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.)
God the Holy Spirit gives us the joy of salvation and then strengthens that joy. Galatians 5:22-25 is a well-known passage that teaches us about the manifestations of the Spirit’s power in the lives of Christians. Too often we focus on things that do not matter as much as “the fruit of the Spirit”; sometimes we might even concentrate on things that do not matter at all, such as how we look or how many likes we get on Facebook. These Christian graces are important because they are for all Christians at all times. Furthermore, each grace is taken to its highest level. For example, this “love” is more than a catchy pop song; it is commitment and loyalty. “Peace” is much more than the absence of fighting; it is God’s best to us and working through us to others. Similarly, “joy” is not a moment of giddiness or euphoria; it is the certainty that God is keeping all of His promises to us and, moreover, is keeping us. Verse 25 is especially encouraging, for “walk” implies movement and progress. In God, all of these characteristics are perfections. In us, all of these attributes are developing. No, we are not perfect, but God the Holy Spirit Who strengthens our joy is.