Joy - Experience Joy This Christmasنموونە

Choose joy 

God doesn’t just suggest joyfulness as a nice idea. He commands it, telling us to ‘rejoice ALWAYS.’ 

But if we look at our own attitudes and actions, we know this is impossible! 

As you have reflected on the questions through the week, you might have noticed fears creeping into your thoughts:  “I’m not like that,” “I could never live life with joy like that,” “I’m just not a joyful person.” 

Well… those fears are true to some degree for all of us. But true joy is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It’s not something we can manufacture in our own heart. 

You can’t fake joy, but you can CHOOSE to live with joy.

Colossians 3:2-3 tells us to SET our minds on the ways of Jesus (on ‘things above’), and explains that we can do this because we have died to our old way of living and can live like Jesus, instead, because He lives in us! 

Choosing joy looks like ‘counting’ things as joyful because we trust the God of the universe to turn them into praise points. It means that we put on joy as our clothing so that by our stubborn refusal to be brought down by the things of this world, others will see that we have God changing us from the inside out.

To reflect:

1. What is one situation in which you really struggle to have joy?

2. How can you choose joy in that space?

3. How can you start each day ‘clothing’ yourself in joy?