But the fruit of the Spirit is … joy…. Against such things there is no law. Gal. 5:22-23 (NIV)
Many people confuse “joy” with “happiness” and think they’re synonymous, but they’re not. Happiness is based largely on our outside circumstances. It even has the same root word as “happenstance,” which means a strange coincidence. One wise man explained, “We happen to be happy when our happenings are happy.”
In contrast, joy is deeper and springs from our inner core. It’s an “inside job” and thus doesn’t rise or fall with the vicissitudes of life.
There is no shortage of dangers and threats, both on an individual and national level, that can steal our joy and cause us to live with worry and fear. Author and pastor Chuck Swindoll, active though almost 90, shared this with his congregation recently: “I don’t know where our nation’s heading. I don’t. I don’t like the direction it’s going. Not a political statement, I just don’t like the way it’s being led. I don’t agree with it. But am I going to let that change the way I treat my wife? My children? My neighbor? I think many of them don’t like it either. I’m not going to wait for circumstances to get pleasant before I have joy.”
Not only does true joy come from God, it is our energy source. Even secular science and psychology agree that positive, upbeat people experience more resilience and drive than negative folks. After they had miraculously rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem, Nehemiah told the people, “This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (8:10 NIV).
Some advertisers, celebrities, politicians or others will tell you that you can experience joy if you’ll only buy their products or follow them, but don’t be misled. No person, product, or policy can fill the void in your soul; only God.
“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Have you experienced that yet?
S.D.G./S.G.D.