop with the signs and the doorway. Walk in and find that Jesus is our only true source of joy. Psalm 16:11 tells us, "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
If you had to reflect on your pursuit of happiness and joy, have you stopped at the doorway? Are you simply settling with the produce while completely neglecting the true Vine? As Psalm 34:8 says, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him," let us go past the doorway and find the true source of joy. Our true Utopia, who is no other than Jesus.
