By Frank Colquhoun.
One Saturday night a young fellow was on his way to a theater in Bristol. Passing an open-air meeting where a band of young men were witnessing for Christ, he stopped and listened. His heart was sad and heavy; he was dissatisfied with himself and with his life; but the sight of these young men impressed him, as, with cheerful song and joyous testimony, they bore witness to the glorious power of the Lord Jesus Christ to save and satisfy. One after another they stood forward and in telling words related how in vain they had sought happiness in the things of the world and how in Christ alone they had found joy and rest.
As he listened to these simple testimonies, the young fellow was deeply stirred. He, too, had tried the pleasures of the world, but his heart was not satisfied. He longed for a real, deep, lasting joy — a joy such as these young men had found; and he longed to discover the secret for himself.
The meeting over, he spoke to one of the workers and confessed to him, his miserable and dissatisfied condition.
“Are you feeling weary and heavy laden?” he was asked.
“Yes,” he replied, “that exactly describes my condition.”
“Then here is Christ’s word to you. Listen to His invitation: ‘Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I Will give you rest.’”
The word came as a message of hope and comfort to the young fellow’s soul. It seemed to be just what he needed; and before long he was trusting in Christ as his personal Saviour. Withdrawing to a quiet spot, the two bowed their heads in prayer; then, after a hearty handshake, they separated, and the young fellow, like one of old, went on his way rejoicing.
He had found the secret of real joy!
The world today is full of seekers after happiness. Deep down in the hearts of many there is a yearning for satisfaction, a cry for lasting joy; but the tragedy is that so many are seeking it in the wrong place.
Some are trying to find happiness in the pleasures of the world. What a sorry mistake that is! Those of us who have tried the world know only too well how powerless it is to satisfy the heart. Its pleasures are but “broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:1313For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:13)). They mock us and deceive us. They leave us thirsty and dissatisfied.
Another mistake that some people make is to imagine that riches are the secret of happiness. Look around upon the world today and see how eagerly men are striving and struggling to amass Wealth; but, alas! in the end they discover that all that labor is in vain, that all their silver and gold cannot bring them joy. The newspapers reported a short time ago the death, of Mr. George Eastman, founder and head of the Eastman-Kodak interests throughout the world. He had shot himself dead in his house in New York, leaving a fortune estimated at over £20,000,000; and yet, in spite of being the possessor of so great an amount of earthly wealth, he evidently was not happy, and so ended his life by his own hand.
No, the world cannot yield true happiness. Its pleasures and its treasures can never satisfy these restless hearts of ours. Where then is real joy to be found? What is its secret? Where is its source?
Real joy is found in CHRIST and in Him alone. He is the supreme answer to your soul’s deepest need. The great Augustine was right when he prayed, “Lord, Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they rest in Thee.” In Christ there is a joy far deeper than all the shallow pleasures of the world: a joy that can abundantly satisfy our thirsting souls and give us glorious restfulness and peace.
It is the joy of sins forgiven. God’s picture of the happy man is found in Psalms 32:11<<A Psalm of David, Maschil.>> Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. (Psalm 32:1) — “Blessed (or happy) is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” That is what we all need first of all. God’s forgiveness. How can our hearts be happy if they are burdened with the load of sin? But, blessed be God, there is full and free forgiveness for every one of us in the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin.” And what is the result? It is this― “Therefore being justified by faith, we have PEACE WITH GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:11Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1)). There is no peace without pardon. There is no joy without justification. It is only the heart that is right With God, the heart that is trusting Christ as Saviour and Lord, that can know the meaning of real happiness.
Dear reader, have you found forgiveness of your sins in the precious blood of Christ? Are you rejoicing this moment in His pardon and peace? It is here that all real happiness begins. You will never be truly happy until you have found forgiveness of your sins through Christ.
But that is not all. The Christian’s joy goes deeper than that.
It is the joy of Christ’s companionship. We all know the joy that a true friendship yields; and there is no joy like the joy which the Lord Jesus Christ brings into our lives, for there is no Friend so loyal and loving as He. He is the “Friend that sticketh closer than a brother” (Prov. 28:2424Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer. (Proverbs 28:24)). To know that He is by our side, able to strengthen us in our temptations and to sympathize with us in our trials, fills the heart with a peace and joy indescribable. “Lo, I am with you all the days” (Matt. 28:2020Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:20)) is His promise; and His word cannot fail. His presence is unfailing, unchanging, unending. It does not vary with our circumstances or alter with our feelings. “All the days!” says His word — and that means the dark days as well as the sunny days, the evil days as well as the prosperous days. “He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:55Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5)).
Oh, the joy of this divine companionship! How can I help being happy if my Saviour is so near me? His presence dispels all the mists of doubt and gloom; my fears and tears vanish before His smile. All others may forsake me, but He will never fail.
Then there is one other aspect of the Christian’s joy which I must not fail to mention.
It is the joy of glorious Hope. “We rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:22By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:2)) wrote the Apostle Paul long, long years ago; and that joy and hope and glory are still ours today. The Christian’s vision is a magnificent one. His hope is not fixed upon the passing things of earth, but upon the glories of an eternal inheritance. “Our citizenship is in heaven,” cries the Apostle, “from whence also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20,20For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: (Philippians 3:20) R.V.). What a glorious hope that is! How it makes our hearts sing with very joy! How it brightens even our darkest days with, a heavenly luster! Ours is a “living hope,” for through Christ we have “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven” (1 Peter 1:44To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, (1 Peter 1:4)). No wonder, with this glorious hope in our hearts, we “rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:88Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: (1 Peter 1:8)).
My friend, is this joy of which we have been speaking yours? Is your life a happy life? Are you satisfied with your present condition? Do you answer No? Then let me invite you, very simply but very earnestly, to put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, to accept Him as your Saviour this moment. He alone can completely satisfy your soul. He alone can give you rest. All that you need, all that you long for, you will find in Him.
Thou, O Christ, art all I want,
More than all in Thee I find!
There you have the spring from which all true happiness flows.
Find Christ — and you will find the secret of real joy!