True Joy

I wrote a post earlier on my Facebook about following God's will for our lives. An old friend of mine replied on the status, "don't preach a blind faith that leads to ignorance." That comment has been on my mind today and I felt saddened that He and so many other people might feel that following God's will is having "blind faith." That statement is far from the truth. I am okay with the fact that some people will disagree with me on Christianity... But it made me stop and think... It made me stop and remember a time when I too didn't understand the full implications of following Christ and what JOY it could bring.

I began to think of how my life would be if I did not know Christ. It made me think back to when I was not in a close relationship with God. To when my happiness was directly correlated to my current circumstances. For example, for my life to be going well, it would depend on my current situation or good events going on in my life. If things weren't working out in my life the way I wanted, I would lose hope or be unhappy. My HAPPINESS came from earthly praise and successes versus having hope in God.

For most people happiness is possible, but it’s also shallow, fickle, and fleeting. I’ve heard somewhere that the word “happiness” was derived from the same root as the word “happening” … so I guess if you follow that line of reasoning, then happiness is probably based upon what’s happening. If circumstances are favorable, you are happy; if not, you’re unhappy.

JOY, on the other hand, is true contentment that comes from internal factors like our faith in the Lord. True joy is everlasting and not dependent upon circumstances. Christian JOY is directly related to God and is the firm confidence that all is well, regardless of your circumstances. How awesome it is to know that my circumstances no longer affect my true joy!

Knowing Him brings joy that transcends temporal circumstances.

In Philippians 3:1 Paul says, “Rejoice in the Lord.” The Lord is both the source and object of Christian joy.

Obeying Him brings peace and assurance. Joy is God’s gift to every believer. It is the fruit that His Spirit produces within you (Galatians 5:22) from the moment you receive the Gospel (John 15:11). This joy increases as you study and obey God’s Word AND follow God's will for your life. (1 John 1:4).

Even severe trials need not rob you of your joy.

James 1:2 says you should be joyful when you encounter various trials because trials produce spiritual endurance and maturity. They also prove that your faith is genuine, and a proven faith is the source of great joy (1 Peter 1:6-8).

We live in a world corrupted by sin. But our hope is in a living God, not in a dying world. He is “able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy” (Jude 24). That is our assurance of future glory and eternal joy. Until that time, we need not neglect His Holy Word, despise trials, or lose sight of our eternal reward. These are key ingredients of our present joy.

When I speak about God's will for our lives, I'm not "preaching blind faith." Who knows the purpose and plan for our lives better than the one who created us? I believe he wants us to have JOY in Him no matter where life takes us.

Jesus said "I have come so that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10b)

He has a purpose and a plan for our lives that will give us true joy, peace and hope and He wants us to know Him more fully. I sincerely believe that knowing God better and trying to follow his will is not ignorance, it's the beginning of wisdom and acceptance of Gods best for our lives.

Happiness is fleeting because it often depends on things outside of ourselves, but true joy is eternal because it is based on our relationship with Jesus Christ, which is itself an everlasting source of joy.

I have often heard an acronym for JOY being: “J” is for having Jesus first in your life. “O” is for placing Others second; and “Y” is for placing Yourself last. There is a lot of truth in this simple acronym. If we put Jesus first in our lives, joy is a natural byproduct which empowers us to really love others and love ourselves.

Joy is a vital aspect of the fruit of the Spirit; so be filled with the Holy Spirit today!

So, how full of joy are you? Are you typically happy, sad, or just existing? What can we do to be more joy-full?


Do you have true joy?