His Joy = Our Joy

John 15:11, "I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!"

This forces me to ask the question: Where's the JOY?

Joy is a grace that is found in the Holy Spirit of God. This grace should be a part of our every day lives. While we are not promised life without difficulties, we are promised life with a joy that overflows. If you are not experiencing joy then you are not experiencing Jesus.

Over the course of my Christian life, I have often thought of the necessity of joy. Jesus made sure that His followers understood that He was giving them His joy and that their joy would be full. I'm going to share with you some of my own thoughts on the subject.

Joyful people are easy to be around
- Think about it...if you had a choice...who would you rather spend time with: a person who is not joyful or someone who is really joyful? We tend to gravitate toward people who are filled with joy. They make our day brighter and better. The joy of Jesus was not rooted in this world but in the Kingdom. Therefore, He could always share joy with others regardless of the circumstance.

Joy on the inside is evident on the outside
- This principle is clearly seen in small children. They always express what they feel. It seems like over the course of time that we have been robbed of this childlike quality. Joyfulness leads to laughter, smiling, humor, etc. Joy is something that is difficult to contain. Have you ever tried to stop laughing? God wants His joy evident in our life. Joy has the ability to alter your physical appearance. Why not let it?

Joy is contagious
- Joy is something that can be shared with others. In fact, I'm always surprised by the ability to give joy to people and see them return the favor. When our joy is rooted in the work of the Holy Spirit, we will discover a joyfulness that cannot go away. We can experience His joy at any moment in life and then allow that joy to be spread around.

Joy is synonymous with refreshment
- If you were to look at the synonyms for joy, you will discover that there are several words to describe the great happiness and pleasure that is received from it. The opposite of joy is sadness, sorrow, unhappiness, and woe. Is it any wonder that the psalmist declared that it was the joy of the Lord that strengthened him? Is it any wonder that Paul prayed that the God of hope would fill the church with joy and peace in believing? Joy in our lives brings a refreshment - an exhilaration in faith and life that must be experienced.

With all that being said, I'm not asking you to mask your life nor to fake what you are feeling. I'm simply stating that the Joy of Jesus is yours to experience. His Joy is Our Joy. Everything that we need for life and godliness is experienced through the Holy Spirit in our lives. We carry a message that is good tidings of GREAT JOY - I think it's time our lives matched the message. The writer of Hebrews said that Jesus endured the Cross for the joy that was set before Him. It was the joyful anticipation of what would be accomplished in you and the Kingdom that gave Him the ability to go through such agony. If joy can give Jesus the strength to endure the cross then I believe we can endure as well.

If you are not experiencing His joy today then take some time to get into His presence. In His presence is fullness of JOY!!! Watch God change what you are feeling. Allow Him to change your environment. Allow His Joy to be Your Joy. And enJOY it.