Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.”
As Christians, we are told characteristics of the Holy Spirit. Love, joy, peace, etc. but can you imagine if you could do all of these all the time perfectly. I mean, can you imagine? Perfectly kind all the time. Always demonstrating self-control, never being aggressive, but always gentle. I can tell you that we would have a better-looking world right now if that was the case. My personal world would be looking a lot better if that was the case. But what if I just focus on one, joy.
Growing up I always thought joy had to do with my attitude. Like, a good Christian should be happy and cheerful and exuberating Joy at all times because it is a fruit of the Spirit and that’s what Christians should emulate. But…as I looked and read further, especially in the New Testament, I saw that joy is not as much of an emotion as it is an outlook on life. Let me explain.
Culture today is a me-focused culture. What can/should I do that would make me happy, give me security, or bring me joy? I mean look at Marie Kondo’s home cleaning motto (if you don’t know her, check our Netflix). She says that a person should pick up an item, such as a sweater, decide if it “sparks joy,” and if it does not, they should get rid of it. Honestly, sounds like a pretty great way to clean, but it also kind of a depressing mirror to our culture today. If someone or something doesn’t “spark joy” then get rid of it. But what does the Bible say?
James 1:2-3 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
“Pure joy” when you face trials? That’s not very Marie Kondo of the Bible if you ask me.
But it is very Jesus of the Bible. Hebrews 12:2b also says, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
When we are called to live out joy as Christians, we are not called to be superficially happy or fake. We are called to dig in, stand firm in the faith, and take all that the world and the evil one wants to throw at us knowing that God will use it for good.
This week look at how you think of the situations that arise in your life. What is your mindset? How are you approaching the hard parts of life? This week, make a conscious effort to choose to be joyful.