The Full Measure of Joy

"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one… Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified." ~Jesus  (John 17:13-19 NIV)

Have you noticed after a natural disaster like a tornado, hurricane, or even a simple house fire, survivors make statements like, “Thank God we survived. Nothing else really matters.”

In the midst of total loss, people often find the silver lining. Jesus prayed the above prayer shortly before being arrested and crucified. Yet, in the midst of asking God to remove the cup of crucifixion from him, he also speaks of his joy. He longs for his disciples to have the full measure of his joy within them.

I’ve known many discontented people in my life, as well as a few contented folks. The stark contrast is those with little are unencumbered by this earthly life. They’re more likely to praise God for the little they have than to whine about the things they don’t have. Even when faced with more loss, or possible death, they find the words and joy to praise God.

Maybe the key is found in Jesus’ words. “…for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.”

Success?

Striving to live by the world’s definition of success will rob you of Christ’s joy. Acquiring more “stuff” won’t fill the empty space intended to be filled with Christ. Embracing the cross of Christ means being able to praise God even when life circumstances scream at you not to.

A book I read many years ago, These Strange Ashes, by missionary Elisabeth Elliot, records her first missionary journey as a young single woman in 1952 into the jungles of Ecuador. Her work included devising a written alphabet so a written language could be established for the Colorado Indians. She spent nine months living among them in a primitive lifestyle. She entrusted a fellow missionary to return to the city with her work and then went to another part of the jungle to study the Quichua. A short time later, Elisabeth received a letter from the missionary informing her that the suitcase carrying all of her work had been stolen. This is an excerpt from the book:

I read the letter again and again. The filebox, the notebooks, the charts—all of it gone. All of it, of course, in my own handwriting. There were no copies of anything.

It was, after Maruja’s and Macario’s deaths, Lesson Three for me. Another experience of stripping. The tenth Psalm came to mind: “Why dost thou hide thyself in times of trouble?” And, as before, I heard no reply to that and other questions. There was no light, no echo, no possible explanation. All the questions as to the validity of my calling, or much more fundamental, God’s interest in the Colorados’ salvation, in any mission work—Bible translation or any other kind—all these questions came again to the fore. 

To be a follower of the Crucified means, sooner or later, a personal encounter with the Cross. And the Cross always entails loss. The great symbol of Christianity means sacrifice and no one who calls himself a Christian can evade this stark fact…There is a certain reticence to infer that our little troubles may actually be the vehicles to bring us to God. Most of us simply grin and bear them, knowing they are the lot of all human beings, and our memories being marvelously selective, we simply cancel them out, none the better for the lessons we might have learned... 

But there was nothing to be done about it at all, no hope of recovery, and that was that…It was only gradually during the months that followed that I saw that to God nothing is finally lost…Loss and death are only the preludes to gain and life…Faith, prayer, and obedience are our requirements. We are not offered in exchange immunity and exemption from the world’s woes. What we are offered has to do with another world altogether. (These Strange Ashes, 129-132)

Elisabeth married Jim Elliot in 1953, and moved deeper into the jungles to establish contact with the Auca Indians who’d never successfully mingled with outsiders. Jim and four other missionaries were killed by this tribe in 1956. Elisabeth, along with her toddler daughter and a few other wives, chose to stay and continue the work started by their husbands. They eventually succeeded in leading the Auca Indians to Christ.

It’s our choice to give in to despair or choose joy when faced with hardship. Joy tells you, no matter what, God is there. He cares. He will provide peace and comfort that nothing and no one else can. Cling to that promise today. 

Laura Hodges Poole is a 2014 ACFW Genesis semi-finalist and a 2012 RWA Emily finalist in Christian fiction. She is also an Associate Editor with Christian Devotions ministry, as well as a ghostwriter/collaborator. Her passion is encouraging others in their Christian walk through her blog, "A Word of Encouragement." She may be contacted at laurapoole565@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @ Laura_Poole. 

