Join in the Joy
Through the years, I have frequently preached about joy. It is more than an emotion (although it includes emotion); rather, it is a settled attitude, a stable and sturdy approach to life that focuses us on the things that matter now and forever. Joy is much greater and much more powerful than happiness, which is event or circumstance driven. There is nothing wrong with happiness. It is certainly better than unhappiness. Also, we have different personalities. For example, my wife is happy-go-lucky. Of course, she has every reason to be, being married to me. However, not everyone can be married to me. We need something more substantial than happiness; that something is joy. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Because joy is an essential attribute of God and is given to us, God’s people should be sources of joy to others. A powerful example of this truth is found in II John 4 and again in III John 3-4. The aging Apostle John looked at the lives of other Christians and found his joy growing and abounding. Whenever I hear of a former acquaintance or student who is following the Lord or when I see the people of our church diligently serving God, my joy increases. This response transcends happiness, for it is based on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ and is thus a secure and certain thing. God’s faithful people are a blessing, a blessing of joy.