From a military standpoint, the answer by Rumsfeld was less than satisfying. However, from a theological point of view that same language makes a great deal more sense. God does not wait until we become the people that He would like for us to be before He acts on our behalf. God loves us and Christ died for us while we were the sinful and rebellious people that we are. There is no need to get right with God before we can enjoy the fruits of the spirit. The wonder and miracle of Christmas is that it is done on behalf of people who are deeply entrenched in the works of the flesh or the actions of the sinful nature. That is the knowledge that brings me a joy unspeakable.

There is one more thing about the joy of the Lord that cannot be said about happiness, pleasure, thrills or highs; you can take it with you when you die. One of the things about which we are constantly reminded is that no matter how much of this world’s wealth and resources we may be able to accumulate, we cannot take any of it with us when we die. Those material things and all of our social rank and influence may be of great benefit to us for as long as we are alive, but immediately upon our death they pass on to someone else and do us no further good. Jesus spoke about that in Luke 12:20 when he said to a certain man, “This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” That is the way it always is when we seek satisfaction through the things of this world; you can’t take it with you.

How different is that when it comes to our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I am immediately reminded of the song that says, “Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before.” Our joy in the Lord only increases as the years goes by. And, more importantly, it carries over beyond death and the grave. How much greater will our joy when we see Jesus face to face? How much greater will our joy be when we stand in the presence of the Living God? How much greater will our joy be when we set foot on the streets of the New Jerusalem? Whatever our joy may be today, it is not to be compared with the joy that will sweep over us when we stand in the midst of those who are gathered around the throne of God to sing out our praises to the Lamb whose blood has made us clean. I can almost hear the chorus now:

Blessing, honor, glory and praise be unto Him who sits upon the throne (Revelation 5:13).

I have some advice for those who are still saying, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.” They need to look somewhere else for the contentment they are searching for. They should consider the question of Isaiah 55:2 which says, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?…Seek ye the Lord while he may be found (verse 6). This is the gift of the Advent season; it is a season when we are reminded that the best things in life work from the inside out, not from the outside in. Life is not about happiness, pleasure, thrills or highs. Real satisfaction in life comes from the themes of Advent which are also listed among the fruits of the spirit; hope, love, joy and peace.

There is a song I learned how to sing in the devotional services of our church that says:

“This joy I have the world didn’t give to me,

The world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it away”

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Marvin McMickle is Senior Pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Cleveland, OH.