Imagine getting a well-deserved, long-overdue promotion at your place of work. How would you describe what you feel? Can you call this feeling joy?

Joy is often mistaken for happiness. Happiness would best suit the example that was given earlier. It is the comfort and satisfaction you get when things go well for you or when something exciting happens. Joy on the other hand, is deeper because it is a fruit of the Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13

New King James Version

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard he word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Immediately you believed the gospel you received the Holy Spirit as a seal and joy being a fruit of the Holy Spirit means you have joy because the Holy Spirit lives in you.

Galatians 5:22

New King James Version

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Certain things are evident in the life of a believer because he has the Spirit of God within and joy is one of these things. The fruit of something means the result of that thing. Joy is a resultant effect of the Holy Spirit on your inside and this means that it is not circumstantial. Even when things are not going well or when things are not going according to your plans, you can still be joyful because your joy is not of this world.

1 Thessalonians 5:16

New King James Version

16 Rejoice always,

In the context of this verse, Apostle Paul was exhorting and instructing the church at Thessalonica and while he was doing this, told them to rejoice always. He said this as an instruction and this shows that you can choose joy regardless of any situation you are in. Even when things are not going well for you, you can choose to rejoice because your joy is a result of the Holy Spirit on your inside.

Acts 5:40-41

New King James Version

40 And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.

In the text above, the apostles were just flogged, and that obviously would not have been a pleasant experience but they rejoiced. Instead of being sad and complaining about how bad their situation was, they chose joy and you can do the same. You must understand that nothing in this world can steal your joy because your joy is from God.

When you think about all that God did for you in salvation and the great love that He has for you, you should rejoice.

Ephesians 2:4-8

New King James Version

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Thinking deeply about how much God did for you to get you saved should fill your heart with joy. When you think about the depth of God’s love for you and understand that nothing in this world or outside this world can separate you from His love should cause you to rejoice.

Romans 8:38-39

New King James Version

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

No matter how unpleasant things are, choose joy today and every day. Express the joy on your inside as a result of God’s spirit in you.

Prayer Point:

Father, thank you for the joy that you have given me. Throughout today and every day, I choose joy. I understand that joy is not circumstantial and I choose to rejoice no matter what.