Fruit of the Spirit: Joy

I have an acquaintance who always has a smile on her face, no matter what she is going through.  I must admit that this joy is very attractive and I wish I could exude this characteristic more wholeheartedly.

Is joy in your heart?

This lead me to think of the song that says “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down deep in my heart.”

But what is joy?

According to dictionary.com, joy is defined as:

1. The emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying
2. A source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated
3. The expression or display of glad feelings
4. A state of happiness

When I think of the word joy, my mind goes to the movie Pollyanna. Do you remember

Do you have a glad passage?

where she discusses the “glad text”?   Pollyanna says there are more than 800 glad text.  That means that we should be glad over twice a day.

But where does that gladness or happiness or joy come from?

The joy referred to in the fruit of the spirit goes deeper than just being happy.  Happiness can fade, but this is a joy that comes from deep within.  This is a joy only God can bestow.  Even when we are sad, there is an underlying joy or awareness that God is with us and loves us.

“Since it comes from God, it is more serene and stable than worldly happiness, which is merely emotional and lasts only for a time. The fruit of joy is the awareness that God is one’s Strength and Protector.”

George Campbell Morgan wrote “Joy is love’s consciousness.”

Do you exude joy?

So, what does scripture say about joy?

1. Happy the people whose God is the Lord. Psalm 144:15
2. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” Philippians 4:4
3. we rejoice in hope of the glory of God                    Romans 5:2
4. whom not having seen ye love; on whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory:  1 Peter 1:8
5. The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. Proverbs 10:28

Do you have the deep joy that only Christ can provide?

Pictures from Pixabay.com