JOY

Galatians 5:22  The fruit of the Spirit is…joy

The Greek word for joy simply means “cheerfulness, i.e. calm delight” —Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary

Happiness.  I remember there was a movie a few years back entitled “Happyness”, where a man lost his job, lost his home, and he and his son just kept on moving, kept on looking for work until eventually he got the break he was hoping for and became successful.  This is what people hope and pray for – that break in life that will bring them happiness…joy.

I don’t think anyone can claim that we cannot find joy in this world.  There are many things that bring us joy – good weather, good circumstances, our loved ones, money, fame, success.  All these things bring us joy.  What I believe is the main difference between what the Lord offers and what the world offers is the QUALITY of joy.

God’s Word speaks of a GREATER JOY:

Psalms 4:7 (NIV)
7 You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.

When Jesus was speaking to the Samaritan woman by the well, in John 4, He compared the satisfaction of natural water with the “water” He could give her:

John 4:13-14 (NIV)
13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

This is what best describes the joy of the world – it is temporary.  We will just thirst again.  But the joy God gives us is a never ending joy.  Why?  Because it is found, and founded, on eternal things.  In fact, it is a joy anchored on the eternal life Jesus gives us.

1 Peter 1:3-6 (NIV)
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you,
5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you greatly rejoice…

We Christians still make that mistake, as human as we are, of seeking joy in the things of this world.  Our joy comes from the gift, not the Giver;  from the blessing and not the Blesser.

True Joy is a fruit of the Spirit.  As we walk with the Spirit, as we allow Him to fill us, remaining in His presence, God’s joy comes in our hearts.

Romans 15:13 (NIV)
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.