I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing. ~John 15:11 (AMPCE)
If you look up the definitions of joy and happiness in the dictionary, they are practically identical, yet the root meaning of happiness is “good fortune” and the root meaning of joy is “to be glad”. Happiness depends on our circumstances and joy comes from the inside, it’s a heart attitude. Joy is the fruit we see as we allow the Spirit of God to cultivate our character. Many concordances translate the word "chara" to joy and defines that word in John 15:11 as a “calm delight”. Do you live encapsulated in a “calm delight”? That is a valid question considering the fact that Jesus said He gave us His word so that we may have joy to the full and overflowing. To the full and overflowing means you have so much it’s running over the top and not only affecting your life but the lives of others. Do you have that kind of joy? From what our Lord has told us it is ours for the taking but we have some guidelines set forth to receive and maintain it. We receive joy just like everything else we receive from the Lord, by faith. When we place our faith in the promises of God we are filled with joy because we know God loves us and He is with us to bless and protect us and turn everything for our good. We maintain that faith by not allowing our circumstances to move us off the ground in our mind that we have taken from the enemy.
God wants our joy to be full and complete but that doesn’t mean our circumstances are always going to be ideal. Some days we have apparent "good fortune" and some days we don't. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a “calm delight” no matter what your circumstances were today? Jesus said “I have told you these things...” (NIV) It's interesting to look back and see what "these things" were that Jesus was talking about before He gave us this awesome promise. In John 15:9 Jesus says “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love.” (NIV) So Jesus is telling us we are loved and we are to remain in that love. But how do we remain in His love? He gives us the answer in verse 10 saying If we keep His commands, we will remain in His love. The command is actually found after the promise. In John 15:12-13 Jesus says “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (NIV) According to scripture our joy is completely dependent on our ability to walk in love and lay down our life for others. So, if you are looking for lasting joy instead of depending on your circumstances to make you “happy”, consider the way you treat others. Begin to love people the way you know Jesus loves them and watch your joy come to full measure and complete and overflowing just as God promised it would.
…those who promote peace have joy. ~Proverbs 12:20b (NIV)
Does your happiness depend on your circumstances? Would you like to experience true joy?
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