Joy

Biblical joy is a deep down settled harmony, which is based on the promises of God that comes out in the life of a believer in a pleasant delightful demeanor. It is both visible and verbal, external and internal, and it is activated by the Spirit of God as Galatians 5:22 states, But the fruit of the Spirit is…joy. Biblical joy is more than human happiness. Humans have pursued happiness in every avenue imaginable, but the end result has been unsuccessful no matter what the pursuit. Humans have sought to find happiness in pleasure — Lord Byron, an English Poet who lived 200 years ago, lived a life of pleasure to the fullest degree possible. Extravagant living, love affairs, running up debt, scandal, etc., and yet when he was old, he wrote: “The worm, the canker, and grief are mine alone.” Humans have sought happiness in money — Jay Gould, the American millionaire who lived in the 1800’s, had more money than he could ever spend, yet when he was lying on his death bed, he said: “I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth.” Humans have sought happiness in military glory — Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day and having done so, he wept in his tent, before he said: “There are no more worlds to conquer.” He died at 32 years old from alcohol, depression and a sinful lifestyle. All of these examples shows that there is not real joy when without Christ. Millions of people have tried to find “joy” but they looked in all the wrong places. Only Jesus Christ can give true and lasting joy that is settled and eternal (Luke 24:52-53; Jude 24).

Joy is discussed frequently in both the Old and the New Testaments. If you read the Bible searching for the word “joy” you will find it everywhere. Pride of place goes to Philippians 4:4 which says, Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice. It is almost as if the Apostle Paul says, Rejoice in the Lord always, and then knows someone will say, “Except when such and such happens,” and so he says, Again I will say rejoice. In other words, there are no exceptions to possessing joy for the believer. Psalm 5:11, But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. When you trust in God, when you love God, there is joy. There is a stable happiness that is deep within, which knows that God is there and all will be ok in the end. Psalm 32:11, Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! Being glad in the Lord is the believers mindset. There is no room for sadness because the Lord has made us righteous and we will spend eternity in heaven. That is a reason to shout for joy! In John 15:11 Jesus says, These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. It is the desire of the Lord Jesus Christ that every single person who names His name knows what it means to have full joy in their lives.

For a believer in Christ, we have something the world could never have, joy because of what great things God has done for us. We have been saved by Christ and He now walks with us and guides us by His Holy Spirit, giving us meaning and purpose and joy. He reveals truth to us concerning our future and our present state in the Bible. Most of all He reveals Himself to us and desires to have fellowship with us. There is nothing better than that.