Understanding Joy, Grace and Shalom

Understanding Joy, Grace and Shalom

"It is important to notice that Joy, Grace and Shalom are all members of one family. Joy is not the same thing as her sister Grace or her sister Shalom. Because the members of this family are so closely related it is easy to be confused about who they are. Understanding this little biblical family helps us make sense of Bible teaching about Joy, Grace and Shalom (peace).

 In the Greek language of the New Testament, Joy and Grace are two forms of the same word. Grace is the third declension form and Joy is the first declension form. Joy is the response to Grace. Since most of us have not heard the word Grace except in the definition of "unmerited favor,” we can miss the connection. The best translation of grace into English these days is not the old word "favor" but the word "special." Grace is therefore being really, really special to someone. “Unmerited" means "without having to work for it” so we are very, very special to someone without having to work for it. This is exactly what a baby receives from a loving family, total delight that the baby is very special just the way she or he is. No work by baby is required for smiles, coos, giggles, feeding and Joy. Joy is the response to being the really special one. These two go together, being very special without earning it and total Joy. God cares deeply about joy. Joy is our response to God's grace. In the Psalms we find that God expects our response to God's grace to be high-energy Joy!"

Joy Starts Here p.14

Joy and the power of God’s Grace, Christ IN Us.

At Grace Ministries we have often defined grace as the indwelling power of Christ working with in our weakness to enable us to be our full selves in Him. As Paul says in 2 Cor. 12:9 "But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”  

I am now seeing that this joy of the Father over us is a good way of understanding what empowers our lives as believers. The spirit of Jesus in us reveals this joy when we turn to Him. Neuroscientists have discovered that the brain runs on joy (Someone is glad to be with me). Building on this concept, it makes perfect sense that God designed us to know His special favor for us as the source of our mental and emotional energy.  When we see the fullness of the work of Jesus to reveal the Father as Love to us, we see the glory of this joy filled relationship that is ours because of Christ. Jesus said it this way in John 17:3 "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." 

This kind of knowing is far more than information, it is an intimate  connection. To know the Father and the Son like this is to know their joy over us, and that is what empowers us to be who we are!

The angels announced this joy and God’s special favor at the birth of Jesus:

“I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all the people . . . Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

That pleasure of the Father over us (rejoice, your Papa loves you!) is the good news that Jesus came to reveal for all to enjoy.

Jesus went to the cross anticipating the joy between us which His work would unveil:

“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Her. 12:2

When we look at Him, face to face, fixing our eyes on His loving gaze, we experience the joy for which He died and rose to bring us home. That is the energy of God’s special favor that inspires our perspective and gives us hope and direction in our lives. Christ in us, giving us the awareness of His presence and His perspective every moment, is the inspiration, the power and the peace that allows us to live out our true identity as God’s beloved children.

This is the message I teach, and it is the experience which I introduce through prayer to each person that God brings my way. Our hearts can only rest in Him, when we know from the spirit how it is between our Father and us.

As we appreciate the importance of how glad Jesus is to just be with us, we experience a total shift in our outlook, from a fear based problem focus (religious legalism), to a desire based relational focus (trust and grace).

In this “relational mode” we learn how to deal with difficult emotions, to see the characteristics of our hearts and how to forgive from a new perspective, how to act like ourselves in tough situations, and how to pass on some of what we are experiencing to the people in our lives.

When we learn to focus on seeing what God sees, it changes the way we see ourselves. I have always been passionate about helping people to discover their Identity in Christ. Now I experience the reality of Jesus teaching us our identity together as we sit with Him and wait upon His Spirit in our hearts. What amazing things He can accomplish in such a short time as He touches and heals us.