What do I do when I don’t desire God? What do I do when I don’t have joy? How do I seek the Spirit’s power when I feel weak? Look directly to Christ, and you will have the Spirit’s power. The Spirit does not reveal himself (he is the shy member of the Trinity), he reveals Christ. I love how John Piper makes the same point:
In seeking to be filled and empowered by the Spirit we must pursue him indirectly—we must look to the wonder of Christ. If we look away from Jesus and seek the Spirit and his power directly, we will end up in the mire of our own subjective emotions. The Spirit does not reveal himself. The Spirit reveals Christ. The fullness of the Spirit is the fullness that he gives as we gaze on Christ. The power of the Spirit is the power we feel in the presence of Christ. The joy of the Spirit is the joy we feel from the promises of Christ. Many of us know what it is to crouch on the floor and cry out to the Holy Spirit for joy and power, and experience nothing; but the next day devote ourselves to earnest meditation on the glory of Jesus Christ and be filled with the Spirit.
Look at the unified work of the Trinity. The Spirit shows us Christ, and Christ takes us to the Father. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the Spirit’s work in Christian hedonism is essential. Joy is not a work of the flesh. We do not drum it up or grunt it up. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Scripture is clear on the connection: Joy and the Holy Spirit go together. “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52).
Jason Meyer is Sr. Pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN.
Village Schools of the Bible 