JOY. Christian love brings joy and refreshment to others. When we address each other as brother or sister, there is a special bond in our souls and spirits. There is joy in the special connection in a family, how much more when one shows joy from the Lord to you. Christian joy benefits the one who gives it and those who see and receive it. There are special benefits through spiritual communion with fellow believers.
The emotion of joy is one over which we have control and can choose. Joy occurs when something good and satisfying takes place. Its expression may be a display of visual expressions and words of glad appreciation that has the potential to be contagious, so others can also share in one’s own joy.
Refreshment of soul and spirit is connected to joy, and provides vigor and enthusiasm that tends to wane in times of lethargy, complacency, and self-centeredness. Refreshment brings restoration, renewal, and reaffirmation that empowers us and gives vitality to our lives and work.
Joy stimulates our interest in things taken for granted, ignored, or forgotten. The value of forgiveness, restoration, restored vision, and awareness of that which is valuable changes our whole outlook on life. Our joy can motivate other people to seek the things that are important instead of complaining about things the way they are or that they don’t have.
Trusting in the Lord without reservation must bring joy to God's heart, and it does to ours. God is a good God and is the Source of all true goodness. We receive from Him that which is good when our faith in Him is real. This joy lasts and brings contentment to those who experience the sweetness of fellowship with the Lord. Day by day, He is with us. Our joy and faith are based on the Lord being with us. We dwell securely in His presence and do not need to doubt the outcome even when we die.
Obeying the Lord is not bondage but liberty. To love others is not tedious. There is a real joy when sacrificial love is extended, blessing others. Choosing to demonstrate unreserved love changes our relationships from being casual interactions between people to being confidential friends. True joy rises above circumstances by maintaining a consistent relationship and fellowship with the Lord. Love for Christ, abiding in Him, is the fullness of joy, our joy in sharing His joy because He has chosen us as friends.
The joy of Christians is not based on favorable circumstances in which we are found but on our relationship with the Lord. We will have to face difficulties and troubling circumstances as long as we are in the world, but we can rejoice even in them because we know God allows them and uses them to build our character into more Christ-likeness. Suffering is not something we welcome, but we can even rejoice in it if we consider that there are times when we can be partakers of the sufferings of Christ.
We can rejoice in difficult circumstances for another reason. We can rejoice in the Lord because we know triumph and “victory in Jesus” surely will come. Our rejoicing in the Lord also comes from our inner attitude toward Him. Attitudes reflect our character and the focus of our hearts and minds. “Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee.” Rejoicing in the Lord, or the lack of it, does not have to reflect what is happening to us or around us. We make a choice for joy when we know our Lord Jesus Christ is with us.
Joy and holiness go together. Holiness commits us to a lifestyle consistent with heaven's citizens who are living on earth as strangers and pilgrims. The joy of the Lord is our strength to live for Him here on earth in the day-to-day circumstances of life. Joy and gladness should spring forth from my heart like plants from the soil of devotion. Rejoicing comes from within our hearts. The choice was made for joy when one could have allowed the choice for sorrow because of circumstances we did not like. Because of our love for the Lord and confidence, there will be a better tomorrow.
Our joy is in Him; His grace fills each need, and fellowship with Him is bright. Whether it is from within the heart or from what we observe outside, rejoicing with gladness and genuine devotion makes the joy of the Lord abide in our souls. That joy isn’t based on our humanity but on our new nature that enjoys what God enjoys.
Progress and joy fit well together. As faith develops, one knows God can meet the needs through him, whose joy is contagious and can be caught by others. The joy we find in a hard place is real, and maybe more so than the joy we have when we are at liberty to press ahead to the goal God has for us. When our minds are focused on Christ and His work, we will have joy through the work of others and our own.
Refresh my heart. Faithfulness promotes faithfulness; generosity creates generosity in others who find that "God loveth a cheerful giver." Reviewing the history incentivizes the present generation to respond to the present need. One influential person can make a big difference to a lot of people. From that person's heart, it extends outward to those around, and soon revival occurs in many, leading to recovery to the Lord.
When one is committed with all his or her heart, there is no room for competing claims for allegiance by any other attraction. Wholehearted commitment to God is a contagious joy that is known by many. The Lord's people are happiest when they can see a meaningful work in which they have a part in one way or another. One influential person can make a big difference to many people. From a refreshed heart, blessings extend to many. When one is committed to the Lord with all his or her heart, there is no room for competing claims for allegiance. Following a wholehearted commitment to God is contagious joy to many.
Spiritual prosperity is a fundamental matter in the life of faith. A heart for God, obedience to God, and commitment to God all lead to a whole and meaningful life with a positive effect. Those who are influenced by one who loves "the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself," will find spiritual blessings that exceed anything found in any other way. Vision leads to vitality, and vitality leads to venture. Defeated people can become unified and positive when they raise their sights above what they have become used to.
Spiritual hunger can only be satisfied by what God provides, and our thirst can only be quenched when God meets the need for our spiritual hunger and thirst. Knowing and doing God's will satisfies our souls, and the Lord Jesus promised lasting security to those who come to Him. God gives peace, paid for by the blood of Christ on the cross. It meets our spiritual needs and hunger at the highest possible cost. The satisfaction that can meet every person's need comes to us when our souls and spirits feed on the Living Bread. Refreshing people are willing; what more could you ask? They are willing to leave home to bring help when it is needed. They put themselves in the shoes of others; we still need that kind of person. They don’t expect others to do what they can do; they have compassion for the saints. They are willing to speak words of comfort; how refreshing such conversations are. They know what to talk about for the most significant spiritual benefit; their interest extends to the spirits of the needy. They can warm the spirits of the cold-hearted; we all need them. They know the value of service to others; what they learn, they pass on to others. They have the right to be respected by all, acknowledged for who they are and what they do. They can be trusted; they filled in the blank spaces left. They stand out in a crowd; they’ve been there and done that. Their hearts are soft; we need people like that today who will venture beyond their comforts; who of us will fill this role?
When people around us see why something is important to us, they may also make it important to them. I have obtained mercy, learned a lot, and experienced many blessings that serving God brings. Now, I desire to pass on with compassion those things that I know are real and have learned by experience as a pattern to those who follow, so others will feel genuine compassion for people who need the Savior. Like the God of peace, we should be men and women of peace, as those in His family. We should be unified in peace, even when we are different.