Joy in Eucharisteo.

In this life that is so very broken I have been unearthing the true significance of joy. I am seeking for Jesus and in the journey of this, finding true joy in Him. I often wonder what it would look like to live a life of unceasing joy, even in the midst of a broken world. My thoughts then sway towards the concept of Eucharisteo.

Eucharisteo. Which in Greek means these three words below.

Charis – Grace.

Chara – Joy.

Eucharisteo- Thanksgiving.

Grace. Joy. Thanksgiving.

Three marks of Jesus.

Luke 22:19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Jesus, who is about to be murdered for the sins of His beloveds gave thanks! Knowing that He himself, The Son of God would be tortured, beaten, mocked and hung on a cross, He gave thanks. Jesus knew that He would face suffering by taking on the sins of men and the wrath of God on a cross, yet before He does any of that, knowingly He gives thanks!

How often do we give thanks in the midst of our suffering? Do we only give thanks to God when life is performing the way we'd like it to? Do we thank Him because He is deserving of all thanks in all circumstances, or do we give thanks in the circumstances we see fit? Thankfulness happens when we see Jesus as enough, not when He has given us enough in life.

Thankfulness flows from a heart of Joy. A heart of joy flows from a heart that is pursuing Jesus. A heart that is pursuing Jesus is a heart that has been given grace by Jesus Himself, all for His namesake. True joy is in thanksgiving, it is in grace, it is in Christ, and this all takes place in a broken world with broken people that are being made new in Christ.

"The holy grail of joy is not in some exotic location or some emotional mountain peak experience. The joy wonder could be here! Here, in the messy, piercing ache of now, joy might be - unbelievably - possible!" - Ann Voskamp