Joy is the emotion of salvation. We rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory (1 Peter 1:8). If you’re a Christian, the Spirit gives you soaring delight in Christ. His beauty and greatness thrill your soul.

喜乐之情源于救恩。我们有说不出来、满有荣光的大喜乐（彼得前书1:8）。如果你是基督徒，圣灵会在基督里赐予你不断升腾的喜悦，神的荣美和伟大会激动你的灵魂。

But quite a few believers struggle to experience joy. Why is that? 

然而，却有相当一部分基督徒在经历喜乐方面颇有挣扎。为何如此呢？

Some people by nature tend to be sad, and joy is an ongoing challenge. When I read Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s classic, Spiritual Depression, I was surprised that he mentions temperament or personality as “the first and foremost cause.” He may be right.

有些人天生容易悲伤，喜乐对他们是一个持续的挑战。当我读 Martyn Lloyd-Jones的经典之作《灵性低潮》时，我很惊讶他竟然将脾气或个性视为是“首先的和最重要的原因“。也许他是对的。

But there are other reasons. Young moms are often surprised at how tired they are — sleepless and exhausted — and they wrestle to find joy. If you are grieving or suffering, you may not realize that God has specific joys for you in your present circumstance. And don’t forget that our enemy hates us and will steal every ounce of joy he can.

但还有其它原因。年轻妈妈们常常吃惊于自己如此之疲乏——不能休息、筋疲力尽——她们还奋力去寻求喜乐；当你处于悲伤或患难之中，你或许意识不到神为你当前处境所预备的特殊的喜乐，而沉浸于自己的情绪中；别忘了还有那恨我们的仇敌，他会尽其所能偷走我们的每一丝喜乐。

But the most miserable Christians I’ve seen are those who live with a foot in both worlds.

然而，我所见过的最悲哀的基督徒莫过于那些脚踏两个世界的人了。

They hedge their bets. They have one eye on heaven and one on earth. They call on the name of Christ, but they still try to find security, satisfaction, pleasure, or fulfillment from this world. They’re riding the fence. And they’re not happy.

他们分开地方投资，一只眼睛看天国一只眼睛看世界。他们呼求基督之名，但是仍从世界寻求安全、满足、欢乐或成就。他们三心二意，并不快乐。

Is that you? The only way to have joy is to say a full “Yes” to God. Which means saying “No” to the world.

你是否如此呢？拥有喜乐唯一的法子就是对神完完全全地说“是”，这也意味着对世界说“不”。

It is important for every Christian to be convinced that God is good. And what’s more — God alone is good.

对基督徒来说，确信上帝是良善的很重要。不仅如此，还要确信唯有上帝是良善的。

If we are not absolutely convinced that God alone is good, we will not be able to say “No” to other gods that promise joy but deliver sorrow. We don’t dare to imagine that there is even a sliver of good apart from God and his will for our lives. Not a shred.

若我们不能完全确信唯独上帝是良善的，我们就不能拒绝其他的“神”，但他们承诺喜乐实则带来悲伤。我们不敢想像有任何一丝好处——哪怕极其微小——在神以外。

The Psalms drive this truth home.

诗篇将这个真理说得很透彻。

I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” (Psalm 16:2)

我的心哪，你曾对耶和华说：“你是我的主，我的好处不在你以外。”（诗篇16：2）

And again,

还有，

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. (Psalm 73:25)

除你以外，在天上我有谁呢？除你以外，在地上我也没有所爱慕的！（诗篇73：25）

I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are . . . my portion in the land of the living.” (Psalm 142:5)

耶和华啊，我曾向你哀求，我说：“......在活人之地，你是我的福分。”（诗篇142：5）

In the New Testament, James writes, Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. (James 1:16–17)

在新约，雅各写道：“我亲爱的弟兄们，不要看错了。各样美善的恩赐和各样全备的赏赐都是从上头来的，从众光之父那里降下来的。”（雅各书1：16-17）

Every ounce of good in this world comes from God. Nothing can possibly be good unless it comes from God. A joyful Christian believes this truth. She banks her life — and her joy — on it.

这个世界一丝一毫的好处都是来自上帝。除非是来自于上帝的，否则不可能是好的。一个喜乐的基督徒确信这真理，并将自己的生命和喜乐都寄望于此。

It will not suffice simply to hold that there is one whom all ought to honor and adore, unless we are also persuaded that he is the fountain of every good, and that we must seek nothing elsewhere than in him. .. . For until men recognize that they owe everything to God, that they are nourished by his fatherly care, that he is the Author of their every good, that they should seek nothing beyond him — they will never yield him willing service. Nay, unless they establish their complete happiness in him, they will never give themselves truly and sincerely to him.

仅仅相信上帝是配得所有荣耀和尊崇的那一位还不够，我们也要相信他是一切美好的源泉，除他以外，别无好处......直到人们意识到凡事归功于上帝，他们被上帝父亲般地关爱着，上帝是一切美好的创造者，除上帝外别无寻求，他们才会顺服上帝甘心服事。不仅如此，除非人们将完完全全的幸福建立在上帝里面，否则他们不会真实又真诚地献上自己给他。

God is good. God alone is good. And all good comes from God.

