Perhaps Adam and Eve had deep joy within themselves as well as enjoyment and satisfaction in their surroundings. But when they sinned the deep joy vanished. Why was this? Because deep joy belongs only to those who are rightly related to their Creator.

Adam and Eve were seduced into believing God was not seeking the highest joy for them and so they chose to partake of misery. They were given copious amounts of misery to share with their descendants. Ever since the downfall of Adam and Eve a joyless, weak, corrupted, confused generation of human beings has sought joy and peace but has found only temporary satisfactions and frantic fulfillments in glandular, demon-driven lusts.

Into the bleak prison known as the world danced the joyous Son of God. He came that our joy might be restored.

I have told you this so my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:11)

The true Christian life begins as we take our place on the cross with the Lord Jesus, sharing His death and His resurrection. The rest of our pilgrimage consists of a working out of death and resurrection as we reckon ourselves dead with Christ and reckon ourselves alive with Christ.

Sharing the sufferings of Christ is no picnic. It is no fun. There is little pleasure or enjoyment in it. But there can and there must be joy.

We need to be careful, we who are prisoners of hope, that our sufferings do not make us prisoners indeed. We may remain in God's prison for many years but we are not to become prisoners in our mind. Remember Joseph who one day was in prison and the next day was second-in command of all the land of Egypt. We must and we can remain filled with joy as we without ceasing look to the Lord Jesus.

On occasion Christian people become morose and bitter because of their sufferings. They begin to think God is taking pleasure in their pain, that the Christian walk is one of gloom and doom. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The reason we suffer is that we may be conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus and brought into untroubled rest in Him. Until we are changed we are unable to maintain the abundance of joy the Father desires to give us. We, as Adam and Eve, would destroy our own paradise. We could not enjoy the relationships, circumstances and things we so fervently covet.

To become bitter against people and God is entirely out of line with reality. We bring a child to the doctor against his or her will because we know not to take the medicine or have the operation will result in much, much greater pain and distress. The same is true of us. God gives us bitter medicine and conducts painful—sometimes very painful—procedures as He heals us and thus prevents catastrophe in the future. Let us have faith in God and cease our unbelief and murmuring about how hard the Christian life is.

To be continued.