Post by George on Feb 25, 2006 22:07:24 GMT -5
According to the Reformers Unanimous module on Joy, the Bible indicates that joy is a cheerful, calm delight and rejoicing in a particular circumstance. (Preferably in the circumstances of life.)
Let us take a look at that statement or definition as it pertains to joy in our lives or the lack of joy and the presence of depression.
Before I go any farther I want to make it clear that there are some people that do need prescription psychiatric medications. I also want to make it clear that I am not advocating that anyone throw away their medications without consulting their physician. What I am advocating is to take a look at our lives and see if there is anything that needs correcting according to God’s Holy Word that can help end our struggle with depression.
The Bible says: (Jer 15:16) Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
If you take a look at that verse very closely you will find one of the keys to depression. Jeremiah says that he found God’s Word and did eat it. What happens when you eat something? What you eat goes throughout your entire body to supply it with food, energy and things of that nature. It sustains you. It pervades your entire system. So Jeremiah is saying that he assimilated God’s Words. The result is that God’s Words are the JOY and rejoicing of our hearts. Amen!!! When you think about that statement you will find that the converse is true also. It stands to reason that if God’s Words are the joy and rejoicing of our hearts and we do not have joy and rejoicing in our hearts the obvious thing that is lacking is God’s Word. We do not have enough of it in us and this lack of the good thing that sustains our soul has allowed for other undesirable things to creep in.
If you take a realistic look at the things The Lord wants for us you can plainly see that in the vast majority of cases depression is nothing more than sin. God wants us to have joy in our lives. He wants us to prosper. He wants us to have nothing but good things in our lives. The promises of The Bible, made by God to us are nothing but good as long as we live within His Will for us. Of course, conversely, if we do not follow His Will for us the things that happen in our lives are not going to be too pretty. I remember that I had a number of doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists and people of like ilk tell me that I would have to continue of anti-depressants and tranquilizers for the rest of my life. NOT! I kept thinking of the teachings of Reformers Unanimous that the way to end depression in my life was to replace it with joy. The Joy of God.
In my “Its Personal, Daily Journal,” in the prayer section under the subcategory of “Praises” the very first entry each and every day says, “Another Day.’ God has allowed that I wake up today. The way I figure it, after He allows me another day I have nothing to gripe and complain about for the rest of the day. Rejoice and be happy for the day that He has given. (Psa 118:24) “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Notice that the Bible says that we WILL rejoice and be glad in it. That is a command. What is going to happen if we don’t rejoice and be glad in it (the day He has given)? Depression! We will get to feel sorry for ourselves. That immediately puts us out of line with His will for us. As I said a little bit earlier, when we get out of line with His Will for us we get into trouble rather quickly.
The Bible says: (Jam 1:2-5) My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; (Jam 1:3) Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
(Jam 1:4) But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Let us dissect and define this passage of Scripture. First of all let us take a look at the word, “temptations” as it is used in James 1:2.
G3986
πειρασμός
peirasmos
pi-ras-mos'
From G3985; a putting to proof (by experiment [of good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or provocation); by implication adversity: - temptation, X try.
Jam 1:2 -
My brethren - Not brethren as Jews, but as Christians.
Count it all joy - Regard it as a thing to rejoice in; a matter which should afford you happiness. You are not to consider it as a punishment, a curse, or a calamity, but as a fit subject of felicitation.
(Main Entry: 2felicitate
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): -tat·ed; -tat·ing
1 archaic : to make happy
2 a : to consider happy or fortunate b : to offer congratulations to)
When ye fall into divers temptations - Oh the meaning of the word “temptations,” see the above definition of the Greek word. It is now commonly used in the sense of placing allurements before others to induce them to sin, and in this sense the word seems to be used in Jam_1:13-14 of this chapter. Here, however, the word is used in the sense of trials, to wit, by persecution, poverty, calamity of any kind. These cannot be said to be direct inducements or allurements to sin, but they try the faith, and they show whether he who is tried is disposed to adhere to his faith in God, or whether he will apostatize. They so far coincide with temptations, properly so called, as to test the religion of men. They differ from temptations, properly so called, in that they are not brought before the mind for the express purpose of inducing people to sin. In this sense it is true that God never tempts men,
Jam_1:13-14 The word “divers” here refers to the various kinds of trials which they might experience - sickness, poverty, bereavement, persecution, etc. They were to count it a matter of joy that their religion was subjected to anything that tried it. It is well for us to have the reality of our religion tested, in whatever way it may be done.
Let’s take a look at the definition of depression as found in the Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary. “A sinking of the spirits; dejection; a state of sadness; want of courage or animation; as depression of the mind.” What more is that than feeling sorry for ourselves? That is all that it is.