上帝是良善的。唯独上帝是良善的。所有的美好来自上帝。

Best of all, God gives us himself. And he is our joy —the unspeakably glorious delight of our hearts. David says, In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forever more. (Psalm 16:11)

最重要的是，上帝把他自己给了我们。他是我们的喜乐，是我们心中说不出来、满有荣光的大喜乐。大卫说，“在你面前有满足的喜乐；在你右手边有永远的福乐。”（诗篇16：11）

Satan tempts us to think we can find something good and satisfying apart from God. But we must declare a strong, resounding “No” to anything that promises good without him. This great “No” is at the heart of Christian joy.

撒旦引诱我们，使我们认为除了上帝我们可以寻求到一些益处和满足。但是我们必须坚决地、响亮地对这些任何许诺的好处说“不”！这对基督徒的喜乐至关重要。

The essence of sin is looking for good outside of God and his will. That is how our mother Eve was deceived.

罪的本质就是寻求上帝和他旨意以外的好处。这也就是为什么我们的始母夏娃会受骗。

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. (Genesis 3:6)

于是，女人见那棵树的果子好作食物，也悦人的眼目，且是可喜爱的，能使人有智慧，就摘下果子来吃了。（创世纪3：6）

We stumble in the same way she did. When I dig beneath the surface of any sin in my life, I find that I am trying to get something good apart from God and his ways. That good thing might be pleasure, security,significance, satisfaction, justice, belonging, comfort, some physical need,etc. But I try to get it without God.

我们在同样的问题上绊倒。当我发掘生命中任何的罪时，我发现最根本的原因就是我想在上帝和他的方式之外得到好处。这些好处可能是快乐、安全感、重要感、满足感、公平、归属感、安慰和一些肉体的需要等等。我想在上帝以外得到这些东西。

In the end, it is idolatry. I am looking to something other than God to meet my needs and satisfy my desires. These gods promise joy,but they deliver misery.

最终，这些东西成了偶像。我没有寻求上帝、而是寻求他物来满足我的需要和欲望。这些神承诺快乐,但是他们带来痛苦。

That is why a half-hearted Christian cannot have ongoing joy in Christ. David says,

那也是为什么三心二意的基督徒不能持续在基督里喜乐的原因。大卫说，

The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply. (Psalm 16:4)

“以别神代替耶和华的，他们的愁苦必加增。”（诗篇16：4）

And again,

又说，

For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity,and my bones waste away. (Psalm 31:10)

“我的生命为愁苦所消耗，我的年岁为叹息所旷废；我的力量因我的罪孽衰败，我的骨头也枯干。”（诗篇 31：10）

我们追随他神寻求喜乐，却得愁苦。

A young woman knows that she shouldn’t marry a non-Christian, but she thinks she will find love and security in this relationship— even though God is not in it. She wants something good, but she is looking to another god to provide it, and her sorrows will multiply.

某位年轻的姊妹知道她不应该嫁给非基督徒，但她认为自己可以在这段关系中得到爱和安全感——即使上帝不在其中。她想要益处，但她寻求他神来获得，她的愁苦就会加增。

A man thinks he will find fulfillment in pornography or hooking up after work. Sexual pleasure is a good thing in God’s way. But this man is looking to another god to give to him, and these brief seconds of pleasure will turn to gravel and ashes in his mouth.

某位男士认为自己下班后可以从色情作品或勾勾搭搭中找到满足。性在上帝的里面是一件好事，但这个人在寻求他神来获得，片时的欢愉将变成他嘴中的砂砾和灰烬。

A woman looks for significance through gossip. She feels important when she talks about what other people are doing. She is not finding her worth in Christ. She is running after another god for her sense of value.

某位女士通过闲言碎语来寻求意义。当她讨论其他人在做什么时，她觉得自己很重要。她没有寻求自己在基督里的价值，而是寻求他神来获得价值观。

An unforgiving man holds a grudge. He thinks that it is his responsibility to make things right. Justice is a good thing, but he is not looking to the “Judge of all the earth” to give it to him. He is running after another god.

某位不能宽恕的男士心怀怨恨。他认为这样才正义，这是自己的责任。正义是一件好事，但他没有寻求“全地的审判官”来交托，他在寻求他神。

So choose today whom you will serve. Look to God and his will for every good gift in your life. Say with the psalmist, “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup” (Psalm 16:5).

今天来做出选择，你要事奉谁。在上帝和他的旨意中寻求自己生命的美好恩赐。让我们一起与诗人说，“耶和华是我的产业，是我杯中的分。”（诗篇16：5）

Half-hearted Christians are not happy Christians. Hope in God, and don’t run after other gods. That is the path to joy.

三心二意的基督徒不会幸福。仰望上帝，不要追随他神。这才是通往喜乐之路。

整理：于姊妹