by Donna Berger
How are you feeling today? Does the weight of the world have your shoulders sagging? Or, is there a spring in your step because you have the ‘joy’ that lightens your load?
The dictionary says joy is “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.” But physical joy is not the ‘joy’ that lifts you up when life pulls you down. John Piper defines ‘Christian’ joy as “a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as He causes us to see the beauty of Christ in [His Word] and in the world.” This is the joy that we need to keep us going in spite of the twists, turns and bumps in the road.
1 Peter 1:8-9 says: Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious [JOY], for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
God-given joy is a necessary blessing that can carry us through life with a smile and a nod. It is joy that doesn’t depend on what is happening in your life today. It’s salvation joy that transcends weariness and disappointment and lifts us up in the worst of times and draws us closer to the Lord.
In Habakkuk 3:17-18 we read: Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
So bask in salvation joy, and while you’re rejoicing, remember to spread that joy around. Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill you to overflowing so you may reflect the glory and goodness of God to those around you. A kind word, a smile and a nod will reflect your joy, and shine right back at you.
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Romans 15:13
