Do You Have Joy?

By: Rev. Darrel Lee

Are you interested in having joy in your life? The words of Ezra tell us, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).   If the joy of the Lord is our strength, then we certainly want to know what that joy is, how to get it, and how to keep it.

The joy of the Lord is different from happiness. Happiness is an outward emotion, while joy is inward. Happiness often is the result of pleasant circumstances. The joy of the Lord is enduring; it is the result of knowing God and abiding in Him. Happiness is unpredictable because we do not know when the next pleasant circumstance will come our way. It temporarily covers discouragement--if we are feeling down and a happy event occurs, we forget about our troubles for a time. Joy, however, does more than cover discouragement: it defeats it! Joy is a state of life rather than just a temporary emotion. That does not mean that we are always smiling or laughing, but when we have joy in our hearts, something inside sustains us no matter what arises. There is a deep, settled peace and contentment that is a result of our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Jesus spoke to His disciples about abiding in His love. He told them, “ If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:10-11). Abiding in God's love brings joy, and that joy remains.

The place where we “abide” provides certain advantages. I grew up outside Roseburg, Oregon, on a farm that was located next to the North Umpquah River. There were benefits to living there. We had many places to roam on the farm, and during the heat of the summer, we could go down and jump in the river anytime we wanted. The next place I lived was Dallas, Oregon. One of the advantages of living there was that we were close to the camp meetings held in Portland! Then we moved to Eureka, California, near the Redwood Forest. People travel long distances to see the Redwoods, and we were right next to those majestic trees. Now we live in Portland, close to the ocean and the mountains, and even closer to camp meeting! So there are advantages wherever we live.

In this passage in John 15, the apostle was describing a place to live: he refers to it as “abiding.” To abide means “to have an abode, a place to dwell.” When John spoke of “abiding in the vine,” He was describing the relationship between an individual and God. That relationship is what provides joy! That is one reason why Jesus came--that we might have life and have it more abundantly. We need not go through life with our heads hanging down and discouragement in our hearts. We can abide in the Vine. We can have a relationship with the Lord and have Him as our dwelling place. He lives where we live, works where we work, dwells wherever we dwell, and shares whatever circumstances come our way. We can abide in the Lord, and if we do that, our joy will be full.

God does not want His joy just to “visit” us and provide a fleeting experience that makes us momentarily happy. He said,   “that my joy might remain in you.” The joy is there today, tomorrow, and the next day. Whatever circumstances are around us, the joy of the Lord is a place of refuge. Notice, too, that this joy is not partial. He said, “that your joy might be full .” There really is no other way joy can exist. We cannot have part joy--we either have it or we do not!

God is joyful. In the parable of the lost sheep, we read of how the good shepherd left the ninety-nine sheep in the fold and went out into the wilderness, searching for one sheep that had been lost. When he found it, he called his friends together and they had a great feast. The writer illustrates the joy of that occasion by saying that there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repents.

We can readily picture the joy on earth over a sinner repenting. When the Lord comes into a heart, there is joy in that individual. There is joy in those who are praying with him when he touches the Throne of God in prayer and receives an answer from Heaven. We read in Luke 15:7 that there is also joy in Heaven. God is rejoicing! God looks down and considers His great plan of redemption and how the shed Blood of Jesus on Calvary provided for the sinner's redemption, and that makes Him joyful.

In the Old Testament, too, we find references to God's joy. We read, “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). The Lord sings. In another place, we read that the Lord shouts. The Lord is more than happy; He personifies joy.

We make the Lord joyful every time we look His way. We read, “The prayer of the upright is his delight” (Proverbs 15:8). He likes that. It is ironic that we would rather figure problems out in our own strength. When we find ourselves unable to figure them out, however, we do what we should have done first: we go to the Lord in prayer and say, “Lord, help me!” Our prayers are His delight. It brings joy to the Lord when we look His way.

We read in Luke 15 of the prodigal son who wasted his inheritance in riotous living. When he found himself at a point of desperation, he determined to return to his father's house. What rejoicing there was when he returned home! His father told his servant to prepare a celebration because of the return of the prodigal son. In the midst of all that rejoicing, though, there was one who did not take part—the brother of the prodigal son. He was angry about the great celebration given for one who had gone away and wasted the inheritance he had received. He could have joined in the rejoicing, but he did not.

Being self-focused will rob us of joy. If our lives revolve around our own concerns and problems, joy cannot thrive. How much better it is to be focused upon the Lord! When we shift our attention from our situation and focus on the Lord and the privilege of abiding in the Vine, we will find that joy, once again, springs up in our hearts.

Another thing that will steal our joy is to be people-focused. That is easy to do, since we live in a world of people, but if we get our eyes off the Lord and become focused on the shortcomings of those around us, joy will depart. If joy is missing from our lives, we need to think about what we have been focusing on. As we look to the Lord, there is joy, strength, and victory.

Becoming circumstance-focused can also discourage us. Trials will come to all; rain falls on the just and unjust alike. That is why we must abide in the Vine and not let circumstances steal our joy.

In the parable of the sower and the seed, we learn that being encumbered with the cares of life can also steal away our joy. There are countless decisions to make, so much to do, scores of things to capture our attention. These cares are not necessarily evil, but unless we are watchful, these issues can wrap themselves around us and steal our joy.

We must guard against these joy-stealers. How would you treat a criminal who came into your home to rob you? Would you invite him to sit down and have a cup of coffee before you allowed him to take your goods? No, you would take measures to prevent his entrance. You certainly would not entertain him! Why, then, would we entertain a mode of thinking that would allow our joy to be stolen?

The person who has experienced forgiveness is someone who knows the joy of the Lord. We had a life that was bound and shackled by sin. We had transgressed God's law and violated His plan for our lives, but we became aware that we could come to the Lord and ask Him to forgive us. That experience of salvation liberates. Nothing is more joyful than an individual who has just prayed through and knows his sins have been forgiven.

Salvation is just the beginning. The joys of a life of abiding in Christ are too many to enumerate. It is a joy to come into the presence of God. It is a joy to come to the House of God. Throughout the week, when we share our testimonies with other individuals, it brings joy to our hearts to know that we have done our part in fulfilling the great commission. It brings joy to the heart to spend time reading God's Word--to stop every day and open the Book and see what God will say to us as individuals.

Do you have the joy of the Lord in your heart today? You can!

Darrel Lee is Superintendent General of the Apostolic Faith work, and pastor of the headquarters church in Portland, Oregon.