Got Joy?

Find Joy in Jesus Christ

The Greek word for joy is chara, pronounced with a (K). It indicates inner joy from a source other than oneself or one’s circumstances. It is not happiness because happiness is dependent upon what happens to us. It is not pleasure because pleasure is a product of circumstances at any given moment. Joy is not subject to anything or anyone. Joy is a constant condition regardless of time or space. The ONLY continuous source of joy is Jesus Christ. Psalms 16:11 says …” In thy presence is fulness of joy.” Observe the word “fulness” in the statement. To be filled with joy is the Father’s wish for his children. When one has answered the question of eternity, allowed Christ to take his abode in our heart, and been filled with his Holy Spirit, one can begin to experience the joy only Jesus gives.

In St. John 15:11, Jesus says,” These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full.” The joy that remains and is full is Christ’s promise to believers! Regardless of our physical condition or circumstances, joy is a constant in a world where happiness and pleasure come and go. Jesus Christ is the wellspring of eternal joy. St. John 14:16-17 says, ” And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” What a promise! In a world where our current human experiences are filled with uncertainty, depravity, and fleeting moments of limited happiness and pleasure, it is comforting to know that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we maintain joy through it all. A person may be sick and still have joy. An individual could lose a loved one and still have joy. Our friend may ostracize us, but the friend closer than a brother will never forsake us. In Hebrews 12, the apostle Paul admonished his readers to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross. Endurance during trial and tribulation is a by-product of the indwelling power of God, which gives unto us “Fulness of joy.”

I want to encourage you to realize the joy that is freely given to you by Jesus Christ. Satan would love to rob us of our joy, depend on him for our happiness, and kill our peace. Please don’t make the mistake of trusting the Father of liars to provide you with anything but despair. You can trust Jesus! He loves you so much he died in your place at Calvary. When He abides in us, and we abide in Him, we can experience “fullness of joy.”

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