Devoted: A Girl’s Guide To Good Living With A Great GodSample

"Joy"

Read 1 Peter 1:8, Philippians 3

Joy, often confused with happiness, is completely independent of our circumstances. It endures the good times and the bad, because the root of joy holds to a Rock that is strong enough to withstand fickle forecasts. But where does true joy come from?

The apostle Paul knew that joy may coexist with sadness, pain, and hurt at times, but it never gives up. It is founded in the brilliant, exciting hope that Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33) and disarmed the evil powers within (Colossians 2:15) so that—hey, guess what—Jesus wins in the end! And because He lives inside of us, we win! One day, all the brokenness of this life will vanish along with this old earth when we are ushered into our new, eternal home (Revelation 21:4–5).

Let’s be real: joy is not a painkiller. Christians are not numb to sorrow and suffering. Happiness and celebration, anger and confusion, even sadness and despair sometimes occupy the heart. But joy, cultivated within us by the Holy Spirit, motivates us to not give up even when we fall down. We get back up because we have a spiritual drive and purpose for living. We live intentionally and obediently because we know it’s worth it. 

The enemy of our souls tries to steal our joy by lying to us, discouraging us, and getting us to fix our eyes on the waves crashing around us so that we lose faith in our ultimate source of joy. But according to 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NASB), “we walk by faith, not by sight.” We can sink into depression and hopelessness when we fail to realize and believe that God is good, that He is enough, that He is actively at work, and that through Him we are victorious. Joy puts on the lenses of God’s sight and helps us see circumstances through His truth, the Bible.