Joy is something I never really understood,. and I still don't have a full understanding of what joy is, but I would like to tell you what I have learned about it and what it is to me.
Galatians 5:22-23a "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." (NKJV)When we are saved the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. The Spirit bears these "fruits" or attributes. When you walk with God the fruits of the Spirit will begin to show in the Christians transformed life. After I had gotten saved and started walking with God, you could see a change in my life. The one thing you can see clearly right now is how happy I am and how much joy is in my life.
I came back to Northland after Christmas break and I realized how happy I was to be back. To be surrounded by God's word everyday, to be surrounded by encouraging Godly people, and to be in a place where you can see the desire to serve God. I can tell you one thing - I have never been so happy in my life. I have never been filled with this much joy in my life. By walking with God, He has filled me with joy that has not gone away. Because of this joy I keep smiling, on the inside and out. I can't stop! I keep smiling because I know my heavenly Father and what He has done for me.
It is amazing what God has done in my life so far, and what He has done in everyones life that is here. It's awesome how happy and how much filled with joy you can be when have the his Spirit living within you. The joy that God has filled my heart with is beyond what I can put into words. To me, joy is not an emotion, well it can be an emotion. Let me explain - the joy that one gets from something happening in their life is not the same type of joy that you get from the Holy Spirit. The joy that you get from the Lord is constant. It never leaves no matter how bad a day you have had. This has been true in my life. There are days where I get frustrated or just simply have a bad day and in the end I can still smile. I can still rejoice in the Lord and thank Him for what He has done for me.
I recently started going through the book of Philippians for my devotions. I am going through a six week Bible study called Philippians: The Secret of Outrageous, Contagious Joy! The first week was titled A God-Confidence Gives me a Thankful Heart, focusing on Philippians 1:1-11. Having confidence in God gives you an thankful heart. Here are some ways that you can thank God: you can thank Him by serving Him, by praying to Him, by loving Him, by believing in Him, and by growing in your relationship with Him. I am currently in week two and that is about having a trusting heart when you put your confidence in God. I am excited to continue to work through the book of Philippians and understand why Paul wrote to the Philippian believers and learning more about the joy of the Lord.
"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." - Philippians 4:4I think we all should rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice because He has done so much for us. By His grace, and only His grace we are saved. Take a moment and thank God for what He has given you and always rejoice in the Lord.
