Joy: November 1, 2013

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2013.

JOY

DEFINITION:

A feeling or state of gladness, elation or rejoicing; An emotion of sudden pleasure; exultant satisfaction; keen delight; an emotion evoked by well-being or by success.

SCRIPTURE:

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5.

These things that I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Joy as spoken of in the Bible is not based on the happiness that the world considers happiness. Joy will not come to a person because he or she has wealth, possessions, fame or status. This kind of joy is temporary. People work hard to obtain these things in order to find happiness, but as Solomon, who had everything, tells us in Ecclesiastes 1:2, that it is all meaningless.

Webster's closest definition of JOY as used in the Bible is "exultant satisfaction." Only those who know the Lord understand the true meaning of JOY. Those who have accepted Christ as their Savior have peace in their heart and "exultant satisfaction" because they know their sins have been forgiven and that God loves them.

Jesus explains what He means when He says "MY JOY" in John 15:11 (above). In the previous two verses He says: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father's commands and remain in His Love." Jesus loved His Father and found joy in doing the will of His Father and obeying His Father's commands. When we do the will of our Heavenly Father and obey His commands, we will come to know that joy that Jesus has. This is the "JOY' we pray you have in your life.

In the scripture, Matthew 25:21 where Jesus told the parable of the "Talents", He talked about the joy that the master had in his heart when one of his servants responded as he had hoped. He said: "Well done good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the Joy of the Lord." The servant's faithfulness and the success he obtained because of his faithfulness brought joy to his master and allowed the servant to share in the master's happiness. There is joy in doing well because it pleases our Lord.

The apostle Paul lists the fruits of the Spirit that are evidenced in the lives of Christians through the work of the Holy Spirit in us. These are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. [Galatians 5:22-23]. Only those who have united themselves with Christ can understand the true meaning of joy. James reminds us in James 1:2 that when we face the trials in our day to day life we are to "count it all joy." He does not mean we are to be happy about our trials, but we are to face our trials with an attitude of joy because of what it can produce in our life for Christ's glory. Joy is a vital need for our everyday peace of mind.

What we learn from the scripture is that we as believers can have a spirit of joy that is not based on the positive or negative circumstances of our life. When we have the "JOY OF THE LORD' in our life we will find it easier to face the difficulties of life.

The bottom line that we learn from these scriptures and from what we have learned in real life is that we are to face every moment of every day with a spirit of Joy! When we do this the negatives in life seem to diminish and the positives of life seem to stay with us. We all need to remember to put Christ first in our lives and be obedient to all of His commandments. 

Over the years we have had several close friends that were facing serious health problems. Each one had been through many tests, consultations, treatments and medicines and you often wondered how much they could humanly take. But the one thing that was true in each of their lives was that they were living each day with a spirit of joy. They did all that they could from a medical perspective and they responded to their doctors care. They put everything into God's hands. They prayed for healing daily, as did scores of their friends. They understood the meaning of Psalm 30:5 where it says that weeping and suffering lasts only for a while, but for the believer there is joy coming. They were living their lives full of joy and hope. They were all ready to meet their Lord but each one also realized that they still had a mission here on this earth until God took them home. That mission was to share their faith, their attitude and their joy with others.

Do you live a life of joy? If not, we encourage you to look at your relationship with God. Do you enjoy reading His Word and talking with Him in prayer? Joy comes from having a close relationship with Jesus Christ.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in I John 4:20.

If someone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.

PRAYER:

Give me joy in my life throughout today. Help me to realize that whatever happens to me today, according to the words of James, I am to count it all joy. Give me wisdom to make decisions that honor You and give me Your joy in my heart so that my joy may be full.