We all search for joy. This daily devotional looks at how true joy only comes from Jesus.
Nuggets
- A joy of faith is based on Christ.
- Much of our joy comes from our salvation.
- When our joy mirrors the quality of God’s,
- He provides us many benefits.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Devotions in the Fruit of the Spirit from the Inside Out series
Many people today are searching for joy. They may call it happiness, but they are looking for the some pleasant feeling.
We can only truly find it from God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Let’s look at what Paul tells us in Galatians about it being a fruit of the Spirit.
Let's Put It into Context
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things” (Gal. 5: 22-23 CSB)
Here is a running list of what we’ve discussed previously.
What Is Joy?
“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (I Pet. 1: 8 NIV).
A joy of faith is based on Christ.
Joy is about as hard to define as love. Manning wrote, “… joy, which means the thanksgiving and the consciousness of God’s infinite goodness, in which we live and mote …” He noted that it is given to us by the Holy Spirit.
Resource
When we put together people’s attempts at defining it, we get that joy, given to us by the Holy Spirit, is an outward expression of an inward feeling of thanksgiving and the consciousness of God’s infinite goodness that enlivens and comforts us.
Murray thought some people might not identify joy as being a fruit of the Spirit. He explained that, too many times, we can simply focus on His job in salvation and sanctification.
- Salvation is the gift of life through the deliverance from condemnation and sin to acceptance and holiness and changes us from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive.
- Sins are actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
- Holiness is the transcendent excellence of His nature that includes elements of purity, dedication, and commitment that lead to being set apart. Purity means possessing God’s moral character, having eliminated the stain of sin.
- Spiritual death is the spiritual separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin. The spiritually alive are those who have ABCDed, so they are no longer separated from God.
- Sanctification is the transformation of mind, body, and soul, which begins with regeneration, gradually changes our nature and morals through the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and ends with perfected state of spiritual wholeness or completeness.
- Regeneration is being changed from spiritually dead to spiritually alive and the internal requickening in us that God brings about through the work of the Holy Spirit to give us new character.
- The perfected state indicates the combination of the spiritual graces which, when all are present, form spiritual wholeness or completeness.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Glossary
Murray also believed that we could see the Holy Spirit as a nomad, coming and going as necessary. It is believed that He usually comes when we need punishment or brought back into obedience.
Wrong. Joy is listed as a fruit of the Spirit. Murray wrote that means “that the work of the Spirit is to make a person happy — actually and positively light-hearted: — that His aim is to add to the laughter of the world, to its pleasures and its enjoyments, has never occurred to these people as among the possibilities.”
Resource
Oh, yeah. God is expecting us to keep His laws and commandments and not compromise with the worldview.
But God does not see that to be a chore. He wants that to be who we are.
The laws and commandments show us God’s character. If we are to imitate Him — and we are — that means we are to have His character by keeping His laws and commandments.
We are to obey joyfully. We aren’t to have the attitude that God is forcing us into obedience. God isn’t a dictator.
Instead, God allows us our free will so that we can decide ourselves to submit and obey Him. Free will is the ability within us to make decisions, which determine actions that produce character.
It is our choice, a choice we should joyfully make.
We know that joy comes from God. “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (Jn. 15: 11 CSB).
Inside Out Joy
“But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation” (Ps. 13: 5 ESV)
Much of our joy comes from our salvation.
Let’s go back to salvation for a second. Well, yes, we are forgiven of our sins. We enter the Sanctification Road, which ends in perfection and Heaven.
Those are just some of the blessings we receive. Psalm 16: 11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (NIV).
It isn’t just about our eternal life — even though that is pretty important. That is about our spiritual condition.
It is also about this life. God is with us every step of the way. That is really important as we navigate this life!
Thornton talked about claiming God. It is only through the Holy Spirit that we can claim Him.
Resource
We become sons and daughters of Sovereign God. “But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name” (Jn. 1: 12 CSB).
Glossary
Did you catch that? Being a child of God is only a title given to those who have ABCDed. Not everyone is a child of God.
That gives God the title of Father. “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Gal. 4: 6 ESV).
This all takes place within our hearts and minds. It starts inside.
But it has to be shown through our actions. “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands” (Isa. 55: 12 NIV).
Qualities and Benefits of Joy
“Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength’ (Neh. 8: 10 NIV)
When our joy mirrors the quality of God’s, He provides us many benefits.
Thornton gave us the qualities that joy possesses.
- “… sincere and refined.”
- “… refreshing and invigorating.”
- “… solid and lasting.”
Resource
Newbolt added the quality of hopefulness to the list. Hope is the expectation, also called a living hope, based on the confidence that, because of our relationship with God, our names will be found in the book of life.
Resource
The joy has to shine through us. Newbolt called it brightness. Either way, God has to be evident in our lives.
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Newbolt also tied the joy to being sober. The even-keeled environment that we live in fosters joy.
When we compare God’s joy with worldly joy, we see the worldly joy is temporary. Thornton called it illusive.
Watson said something interesting. He said, “Spiritual joys help to make us better, worldly joys do often make us worse …”
Resource
Hmmm. I bet worldview people would take exception to that.
But I can see it. Worldly joy can be based on circumstances. Circumstances do not always happen as we think they should.
The joy that the Holy Spirit gives us brings us comfort, even in the trials. We know how the story ends — maybe not our individual story, but the overall story.
God’s joy does refresh and invigorate us. “Truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy” (Jn. 16: 20 CSB).
We know the joy will be lasting. It is God’s character, and God is eternal. That isn’t going to change.
This takes it back to, if we are children of a joyful God, why do we think we need to be sourpusses?
God gives us strength through His joy. He gives us support through all our trials.
Related Links
Rend Collective
Making the Connections
Have you ever wondered why God created us, knowing that we would sin? He created us for His joy.
Murray wrote, “that the aim and object of all God’s creation is for His own happiness, through the happiness of the creatures He has made. And this makes His own happiness self-receiving indeed, but most royally unselfish. For he who labours for self only in labours for others, treads that broad mosaic of right-doing, or righteousness, whose pavement is finer than if inlaid with stars; and which stretches in beauty through the eternity of things as to their extent, and the eternity of time as to its duration.”
Resource
Watson said joy, like God, is self-existent. We know that is an attribute of God.
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How Do We Apply This?
- Daily, have a mindset of joy, Thornton said to both God and mankind.
- Joyfully perform the tasks that God calls us to do.
- Frequently renew our resolve to follow Him.
- Shine, so that non-believers will want what we have.
- Find our joy within, not out in the world.
- Look at our relationship with God through the lens of joy, not obligation.
- Diligently guard our hearts to remain completely in God’s grace.
- Don’t let sin steal our joy.
- Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit.
Resource
Father God. You are an awesome God that gives us Your joy. Help us to have that joy flow through us so others can see You. Amen.
What do you think?
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