This is not the same as happiness. It is beyond feelings and moments, it is a state. It cannot be faked and often times, you can’t understand it. Joy is a gift of God to His people. The world or the things in it cannot give a man joy. Instead, it gives happiness –which is momentary and situation-dependent. Joy, true joy, in only found in Jesus because it is a fruit of the Spirit. That is, it is one of the byproducts of having the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22).

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy…”

Gal. 5:22

Why is it so important?

God always leaves us to make our choices. He is not One to impose any choice on anybody. However, choices have end results. As a Christian, you can actually choose whether or not you want to allow the fruit of the Spirit find expression in you. But you must remember that it is by our fruits that we are identified –either as belonging to God or the world (Matt. 7:16; Lk. 6:44; Gal. 5:22). 

So, this leaves us with only one thing to do; to choose joy. As mentioned above, only God can give a man joy. It is one of the factors that sets us apart from this world, just like love. It is strange for anyone to be joyful even in a terrible situation but it is easy for us because God’s joy is not reliant on our situations. 

“Rejoice always”

1 Thess. 5:16 ESV

One of Apostle Paul’s final exhortation to the Philippians was to rejoice always, and for emphasis, he said again to rejoice (Phip. 4:4). It leaves the question why. Why is it emphasized to rejoice, and to do that always at that? 

The answer is simple and it is found in Nehemiah 8: 10; the joy of the Lord is our strength. Regardless of how spiritual we may be, the fact remains that we are still flesh. Therefore, we would have our times of weakness. But what replenishes our strength, what will keep us going, is the joy of the Lord. Have you ever felt so overwhelmed and just tired of life generally but then you began to praise the Lord and as His joy filled your heart, you felt strengthened again? That is what joy does to and for us. 

The Christian walk is not easy. It requires grace, it requires strength. God’s grace is ever sufficient and we can draw our strength from His joy. 

Even in tribulations, the joy of the Lord is motivation to keep going. Jesus did this. For the joy that was set before Him, He endured the worst kinds of hardship: torture, death and separation from God (Heb. 12:2b). Eventually, we all came to enjoy the benefits of that endurance. That is why we are encouraged in the book of James 1: 2-4 to count it all as joy when we go through diverse trials. Looking at it from an advantageous point of view, rejoicing despite that suffering, will keep us through it and eventually, it produces in us beautiful fruits. 

Already, you can see that this is beyond what ordinary man can do. It will take someone who has a different type of joy to live like this. It further proves that the joy Jesus gives is truly beyond one’s circumstance. It comes from within, stands the test of time and yields good products in us. 

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Asides God’s joy being timeless and independent of circumstance, His joy is beyond material things. The psalmist said in Psalm 4:7 that the joy which the Lord has given him is much greater than the joy people have when they have plenty wine. God’s joy in his heart was greater than joy that comes from having a great deal of material or naturally pleasurable things. He had joy beyond what makes an ordinary man happy.   

The people of Israel had been in exile for a while and upon return, the law was read to them again. This caused them to look back at the mistakes and it grieved their heart greatly. While they were wailing in guilt and grief, word came to them that the Lord’s joy is their strength. Whether they were grieving their errors or their inability to keep up with the law, the point is that the Lord’s joy was sufficient to strengthen them through that dilemma. We know it is God’s joy when we find ourselves supernaturally strengthened. (Neh. 8:10)

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There is a level called fullness of joy. That is, joy overflow. It is found in the presence of God (Psa. 16:11). And you know the most amazing thing? You carry that presence (1 Cor. 3:16; Deut 31:6). When you feel your joy start to dwindle, it is an indication of either of two things: you’re straying away from God’s presence or you’re failing to key into His presence. 

Do you feel weak, tired or dismayed? Key into God’s joy. There lies your strength. Or perhaps you don’t even carry His presence. Perhaps you’ve not met with the One who gives this joy. Today presents you with an opportunity. If you would like to receive this never-ending, strength-giving joy as Jesus gives, say this prayer: Dear Jesus, I thank you for your sacrifice of love for me. I accept you as my Lord and Savior today and from now on, I live in joy that your Holy Spirit gives. Amen.