When they (the Magi) saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.                                                                       

                                                                                                  Matthew 2:10 

Joy is an amazing thing! It puts a little click in our step and a twinkle in our eye. It motivates us to press on and meet each new day with a renewed vigor. The power of joy is truly amazing! There is a passage of scripture that presents the magi following the star in order to see the Christ-child. They were bearing gifts and ready to worship Jesus. Upon seeing the star, our passage tells us that they rejoiced. The word rejoiced has within it the concept of joy. So it would be accurate to say that the magi were full of joy, thus they were rejoicing. But that’s not all. They were rejoicing exceedingly. This word ramps up the type of joy they were experiencing. This was no ordinary joy rather it was a joy that could not be contained. But that’s still not all. The passage tells us that they were rejoicing exceedingly with great joy. I find it amazing that scripture uses three separate descriptors to define the magi’s joy: rejoicing, exceedingly, and with great joy.

So do you, as a Christian, experience this type of joy? I would love to say that every day I am like the magi, but that would not be true. Sometimes joy seems elusive. How about you? Why do we sometimes come up short of rejoicing exceedingly with great joy? Although joy is a fruit of the Spirit of God, there can be all kinds of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual factors that affect our experiencing joy. I want to suggest three things that can rob us of this joy.

1. Lack of assurance of your salvation

I can’t count the number of people that struggle with a lack of knowing that they are saved. While this does not manifest itself in the life of every believer, it is no surprise that it does take place. As Christians, we are not just saved from our sin and an eternal separation from God, we have been declared children of God and heirs to His kingdom (Romans 8:16-17). But we have a spiritual enemy that wants to rob us of the joy that comes with salvation. He traffics in doubt, which is the opposite of faith. This is why it is so important not to attach our works to the issue of salvation. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). “Whoever believes (trusts) in Jesus is not judged” (John 3:18). “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Call on God, ask Him to save you, be baptized as a public witness to your faith then rest on the promises of God for your salvation.

2. Holding on to past sin

The past is the past. We cannot go back and change anything that has happened there. It is truly a waste of time to dwell on past experiences. As believers, we are assured that as we confess our sin to God, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin (1 John 1:9). But again, we have a spiritual enemy that would want nothing less than to steal our joy by continually reminding us of our mistakes. The apostle Paul reminds us of the importance of forgetting what is behind us, and pressing on toward what is ahead (Philippians 3:13-14). We are to approach His throne of grace with confidence, trusting in God’s grace and mercy (Hebrews 4:16). At one point, Jesus instructed Peter to forgive as many times as was necessary (Matthew 18:21-22). God is willing to do the same. Confess your sin to Him and then leave it, knowing that He will cast it as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:3,12).

3. Not using our gifts within the church

As Christians, each of us has been gifted with abilities that only we can accomplish in the kingdom (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). Not everyone has the same gifts but each of us is to use our gifts for the building up of the church, which is the manifestation of the kingdom of God on earth. We are designed to live with purpose. Satan would love to convince us that we are not worthy to serve. He will use guilt, fear of failure, and any other lie he can come up with just as long as he can keep us from fulfilling our God-given purpose. Ask God to direct you as to what He desires for you to accomplish for His kingdom and start living with purpose today.

One final thought. I believe that many people have a faulty idea of church. Figuratively, we could argue that the magi were on their way to church since they were seeking the One who gives the church its reason to exist in the first place. For many, church is something to be endured rather than something to be celebrated. Gathering together with other believers should bring us joy. Bible study, prayer, and spending time with God shouldn’t be thought of as a duty rather a privilege. The second fruit listed as a fruit God’s Spirit within us is joy (Galatians 5:22). As believers, joy is an indispensable part of life. May your joy be ever increasing so that we all, like the magi, can rejoice exceedingly with great joy!