Secrets to Joy!!
Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…”
We tend to equate “happiness” with joy, but they are two totally different ideas because they each spring from a different source. Happiness comes from the world around me. Joy originates directly from the Spirit of the Living God. Happiness is conditioned by and often dependent upon what is “happening” to me. If people treat me good, if things are going well in my life, then I’m happy. If my circumstances aren’t favorable, then I’m unhappy. Joy, on the other hand, throbs throughout Scripture as a profound, compelling quality of life that transcends the events and disasters which may dog God’s people. Joy is a divine dimension of living that is not shackled by circumstances.
It appears to me that there are two things we need to consider when we think about Joy.
First, there are Joy Busters in our lives. Unmet expectations can certainly kill joy for many of us. Many of us have dreams and goals that seem out of reach or unrealized and that tends to rob us of joy. Also, unresolved conflict can rob us of joy. Our joy evaporates when we allow conflict between ourselves and another person to go on. When someone’s offense against us occupies our mental and emotional attention, we have little left over for the Lord. Finally, unconfessed sin can cause our joy to diminish. Guilt can gut your joy faster than anything I know. Sin can send joy far away. David understood this very well when he attempted to ignore the promptings of the Spirit. Take a look at Psalm 32:1-5: “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’ -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
Second, we need to consider that there are joy builders. First, recognize that God is joyful. So many people seem to just miss this point completely. We think of God as being stern and rigid and eager to discipline. But God is joyful and He takes joy in His relationship with us. Second, you can reaffirm your commitment to others. When we live in loving relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we’ll be more joyful and we’ll be helping others to increase their joy. Third, release your problems to the Lord. Verse 25 says that Paul and Silas “were praying and singing hymns to God…” This word for praying is not the word used for making requests but rather the word used for praise, or worship. Instead of asking God to get them out, they turned this tough situation into an opportunity for rejoicing. The only way to have an attitude like this is to release our problems to the Lord. Finally, stay close to Jesus. To discover joy we must abandon the search for it and go looking instead for the one who is Himself joy. Joy is the flag that flies over the castle of our hearts announcing that Jesus is in residence today. If we want the kind of joy that is complete, lacking nothing, then we must remain close to Jesus.
We tend to equate “happiness” with joy, but they are two totally different ideas because they each spring from a different source. Happiness comes from the world around me. Joy originates directly from the Spirit of the Living God. Happiness is conditioned by and often dependent upon what is “happening” to me. If people treat me good, if things are going well in my life, then I’m happy. If my circumstances aren’t favorable, then I’m unhappy. Joy, on the other hand, throbs throughout Scripture as a profound, compelling quality of life that transcends the events and disasters which may dog God’s people. Joy is a divine dimension of living that is not shackled by circumstances.
It appears to me that there are two things we need to consider when we think about Joy.
First, there are Joy Busters in our lives. Unmet expectations can certainly kill joy for many of us. Many of us have dreams and goals that seem out of reach or unrealized and that tends to rob us of joy. Also, unresolved conflict can rob us of joy. Our joy evaporates when we allow conflict between ourselves and another person to go on. When someone’s offense against us occupies our mental and emotional attention, we have little left over for the Lord. Finally, unconfessed sin can cause our joy to diminish. Guilt can gut your joy faster than anything I know. Sin can send joy far away. David understood this very well when he attempted to ignore the promptings of the Spirit. Take a look at Psalm 32:1-5: “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’ -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
Second, we need to consider that there are joy builders. First, recognize that God is joyful. So many people seem to just miss this point completely. We think of God as being stern and rigid and eager to discipline. But God is joyful and He takes joy in His relationship with us. Second, you can reaffirm your commitment to others. When we live in loving relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we’ll be more joyful and we’ll be helping others to increase their joy. Third, release your problems to the Lord. Verse 25 says that Paul and Silas “were praying and singing hymns to God…” This word for praying is not the word used for making requests but rather the word used for praise, or worship. Instead of asking God to get them out, they turned this tough situation into an opportunity for rejoicing. The only way to have an attitude like this is to release our problems to the Lord. Finally, stay close to Jesus. To discover joy we must abandon the search for it and go looking instead for the one who is Himself joy. Joy is the flag that flies over the castle of our hearts announcing that Jesus is in residence today. If we want the kind of joy that is complete, lacking nothing, then we must remain close to Jesus.
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