16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 
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4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. (Philippians 4:4 )
Posted on 05/02/2006 9:37:00 PM PDT by DallasMike
Did you know that God actually commands us to be joyful? Joy is not an option for a Christian, but must be a part of your daily life if you are to walk with God and grow spiritually. We are not only to rejoice when things are going well, but we are to rejoice at all times, even when things are going badly for us.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. (Philippians 4:4
Joy is not happiness
One of the things we tend to do in the modern world is to equate joy with happiness. However, they are not the same thing. Happiness is based on our circumstances while joy is based on our relationship to God. Sometimes as Christians we will be happy; other times as Christians we will not be happy. Still, we are commanded to be joyful in spite of our situation.
10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. (2 Corinthians 6:10
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (James 1:2-3
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.(1 Peter 1:8-9
Joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit and of the choices that we make
Joy is one of God's gifts to us as Christians. It comes to us when we let the Holy Spirit work within our lives. It doesn't come from within ourselves -- we can read books and adopt a Seven-Point Plan for Life, we can steel ourselves every day to put a smile on our faces, or we can look in the mirror and say "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!" But if we don't have God's Holy Spirit within us, we will never know true joy:
22 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. (Galatians 5:22-23 New Living Translation)
The Christian life is a partnership with God. And, as C.S. Lewis said, "God is a gentleman." If we don't allow God to work within us, then he won't force us to enjoy the fruits of the spirit. We must go beyond merely doing good works for men's approval or to try and earn our way into heaven. Rather, we must allow God to actually change us from the inside out so that we are characterized by doing good works with a joyful heart. Joy becomes a part of our nature just as swimming is part of the nature of being a fish.
Joy is a choice that we make for ourselves. We can choose to look at the negative side of things or focus on our unhappy circumstances or we can grow stronger by focusing on the work that God is doing in our lives:
10 ... And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10)
Things that keep us from joy
We may not be joyful because of an attack from our enemy, Satan. He comes to rob of the joy of our salvation and of the joy of walking with God. He also tempts us to focus on our current situation instead of our eternal salvation.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10
We may also lose our joy under times of stress and rebellion. We may go through troubles and ask God "Why?" and then decide that he doesn't really care for us after all. By doing this, we quench the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and are thus robbed of our joy when we need it the most.
We may also have false expectations of God. There is a "name it and claim it" group of Christians who believe that the sign of God working in our lives is riches and wealth. Nothing could be further from the truth! Jesus died with nothing but the clothes on his back and the Apostle Paul endured beatings, jailings, poverty, and sickness. Tradition says that all of the Apostles except one -- John -- died the death of martyrs. Paul was beheaded. Peter was crucified upside down.
Finding joy
We can only find joy in our lives by allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us and to consciously develop an attitude of joyfulness and thanksgiving. The joy of God can never be taken away from us and we will have it no matter what our situation happens to be.
If your life is not filled with joy, ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit and to bless you with joy. Pray often -- Paul says to "pray without ceasing" -- and God will honor your prayers. As you grow in Christ, the fruits of the spirit will begin to develop within you. Fruit takes time to mature, and because we are not perfect, the fruits of the spirit also often take time to mature within you. Think of all that God has given you and thank him for them. When we realize what God has done for us, it's easier to develop an attitude of joy.
Stingray: Conservative Christian News and Commentary
Bump.
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