This is the second post in a series on J.O.Y. To read the first post: J.O.Y. to the World that explains J.O.Y. Priorities and their combinations, please go to https://www.phersonalrevival.com/post/j-o-y-to-the-world
It has been said that true J.O.Y. is Jesus, Others, and then You. This is not saying that you put everything and everyone before yourself until you are exhausted and have nothing left to refill yourself. It speaks about how we prioritize our focus: the order of importance in which we place Jesus, Others, and Ourselves (You). When we truly live a life like Jesus Christ our priorities of focus are just like His.
The Father
In Mark 1:35-45, we see our Savior rising early to spend time with The Father. There are several scriptures that tell us that Jesus left the multitude be alone with The Father. Instead of J.O.Y, we could say that Jesus lived His priorities out at F.O.H. (Father, Others, Himself). Jesus was careful to put the will of The Father above all things. His relationship with His Heavenly Father was intentional and born from a deep sincere desire for connection. In essence, Jesus lived the close personal relationship with The Father that God wants to have with us. As our example, we see the kind of close bond we too can have with God and the many extraordinary things God could do in our lives if we only put God first.
Others
We then see Jesus spending the bulk of His day attending to His purpose, ministering to others, by using the anointing of the Holy Spirit to accomplish what was humanly impossible to man but supernaturally empowered by the Holy Ghost. As we continue to read chapters 2 through 5, we see our Savior pouring out His heart to the Father first and then to His creation. We rarely see Jesus taking “Me Time” or even vacations. Oftentimes His disciples desired Jesus to rest, eat, send the people away, destroy His enemies and yet Jesus knew that He was created for purpose (Mark 1:38). Listen to just a few of Jesus’s responses to these requests on several occasions:
When pressed to stop and eat
I have meat that you know not of (John 4:32)
My meat is to do the will of the Father (John 4:34)
When the Disciples tried to shield Him from being overwhelmed with children
Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not (Matthew 19:14, Mark 10:14)
When told to send the multitudes of people away so they could find something to eat
Give them to eat (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-43)
When asked whether He wanted fire called down from heaven to destroy His enemies
Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of for the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them (Luke 9:54-56)
When Peter defended Christ with the sword and cut off a soldier’s ear
Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? (John 18:10-11).
Himself
There was really no need for Jesus to lookout for Himself because God the Father provided everything Jesus and the disciples needed every time, every day, in every way. Jesus did not have a secular job, a house, a vehicle, or many of the comforts of that time but He and the disciples never went without.
Jesus did not own a home, but He always had a place to sleep.
The Son of Man hath not a place to lay His head (Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58-62).
Jesus and the Disciples left their careers behind, but God provided money for them to fulfill their civil obligations.
Go find a fish and pay our taxes (Matthew 17:24-27)
Jesus did not own His own horse, but God provided one when necessary.
Find a colt tied (Matthew 21:2, Mark 11:4-6, Luke 19:30)
Tell the keeper the Master hath need of it (Matthew 26:17-19, Mark 14:12-16, Luke 22:8-13)
Jesus sends the Disciples out to minister to the people and assures them that the Father will provide for their every need.
Carry neither purse, nor script, nor shoes (Matthew 10, Luke 10:1-20
This is not to say that Jesus and the Disciples never took a break (Mark 6:31, 7:24). However, Jesus’s joy led Him to a life surrendered to The Father. It ultimately led Him to die on a cross for the sins of man. Hebrews 12:2 tells us, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” In this verse we see both His joy and His reward. His joy was the salvation of the world and His reward is an eternal one in heaven enjoying the fellowship of The Father and His creation restored unto Himself. For Jesus the Y in J.O.Y. would be this very fact. We too are to lead a life surrendered to God which may lead us down many paths that are not focused on our own comfort or pleasure, but just like Jesus our joy is not in this life but in our eternal fellowship with the God in heaven. The rewards will far outweigh anything we could attain in this life alone.
Dear Sister, may I please pray for you? Dear Father in heaven, would you please look upon my dear sister and address the needs of her heart. Please help her to live a life completely surrendered to You at whatever cost that may be. Just as Your Word promises I know that You will see to her every need: mind, body, spirit, and soul. Thank you for the example of Jesus Christ. Please help us to live a life as He lived, completely surrendered to you. Thank you for the true JOY that will come from doing it Your way.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
Click here to read Part 3 in this series: J.O.Y. "Is It Really Possible?"https://www.phersonalrevival.com/post/j-o-y-is-it-really-possible-to-do
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