The Joy of the Lord

By Martin Miller

July 1, 2017

And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. (1 John 1:4)

Do you experience joy in your everyday life?

As believers, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are commanded by the Word of God to rejoice and be joyful. First, let us understand that this joy the Bible describes is not experienced by everyone. It can only be experienced  by believers.

Now, what do we mean by the word "believer"?

A believer is not just someone who believes in God and Jesus Christ. The Bible says: Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble (James 2:19). So, clearly, just believing that there is a God does not make us a Christian.

A true believer is one who realizes that he is a sinner (Luke 18:13; Romans 5:8) and that he is lost without Jesus (Ephesians 2:12.) He has repented of his sins (2 Corinthians 7:10), he has been washed by the blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:14), has been born of God (John 1:13), and has been given the gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 10:45). This is very important to understand because we will never experience true biblical joy if we do not have the Holy Ghost working within us.

So, what exactly is this joy we are talking about?

First of all, it is not just a temporary emotion that comes and goes as our circumstances change around us. We often hear the expression, "happiness is a choice." Is that really true? If that is the case, why are we surrounded by unhappy people? You see, we cannot force ourselves to be happy.

We are surrounded by people who are searching for happiness and fulfillment, yet many never arrive at the point where they say, "I've found it." That's because they are searching in the wrong places. All the pleasures of this world will never bring us complete happiness. They are only temporary, and the more we have, the more we want. That's not to say that we can't enjoy the gifts that God has given to us. We can enjoy the beauties of His creation and all the other gifts He has given. But, again, that kind of  happiness will not last; there is still more.

The Bible says that we are to be joyful (Psalm 35:9) Not only are we to be joyful, but we are to rejoice always (Philippians 4:4.)

What are we to be joyful about?

We are told to rejoice in the day that the Lord has made (Psalm 118:24), in the word of God (Psalm 119:162), in the Lord because of His salvation (Isaiah 61:10), that our names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20), in truth (1 Corinthians 13:6), and that our children walk in truth (2 John 1:4).

Now that we've covered a few of the reasons we have to be joyful, let's look at what the Bible says about when to be joyful. We are told to rejoice evermore (1 Thessalonians 5:16.) The Bible even goes so far as to say that we shall rejoice when we are persecuted for Christ's sake! (Matthew 5:12). We are to be joyful in glory and sing in our beds (Psalm 149:5).

When was the last time you were lying in bed and were so full of joy that you started singing aloud to the Lord? How in the world do we do all that? As we said before, we must first have the gift of the Holy Ghost. One of the gifts, or fruits, of the Spirit is joy (Acts 13:52; Galatians 5:22). So when we have been born again by the Spirit of the Lord and we recognize how unworthy we are to be called a child of God, yet, in spite of that, He freely gives to us His gift of salvation and the gift of the Holy Ghost, how can we not be joyful?

As followers of Christ, we are promised that we can have joy unspeakable (1 Peter 1:8), everlasting joy (Isaiah 51:11), exceeding joy – even when we are partakers of Christ's sufferings (1Peter 1:3), and full joy (John 15:11.) This is a complete and indescribable joy!

Do you experience this joy?

If not, you can today by completely surrendering your whole life and all you have to Jesus Christ; then you are promised from the Bible that you can experience the joy of the Lord and the joy of His salvation!

Romans 15:13 says, Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

—Martin Miller 

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Isaiah 61:10 — I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

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