(3Jo 1:2) Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
The definition of JOY that appears in the Reformers Unanimous curriculum in the module on JOY comes from the Greek.
G5479
χαρά
chara
khar-ah'
From G5463; cheerfulness, that is, calm delight: - gladness, X greatly, (X be exceeding) joy (-ful, -fully, -fulness, -ous).
This word and its variations occur 59 times in the New Testament! I have a tendency to believe that since this word appears 59 times and the word “depression” occurs not even once, that if we are experiencing depression we are definitely out of God’s Will for us. What is the basic definition of Sin? It is either doing something that God does not want us to do or not doing something that God wants us to do.
Take a look at some verses concerning Joy as found in the New Testament. I will not list them all for space and time constraints.
(Rom 14:17) For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
(Rom 15:13) Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
(2Co 8:1-2) Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; (2Co 8:2) How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
(Gal 5:22-23) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (Gal 5:23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
(1Jo 1:4) And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
Let us now go to a short study on Paul and Silas and their joy in the face of adversity. Rick Warren in his book, “The Purpose Driven Life” would have us to believe that Paul suffered from depression. I believe that the following verse shows just the opposite.
(Act 16:19) And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,
(Act 16:20) And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
(Act 16:21) And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.
(Act 16:22) And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
(Act 16:23) And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
(Act 16:24) Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
(Act 16:25) And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
These men had been scourged (whipped with an object similar to a cat o nine tails) and thrown into prison. Not only prison but also the description of the place they were leads us to believe that they were in the deepest dungeon of the prison. They were thrust into the INNER prison and had their legs placed in stocks. Did they have reason to be depressed? You bet they did! Were they depressed? No way!!!
Look at what happened next: in verse 25 we see that at midnight these two men, who had been whipped, thrown into the dungeon and placed in stocks to await their final punishment began to sing praises unto God! They were praying. What do you suppose they were praying for? Do you think they were praying for God to get them out of that terrible place they were in? Were they acting like most of us act when faced with diversity and begging God to get them out of that miserable place where their future was uncertain? I believe the answer is no. I sincerely believe that they were giving thanks to God for even putting those trials in front of them so that they could prove the goodness and mercies of His Love. I believe that they knew that God was the Hope in Glory.
(Col 1:27) To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
So the question then remains as to how we get this hope of glory? How do we get Christ in us? The answer was given at the very start of this study. We eat God’s Word. We study God’s Word and do our best with a great deal of prayer and supplication to follow what is His Will for us. We must have Faith.
In Christ,
George
Let us take a look at that statement or definition as it pertains to joy in our lives or the lack of joy and the presence of depression.
Before I go any farther I want to make it clear that there are some people that do need prescription psychiatric medications. I also want to make it clear that I am not advocating that anyone throw away their medications without consulting their physician. What I am advocating is to take a look at our lives and see if there is anything that needs correcting according to God’s Holy Word that can help end our struggle with depression.
The Bible says: (Jer 15:16) Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
If you take a look at that verse very closely you will find one of the keys to depression. Jeremiah says that he found God’s Word and did eat it. What happens when you eat something? What you eat goes throughout your entire body to supply it with food, energy and things of that nature. It sustains you. It pervades your entire system. So Jeremiah is saying that he assimilated God’s Words. The result is that God’s Words are the JOY and rejoicing of our hearts. Amen!!! When you think about that statement you will find that the converse is true also. It stands to reason that if God’s Words are the joy and rejoicing of our hearts and we do not have joy and rejoicing in our hearts the obvious thing that is lacking is God’s Word. We do not have enough of it in us and this lack of the good thing that sustains our soul has allowed for other undesirable things to creep in.
If you take a realistic look at the things The Lord wants for us you can plainly see that in the vast majority of cases depression is nothing more than sin. God wants us to have joy in our lives. He wants us to prosper. He wants us to have nothing but good things in our lives. The promises of The Bible, made by God to us are nothing but good as long as we live within His Will for us. Of course, conversely, if we do not follow His Will for us the things that happen in our lives are not going to be too pretty. I remember that I had a number of doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists and people of like ilk tell me that I would have to continue of anti-depressants and tranquilizers for the rest of my life. NOT! I kept thinking of the teachings of Reformers Unanimous that the way to end depression in my life was to replace it with joy. The Joy of God.
In my “Its Personal, Daily Journal,” in the prayer section under the subcategory of “Praises” the very first entry each and every day says, “Another Day.’ God has allowed that I wake up today. The way I figure it, after He allows me another day I have nothing to gripe and complain about for the rest of the day. Rejoice and be happy for the day that He has given. (Psa 118:24) “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Notice that the Bible says that we WILL rejoice and be glad in it. That is a command. What is going to happen if we don’t rejoice and be glad in it (the day He has given)? Depression! We will get to feel sorry for ourselves. That immediately puts us out of line with His will for us. As I said a little bit earlier, when we get out of line with His Will for us we get into trouble rather quickly.
