More Joy Than Time And Money

“You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” (Psalm 4:7)

The “Beautiful” American Dream

Think about the description of the beautiful life painted by the world. You have a successful business. It is growing by leaps and bounds. You are making lots and lots of money but don’t have to spend much time working—looking for your four-hour workweek. You have created a company that everyone admires and that functions without you having to watch over it constantly. That frees you up to do the things you want to do. Now you have money and time (the two gods of this age). 

So you spend your weekends on the Amalfi Coast in the nicest hotels. You drink all the finest wines and eat the finest foods. You drive the nicest cars and wear the nicest clothes. You have the hottest spouse on the block. You have people waiting on you hand and foot. If you want something, you buy it without having to “count the cost.” 

Joy In Trusting God

Yet, this passage says that the one true God will put more joy in our hearts than this vision of “the good life.” A life where you have to work regularly, provide for your family, eat good but inexpensive food, drive decent and reliable vehicles, but rests fully on God is a life filled with more joy than the so-called “American Dream.” 

There’s joy in a life that trusts God because there is contentment. When we truly trust God, we find ourselves content to be where He wants us and we find joy knowing that we are exactly where He wants us in this moment. 

Idols of Time and Money

Joy does not come through time and money. It can only come through fully trusting in our Sovereign God. 

Joy does not come through seeking comfort. We know that to some degree already. People who are not working, who are not producing anything, but simply sitting around trying to “relax” are not relaxed people and they don’t have joy. They are restless, feel purposeless, and feel like their life has no meaning. They have no joy. Inactivity doesn’t bring joy because God has created us to work. 

God has also created us to rest in the proper way and at the proper time. He has created us to restfully do our work—trusting in Him throughout all of it. That’s the key to finding joy in our work. However, it still doesn’t mean we should skip taking a Sabbath. Even when we restfully work, we still need some time to stop working completely, fully rest, and recalibrate. 

But, a life completely oriented toward comfort (rest), with comfort (rest) as the ultimate goal, is not a life that finds joy. 

The Truly Beautiful Life

There is a deeper joy found in Jesus Christ—a joy that goes deeper than the abundance of wine and grain—money and food—a joy that goes deeper than comfort and relaxation. It’s a joy that flows from deep trust and rest as we follow our beautiful God. It’s a joy that is unshakeable because it is not founded on our outward circumstances, but on our unshakeable, unmovable God. When our joy rests on Him, we will find ourselves living a Beautiful Life. 

People seem to know this instinctively. They love the stories where someone is joyfully content in ridiculously difficult circumstances. They love the story of the poor people in villages who are more content than wealthy Americans. They love the story of the poor beggar who finds more joy in life than the busy businessman. 

Deep down inside, we know this is what we are looking for. We are searching for a joy that rests on something deeper. That something deeper is Jesus Christ, the one who created and sustains the universe. We find true joy and comfort when we live a life that trusts Him and rests in him. That is the Beautiful Life.