There are two instructions in the Bible that I remind myself of daily: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:9), and “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). These words are written on sticky notes around my house because being strong and joyful are rarely my first reactions when faced with challenges, fatigue, or doubt. My instincts are more likely to leave me weak and grieving, but God understands our humanity and made sure that His Word included these instructions so we can break away from our nature and bloom and strengthen our joy in the Lord.
The strength of our muscles is built up over hours of training and practice—and repeated movements that establish muscle memory and improve reaction time for the desired outcome. Spiritual strength is not so different. Whenever a whisper of a prayer crosses our lips, it fires up a connection, a tendril of a root, that begins to draw us closer to Heaven. If we pause and recognize something beautiful in nature, a glimpse of God’s perfect creation, we are training our minds to recognize joy, and we are strengthening the firmness of our faith. When we develop our attention to rejoicing, we get stronger, and the stronger we are, the easier it is for God to break us free from things that hold us back—the shackles of sin and discouragement.
We were called to be free (see Galatians 5), and to claim our identity as children of God, connected to Him. In John 15:4, Jesus invites His followers: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” I believe the second Fruit of the Spirit is joy because the moment we understand that we have been offered the gift of freedom and eternal life, and we are saved through our faith and not by anything that any of us can do (see Ephesians 2:8), we can rejoice!
My Prior Understanding of Joy Didn't Align with Scripture
For me, joy was relegated to “just over yonder . . .” and something unattainable for me today, but a prize to be earned once I got myself organized, was on top of my goals, and deserving of happiness. But the entire message of Scripture counters the idea that I can do any of this for myself without God. He is the shield around me and He lifts me up and fills me with joy. My joy now comes from knowing that “Jesus is over me” always, and I am overjoyed!
In the Gospel of John, Jesus says to His friends, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). We are to remain in His love, and thus bear much fruit. Knowing Jesus is a complete joy and by loving each other as He has loved us we can practice a better way of living. This allows us to be better caregivers of God’s children, better stewards of the Earth, to be strong in defending the oppressed or broken, and to remain rooted in Jesus as we joyfully lift our voices in praise, worship, and prayer. He has promised that if we allow His words to remain in us, we can ask for whatever we wish and it will be done for us (see John 15:7)—He can turn our sadness and hopelessness into joy—and this also strengthens our faith in Him.
In the book of Nehemiah, the people of Israel were in the toddler stages of their faith. The scrolls and teachings were being reintroduced, the Temple was being rededicated, and the hearts of the people ached for something more. When Ezra brought the Book of the Law out, he read audibly from daybreak until noon. Following the reading of the Word, the listeners were convinced that this Book of the Law was the Word of God, and they wept. Maybe these were tears of sorrow that their lives had not been more aligned with God’s purpose, or maybe they were tears of mourning for all the lost years when the law was not read. Either way, the leaders of the community said, “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). They knew they needed the Lord, and that without Him, they were lost.
Call to Action
It’s the same for us today—without Jesus, we are lost. Our world needs Christians who are filled with the joy of the Lord and reflect this fruit of the Spirit to our neighbors, friends, family members, and everyone else. When we let the joy of the Lord take root in our hearts, we are strengthened for any trial or challenge that comes our way.
Pursue the joy of the Lord and let it take root in your heart.
Let us “Be joyful
in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12), because “The
Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation” (Psalm 118:14 ESV).
This article is the second in a series of articles on the fruits of the Spirit. We plan to publish a new one every 1-2 months. The next fruit of the Spirit = PEACE.
Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
