It’s Not Like Cleaning Your Room

We were created to pursue Jesus. We were also created for joy. But have taken a wrong turn as we think about these two ideas in tandem. Our pursuit of Jesus is supposed to intersect our pursuit of joy. This intersection is to mesh into a singular idea, namely, to find joy in pursuing Jesus. However, these two paths have diverted and now they are as far from each other as one could ever possibly imagine.

The ideas of joy and the ideas associated with pursuing Jesus and Christianity in general are grievously held by many to be two radical different things. Our thinking is so far out of whack that Christianity has become duty driven. “What?!,” you say totally caught by surprise. “Christianity in my experience has always been duty driven!” I know it has, but it was never intended to be this way.

Many hold an affinity to the idea of duty driven Christianity. It was what they were brought up with, and for many older people it’s still the idea they maintain because it’s been pounded into them since birth. Unfortunately the idea of duty driven Christianity is an absolutely bankrupt idea. In fact, it is a complete offense to God, and God in no way honors such an approach to Himself.

Instead of a duty driven pursuit of Jesus we are to have a joy driven pursuit of Jesus. If I present Jesus about as grand and glorious as having to clean my room I have destroyed the gospel. It is a terribly sad, terribly grievous, and terribly sinful way to misrepresent Jesus to others.

So today, I say, “Come to Jesus, it’s not at all like cleaning your room! He’s come to give you life, and life abundantly, and joy too, tremendous joy! But not like the world understands joy, conjuring up ideas of fun, pleasure, or entertainment, it’s an otherworldly mind blowing kind of joy. It’s the joy for which you were created. It’s the kind of joy that can only be found in pursuing Jesus.”