True Joy and How It Is Found
During the recent 2024 Democratic Convention, a theme came up over and over again. No, I’m not talking about how this party thinks that they are the saviors of democracy. The theme I am referring to is that of joy. President Bill Clinton, in his speech, said that:
“We need Kamala Harris, the president of joy, to lead us.”
Over and over, joy was the theme of cheerful celebrities and upbeat optimists who took the stage at the United Center in Chicago. May I suggest that most of these people have no idea what real joy is, nor where it comes from. Because, if they did, they would know that a President and a Party cannot bring anyone real joy. And might I further suggest that in order to have genuine and lasting joy, one must first have a relationship with Jesus Christ as their Savior.
The first thing that we need to get straight is that happiness and joy are not synonymous. Happiness is closely tied to happenings. If your “happenings” are not very good at the present moment, then you are probably not very happy. If you have lost your job, your spouse is leaving you, and your children are in trouble with the law, then you may be downright depressed.
Joy, on the other hand, can be had no matter what the circumstances. It is an overall condition of your heart despite what is happening at the moment. It’s a knowledge that circumstances, good or bad, are temporary and won’t last. And, if you are a Christian, there is something and someone beyond the circumstances of this world that we can count on for stability and hope.
Paul, in Galatians 5:22-23, talks about the fruit of the Spirit. The “fruit” is the product of the Holy Spirit’s cultivation of character in our hearts. Among the 9 characteristics that he lists, one of them is joy.
When a person comes to Christ, they become a temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19-20). And when the Spirit enters a believer’s life, he doesn’t leave that person the same. He begins to conform him to the image of the God-man, our Lord Jesus Christ who, in his flesh, was and is the perfect ideal person for all of humanity. And his death and resurrection made it possible for us to become like him through faith. So true joy is not something a person can manufacture on their own. It is produced as the Spirit makes us more like Jesus.
Biblical joy is different from happiness in that it is rooted in our relationship with God. It is a deep-seated sense of well-being that comes from the assurance of God’s love and salvation. Joy is knowing that our relationship with God is eternally secure, no matter what may be presently taking place. We choose joy in our response to trials, knowing that God has an ultimate purpose in allowing them in our lives in the first place. James 1:2-4 tells us that:
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
And Paul, in Romans 8:28, tells us this regarding our circumstances:
“All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Joy is a gift of God that comes from realizing that the Lord is in complete and utter control of your life from start to finish, and that it will ultimately lead to an eternal reward in heaven, where the trials of this present world will no longer exist.
If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior, then true joy is unattainable. But the Lord wants to give you his joy that the world can never give, and it can never take away. Accept the gift of eternal life by faith today, and you will begin to realize that this life, with all that it offers, is only a drop in a bucket compared to the beautiful existence that lay ahead for those who are in Christ.
If you know Christ today, but are still struggling, then ask the Lord to fill you with his Spirit and give to you the joy that only he offers. Also, Study God’s Word, the Bible, concentrating on the many promises that God has made to those who love him. Finally, seek out a fellow believer with whom you can confide and ask him or her to pray for you and just listen to what may be interfering with receiving the joy God offers. One of the chief privileges and sources of joy in the Christian life is knowing that we don’t have to face it alone. We have the Lord and the Body of Christ that he gives to us.
Remember that God wants to walk beside you all the way. And when the circumstances get rough, he will carry you through until you reach the other side.
My prayer for you, the reader, is the same prayer that Paul offered for the Philippians. He writes:
“May the God of all hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Roman 15:13).
God bless you as you choose to walk in his joy!