JOY: THE CHRISTIAN'S MARK OF DISTINCTION

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Defining Joy can be one of the most difficult things to define. I say so because we often mix the definition of happiness with joy. Truth is, one is temporary while the other is permanent. I love to define joy as a permanent state of gladness of the human heart. Joy is a choice but being a Christian, you have to understand that joy isn't an option for you, it is meant to be the permanent state of your heart. James 1:2 tells us to "...count it all joy when we fall into various trials". How's that even possible? How do you expect someone to still have an unexplainable joy when life throws stones at them? Learning to respond with joy during times of trials has to begin with a conscious awareness that God is at work in our lives and that He has a tangible purpose for why we may be experiencing these trials. Adding the next verse to the above scripture explains this; verse 3 "knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." The trials are mostly to teach us certain things and knowing that all things work together for your good just sums everything up for you as a believer in Christ. 


Earlier, I mentioned that joy isn't an option for any believer. The reason is this; looking at Galatians 5:22-23, one of the fruits of the spirits mentioned includes Joy. So, as a Christian, you have the Spirit of God in you and it's his Spirit that gives you joy; joy is one of the byproducts of the Holy Spirit living in us. Only God can give absolute joy, this is as a result of walking with him. He alone can give us the ability to respond to life’s difficult circumstances with inner contentment and satisfaction. It sounds absurd to the natural human mind that living through trials and negative circumstances would be an occasion for joy. Choosing to respond to difficult situations with inner contentment and satisfaction will never seem to make sense, but it is one of the things that makes you distinctive; It differentiates you from the world.


As a baby Christian, when I felt this absolute peace and joy in my heart even when everything doesn't seem fine, it scared me and I wondered if I was normal. I realized how pleased God was with this when he revealed to me how pleased he was with that part of me. This is why I've made it a duty not to beat myself up when I face trial because I know my joy pleases him, it makes him happy to see how much trust I have in him to control my situation.


Know this and know peace: As a child of God, his Spirit produces joy in your heart and makes you see the beauty of Christ. We do not see Christ only in the word, we see him in his gifts, in people, we see him in the gifts of nature and in all the good things that our Father in heaven has given to us. Every gift of Christ to us is intended to be a communication of something of himself. So we do not only see Christ, we taste him too — not only in his word, but also in his works. Life is bound to bring trials, problems will arise, life will hurt, wars around you will rage on and more and more problems will come but never forget who is on your side, understand that no pain or problem lasts forever. If you looks through the scriptures, you'd see examples of people who expressed how downcast they felt. King David is a perfect example but one thing he never forgot is how God is forever on his side, how much more you whom his Spirit dwells in you; you shouldn't also forget he's forever on your side. His hope was in God, so should yours be too. However, never forget that your demeanor in times of trouble clearly separates you from those in the world. You do not walk based on your emotions, you walk in the Spirit and the Spirit produces joy in you.


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