God of Joy

How often do we think about the fact that God is a God of JOY? Joy is not just a great feeling; it’s an essential part of experiencing an effective Christian walk.

Nehemiah told the Israelites, "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Neh. 8:10). Strength – mental, physical, emotional or spiritual – is important in all we do. Have you ever noticed that when you approach a task in a negative or sad state of mind, you feel exhausted the entire time you’re working? Now think of the times you were really happy and felt good about what you were doing. Do you remember how exhaustion didn’t hit you until after the project was finished? Joy makes the difference.

Jesus was filled with joy, and He came to share that joy with us. In John 15:11 He said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” You see, it’s His joy in us that makes our own joy complete. And in John 17:13, he reminded, “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them” (John 17:13). Our God is not stingy when He’s handing out joy! He wants us to have the full measure of His joy – all of it.

When the Holy Spirit was given to us, He became the direct path for us to enter into God’s joy. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). Seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus and know what it is to experience the kind of joy the world could never understand.

When God is our source of joy, we are infused with His strength. This joy is not something we manufacture ourselves – putting on a happy face and going through the motions. This joy is His gift to those He loves to enable us to walk in His power and victory.