The Bible says: (Jam 1:2-5) My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; (Jam 1:3) Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
(Jam 1:4) But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Let us dissect and define this passage of Scripture. First of all let us take a look at the word, “temptations” as it is used in James 1:2.
G3986
πειρασμός
peirasmos
pi-ras-mos'
From G3985; a putting to proof (by experiment [of good], experience [of evil], solicitation, discipline or provocation); by implication adversity: - temptation, X try.
Jam 1:2 -
My brethren - Not brethren as Jews, but as Christians.
Count it all joy - Regard it as a thing to rejoice in; a matter which should afford you happiness. You are not to consider it as a punishment, a curse, or a calamity, but as a fit subject of felicitation.
(Main Entry: 2felicitate
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): -tat·ed; -tat·ing
1 archaic : to make happy
2 a : to consider happy or fortunate b : to offer congratulations to)
When ye fall into divers temptations - Oh the meaning of the word “temptations,” see the above definition of the Greek word. It is now commonly used in the sense of placing allurements before others to induce them to sin, and in this sense the word seems to be used in Jam_1:13-14 of this chapter. Here, however, the word is used in the sense of trials, to wit, by persecution, poverty, calamity of any kind. These cannot be said to be direct inducements or allurements to sin, but they try the faith, and they show whether he who is tried is disposed to adhere to his faith in God, or whether he will apostatize. They so far coincide with temptations, properly so called, as to test the religion of men. They differ from temptations, properly so called, in that they are not brought before the mind for the express purpose of inducing people to sin. In this sense it is true that God never tempts men,
Jam_1:13-14 The word “divers” here refers to the various kinds of trials which they might experience - sickness, poverty, bereavement, persecution, etc. They were to count it a matter of joy that their religion was subjected to anything that tried it. It is well for us to have the reality of our religion tested, in whatever way it may be done.
Let’s take a look at the definition of depression as found in the Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary. “A sinking of the spirits; dejection; a state of sadness; want of courage or animation; as depression of the mind.” What more is that than feeling sorry for ourselves? That is all that it is.
(3Jo 1:2) Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
The definition of JOY that appears in the Reformers Unanimous curriculum in the module on JOY comes from the Greek.
G5479
χαρά
chara
khar-ah'
From G5463; cheerfulness, that is, calm delight: - gladness, X greatly, (X be exceeding) joy (-ful, -fully, -fulness, -ous).
This word and its variations occur 59 times in the New Testament! I have a tendency to believe that since this word appears 59 times and the word “depression” occurs not even once, that if we are experiencing depression we are definitely out of God’s Will for us. What is the basic definition of Sin? It is either doing something that God does not want us to do or not doing something that God wants us to do.
Take a look at some verses concerning Joy as found in the New Testament. I will not list them all for space and time constraints.
(Rom 14:17) For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
(Rom 15:13) Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
(2Co 8:1-2) Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; (2Co 8:2) How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
(Gal 5:22-23) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (Gal 5:23) Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
(1Jo 1:4) And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
Let us now go to a short study on Paul and Silas and their joy in the face of adversity. Rick Warren in his book, “The Purpose Driven Life” would have us to believe that Paul suffered from depression. I believe that the following verse shows just the opposite.
(Act 16:19) And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,
(Act 16:20) And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
(Act 16:21) And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.
(Act 16:22) And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
(Act 16:23) And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
(Act 16:24) Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
(Act 16:25) And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
These men had been scourged (whipped with an object similar to a cat o nine tails) and thrown into prison. Not only prison but also the description of the place they were leads us to believe that they were in the deepest dungeon of the prison. They were thrust into the INNER prison and had their legs placed in stocks. Did they have reason to be depressed? You bet they did! Were they depressed? No way!!!
Look at what happened next: in verse 25 we see that at midnight these two men, who had been whipped, thrown into the dungeon and placed in stocks to await their final punishment began to sing praises unto God! They were praying. What do you suppose they were praying for? Do you think they were praying for God to get them out of that terrible place they were in? Were they acting like most of us act when faced with diversity and begging God to get them out of that miserable place where their future was uncertain? I believe the answer is no. I sincerely believe that they were giving thanks to God for even putting those trials in front of them so that they could prove the goodness and mercies of His Love. I believe that they knew that God was the Hope in Glory.
(Col 1:27) To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
So the question then remains as to how we get this hope of glory? How do we get Christ in us? The answer was given at the very start of this study. We eat God’s Word. We study God’s Word and do our best with a great deal of prayer and supplication to follow what is His Will for us. We must have Faith.
In Christ,
George