JOY: AN INSIDE JOB

Thursday 20 February

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 (ESV)

whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9 (NKJV)

Have you ever seen a movie where there is a bank heist but the bank manager and all the bank employees are in on it? This is usually referred to as an ‘inside job’. Funnily enough, you can take that same principle and apply it to the subject of joy.

Before we take a deep dive into the the topic of joy, it’s important to realise that we are not talking about happiness. The fundamental difference between happiness and joy is that happiness is largely caused by external factors whereas joy is something that can only come from within. You are happy due to something that ‘happened’ to you. This usually involves your emotions.

This is why anybody can be happy given the right stimuli in the right environment. Not everyone however can experience joy. Why? Because joy is an expression of God’s love.

‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.’ Galatians 5:22-23

Generically, we say anybody can be joyful or have joy but that is not what the Bible says. There is only one fruit of the Spirit that has eight other characteristics to it. This is love, specifically agape or God’s love.

Romans 8:39 says Nothing can separate us from the love of God, where? In Christ Jesus our Lord. So where do we find love and therefore joy? Only in Christ.

To confirm that only Christians possess agape is found in Romans 5:5 that tells us that ‘the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost.’ Again this shows us that only the believer can have the love of God in their heart which means only the believer can manifest joy.

So joy is a spiritual gift not an emotion. Because joy is within your spirit, you can take charge of your mind, will and emotions by stirring it up from the inside out. It’s the personal responsibility of every child of God to develop a joyful attitude despite the outlook of outward circumstances. Why is it so important to practice joy?

‘With joy we draw water from the wells of salvation’ Isaiah 12:3. This is powerful! It means that when we choose joy that is gives us access to all the benefits of our salvation in Christ. Just to clarify, we are not the ones directly that contain the wells or rivers of living water, they are found in Christ and Christ is in us.

A joyful disposition is actually medicinal in its application to our bodies. Just like bitterness can cause arthritis type conditions in the body, joy has curative qualities that can fix any sickness or disease. Even happiness can affect your health positively.

A huge source of joy for the Christian is to meditate on the glorious eternal salvation that has been granted us in Christ. To rejoice simply means to have joy again. This shows is it is a continual choice that we must make.

Rejoicing with ‘joy inexpressible and full of glory’ is when you have made that choice and you blast out in other tongues because your native vocabulary is not able to adequately articulate what you want to express from your spirit in that moment.

The Bible says ‘the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ It also describes the Holy Spirit as the Strengthener. Therefore there is a direct connection with joy and being strong in the Lord. Nobody can draw up the joy of Christ from within your innermost being except you. Happiness will only get you so far.

In Corinthians Paul says of love ‘and now I will show you a more excellent way’. Joy is an aspect of that which excels. Choose joy.

APPLICATION

If you are a believer in Christ start stirring up the joy of the Lord in you by thinking about all of the good and perfect gifts you received in salvation and practice ‘joyfulness’.

Ps Riss Coleman, [21/2/2025 7:56 AM]

What about the Millenium? That will have to be another day’s topic.

Apostle Paul speaking to Timothy says; ‘Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.’

‘Phaneroo’ in Greek means to make manifest. This is precisely what Jesus will do; make Himself manifest. Those who are in Christ have nothing to fear about the appearance of Jesus. We look forward to it. Remember the gospel of grace is good news and we have to keep telling it because ‘he wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.’

APPLICATION

Study and meditate on all the scriptures that mention the appearance of Christ and remember that when we see Him in all His glory we will be like Him.