Day 7
Joy
To Rejoice Is to Say Something
If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31
Joy as a fruit of the Spirit isn’t just the stuff that makes you happy. It isn’t the excitement of a great day or the hope for an exciting tomorrow; joy is a deeper and more penetrating experience for not only you but also those around you. It might seem like semantics, talking about the difference between happiness and joy, but if you look deep enough you will see some important differences.
First of all, happiness relies on circumstances. You get happy when life gets good. When fun stuff happens, happiness joins in. Happiness is the product of the stuff of this world, and it’s amazing. Who doesn’t love to be happy? But happiness, unlike joy, disappears when the good is gone and the yucky has arrived. In other words, it’s hard to be happy when trials come and life gets unbearable, but joy can live in harsh conditions. How do I know this? Because God’s Word says that you are to think of trials as an opportunity for joy (see James 1:2) and that you should, and therefore can, rejoice always (1 Thess. 5:16). See, joy doesn’t depend on good times but on a good God.
Understanding the behavior and the feeling of joy is important if you want to experience it in your life and show it to others so they can see how great your God is. Since joy is a fruit of the Spirit, it is independent of circumstances and totally accessible through the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. The Spirit assures you that God is in it all—the good, the bad, and the ugly. He assures you he has everything under control and, more than that, he has a plan for everything in your life (see Jer. 29:11). Your joy is fueled by this fact and encouraged by his presence.
Joy is knowing and being mindful of the Holy Spirit’s nonstop intercession and accessibility in your life. When you realize that you are never alone and that beyond that, he is actively working in your life, you can sit back and relax in the knowledge that you don’t have to live life in your own strength. This is cause for joy! But there are times when it can seem like God has left the building. It can be easy to feel left to your own devices when the world crashes down around you. So how do you rejoice when everything is telling you to scream and cry? The answer is in the action of rejoicing.
See, the rejoicing God gives us access to in all situations isn’t a feeling; again, if it were, it could not be commanded. But to rejoice is to say something. It is to celebrate, to give thanks, to appreciate something or someone. As we see in 1 Thessalonians 5:16, we are commanded to “Rejoice always.” This is then followed up with the how-tos of rejoicing: “Pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:17–18). This prayer, this thanks, this celebrating is focused not on the trial or the suffering but on the blessings of God that come with it. You might have lived through a terrible heartache, but you can still thank God for closing a door that he knew was not the best for you. In every disaster there is an opportunity for rejoicing; if there isn’t, then God’s Word is wrong. And as believers in this Word and the God who inspired it, we know that isn’t true. We all can rejoice always, not because of what’s going on around us but because of who is in us. Thank you, God, for your generous gift of the Holy Spirit to point us ever back to you!
- Define It: Joy
In the “Define It” space below, write how you would define joy based on what you’ve read so far. Next, under “Reword It,” look at how I define joy in the back of the book, and then write it in your own words. How would you explain it to a friend who didn’t know the difference between joy and happiness?
- Define It: Joy
- Reword It: Joy
Today consider the opportunities for joy in your life.
What has God saved you from?
How has God shown himself to you in the past?
What are God’s promises for your life? If you aren’t sure, then spend some time in his Word today looking at all of the promises he has given you.
- Pray It
Dear God, thank you for access to joy. Thank you that I can celebrate your presence no matter how bad things get. Please show me the things you are doing in my life so I can thank you and rejoice. I pray that I would consider it all pure joy when I face trials of many kinds. Allow me to hear your voice in the hard times and to respond to it rather than the circumstances. Amen.
Today, choose joy by setting your mind on the things of the Spirit rather than the things of the flesh. As you do, try some of these things:
Choose optimism
Smile
Play
Be encouraging
Be thankful
Pray
- Say It
Today is the day to discover the joy of the Holy Spirit. That starts with being thankful. It might sound impossible, but you can find a lot to be thankful for, so make a list of all the good things in your life, both big and small. Write them all out—nothing is too small to thank him for. Then read this list several times today. In fact, read it each morning for the next week, and see if you don’t suddenly find access to more joy than you have today.