©Laura Hodges Poole

“A Woman Jumping” photo courtesy of Kongsky/Freedigitalphotos.net

“House With Money” photo courtesy of hywads/Freedigitalphotos.net

“Autumn Twilight” photo courtesy of Evgeni Dinev/Freedigitalphotos.net

The Liberty of Obedience - A Book Review

Most Christians have heard of missionaries Jim and Elisabeth Elliot. Jim was martyred along with four other missionaries in the jungles of Ecuador in the 1950s. Elisabeth continued their missionary work while caring for their toddler daughter, Valerie. Elisabeth wrote several books years later about her experiences. Among these is "The Liberty of Obedience," published in 1968 about her time with the Auca Indians who’d murdered her husband.  Though more than forty years old, the book’s message is still very current and applicable to our Christian lives.

One of the main emphases in the book is the fact that, among Christians, disputes arise over the interpretation of daily activity, beliefs, and lifestyles that aren’t specifically spelled out in the Bible as sin. The Apostle Paul refers to this as “disputable matters.”  

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. (Romans 14:1-4) 

Elisabeth writes that she thought she had a clear understanding of what sin was until she went to live with the Auca Indians after her husband’s death. With no way to communicate verbally with them, she spent a year observing their lifestyle.  

“When, on the first night of our arrival in the “savage” Aucas’ village, they gave us houses to live in, food and water and wood and fire, things were not so simple for me. My categories began to crumble. I had thought I knew what a savage was like. I had thought I knew exactly how the Gospel would change him. As weeks passed, I began to realize that not only had I been mistaken about these things, but very likely I was just as mistaken about some other categories which seemed clear before. How readily I had seen Christian virtues in those I called Christians in my own country, and the “works of the flesh” in those who did not bear the Christian label. What was I now to do with the apparent manifestation of virtue—peace, longsuffering, kindness—in those who had never heard of Christ? Things were not as I had thought.” (The Liberty of Obedience, back cover) 

The “savages” took care of their families, showed grace to one another, and lived by a moral code. Although adultery is rampant in western civilization, the Aucas wouldn't think of helping themselves to another man's wife. But…when Elisabeth’s husband had put his arm around one Indian to show Christian affection, it meant the missionaries were cannibals and had to be killed for the safety of the tribe. Elisabeth’s willingness to spank her toddler when she misbehaved was perceived as barbaric by the Indians. During her “quiet” year, Elisabeth wrestled with the concept of savage versus civilized. Her conclusion was that each culture has their own definition of disputable sin which often conflicts with other cultures.  

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister…For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. (Romans 14:13, 17-18) 

Elisabeth spent time doing what all Christians should do when faced with conflicting cultures and information. She studied the New Testament, particularly the Apostle Paul’s letters, and prayed for discernment. “The Liberty of Obedience” was borne out of that time of study.

The book is comprised of an introduction to Elisabeth’s life and her thoughts. Then she shares four articles she wrote about defining good and evil, service, and spiritual discernment based on her years with the Aucas.  She challenges her reader to really examine their hearts, motives, and beliefs that might be tied more to culture than Biblical truths, and strive for obedience based on God’s grace and love. I thoroughly enjoyed Elisabeth’s message, and it’s a great little book that can be read in one sitting. “The Liberty of Obedience” is available on Amazon.com.  

(My friend, Christian writer Ginny Brant, recently spent time with Elisabeth Elliot, her husband Lars, and her daughter Valerie. [I’m trying not to be jealous.] The article and photos are amazing. I pray you’ll be as blessed as I am by Elisabeth’s inspiring story. Click here to read.)

Laura Hodges Poole is a freelance writer with dozens of articles, devotions, and short stories in publication. She writes Christian romance novels and is a 2012 RWA Emily finalist, with her Christian novel manuscript placing second in a nationwide field of Christian and secular entries. Laura is also an Associate Editor with Christian Devotions ministry, as well as a ghostwriter. Her passion is encouraging others in their Christian walk through her blog, "A Word of Encouragement." She may be contacted at laurapoole565@gmail.com.