“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you
and that your joy may be complete.”
John 15:11 NIV
I believe it is possible to be happy in life. I am quite sure that it is possible to even be ecstatic about our circumstances or the pleasures that we experience. But without Jesus in our life I do not believe it is possible to experience joy.
At times in my life I have mistaken happiness for joy, but as a Christian I have now come to understand that joy cannot be attained through tangible things. Joy is not going to come to us from our physical emotions. Joy is as elusive as peace because joy is an emotion of the soul. Joy, true peace, and unselfish love come only from Jesus.
I experienced joy
for the first time when Jesus Christ came into my life and now...
I experience joy
...when I hear new spiritual truth.
I experience joy
...when another person comes to know Jesus as their personal Savior.
I experience joy
...when God shows up in my life and gives me an incredible blessing.
I experience joy
...when I worship God through the beauty of his creation.
I experience joy
...when I realize how faithful God is to me.
I experience joy
...when I read God’s Word and there is clarity and understanding.
I experience joy
...in answered prayer.
I experience joy
...when I worship God.
I experience joy
...when I feel God’s love, comfort, peace, and emotional healing.
I experience joy
...when I understand how privileged I am to be redeemed by Jesus.
I experience joy
...when I think about Jesus' return and my hope of heaven.
It is NOT me + what I want = Joy
It is NOT me + what I think will make me happy = Joy
It IS God + me = Joy
Joy will never be experience by me or by you without God being acknowledged in the equation. When we walk in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ we will experience real joy. Joy is something that non believers cannot understand. Lots of people think that they know what it is to be happy but they are still clueless about how joy surpasses all happiness. Happiness is produced totally through selfish effort, but joy is an emotion of the soul.
Joy is not something we seek, it the end result of what we experience when we have Jesus Christ in our life. Joy is to be found in the garden of your heart even in times of trouble. Joy is not found in our circumstances, it is found in the attributes of God himself. We can be joyful because our all knowing, all present, all powerful, all loving God chooses to use all of his attributes in our behalf. God hears us when we pray. God is always faithful to those who love and serve him. He is a very present help in trouble and he desires to be in daily fellowship with us. Jesus is our personal friend. He smiles, he laughs, and he loves. He is our joy!
Questions:
Have you ever experienced joy?
Can you see how that experience of joy surpassed happiness?
Prayer:
Dear Jesus,
I thank you for the gift of happiness that I experience in my family, my relationships, my friends, my job, my activities, and in my church. But most of all I thank you for indescribable, glorious gift of joy that you have permeated into my heart, I pray that you will continue to pour into my heart your joy. I admit I’m a little greedy here; I want to soak up as much joy as you will allow me to have. Jesus, your joy is sweet!
In Your Name I pray. Amen.
