JOY—A DIFFERENT FREQUENCY

By Rev. Larry W. Greiner

When the great missionary Adoniram Judson was home on furlough, he passed through the city of Stonington, Connecticut. A young boy playing about the wharves at the time of Judson’s arrival was struck by the man’s appearance. Never before had he seen such a light on any human face. He ran up the street to a minister to ask if he knew who the stranger was. The minister hurried back with him, but became so absorbed in conversation with Judson that he forgot all about the impatient youngster standing near him. Many years afterward that boy, who could never get away from the influence of that wonderful face, became the famous preacher Henry Clay Trumbull. In a book of memoirs he penned a chapter entitled: "What a Boy Saw in the Face of Adoniram Judson." That lighted countenance had changed his life. Even as flowers thrive when they bend to the light, so shining, radiant faces come to those who constantly turn toward Christ.

A true believer in Christ should radiate his joy in Christ. It’s easy to tell a Christian who is walking close to the Lord. There is a joy on their face that can’t be explained any other way.

Webster’s Dictionary defines joy as "The emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good." For the Christian we might say it is "the emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of Christ." Can others around you tell you are different by the joy on your face? Just as Adoniram Judson brought that boy to Christ through his joyful expression, so we too can bring the lost to Christ when we show the reality of our Savior through our countenance. The world is waiting to see this "joy unspeakable and full of glory."

"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels" (Isaiah 61:10).

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy 
comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5).

As a third-century man was anticipating death, he penned these last words to a friend: "It's a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people are the Christians—and I am one of them." Joy is something God has intended for all His saints throughout eternity.

"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy" 
(Psalm 126:5).

Love ever blesses those who curse;
Love gives the better for the worse.

Love unbinds others by its bonds;
Love pours forgiveness from its wounds.

"Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Psalm 16:11).

A PLANNED PATH
A PERMANENT PRESENCE
A PLEASANT PROSPECT

In Unbelief—Voltaire was an infidel of the most pronounced type. He wrote: "I wish I had never been born."

In Pleasure—Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure if anyone did. He wrote: "The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone."

In Money— Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that. When dying, he said: "I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth."

In Position and Fame—Lord Beaconsfield enjoyed more than his share of both. He wrote: "Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret."

In Military Glory—Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. Having done so, he wept in his tent before he said, "There are no more worlds to conquer."

Where then is real joy found? The answer is simple — in Christ alone. "But let all those that put their trust in Thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because Thou defendest them: let them also that love Thy name be joyful in Thee" (Psalm 5:11).

When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is strange with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.

Don't give up though the pace seems slow—
You may succeed with another blow!

Success is failure turned inside out —
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell just how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far.

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit—
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.