EVENING REFLECTION: How to Live a Life Filled With Joy

CONTRIBUTOR: Shirley Joy

The fruit of the Spirit is given so that others might see God in us. The fruit – Joy (gladness, delight) – is borne out of our attachment to the Vine (God). To produce this fruit, we must abide in Him. This fruit therefore is not affected by any outside circumstance as it is being produced by God himself.

The effect (potency) of this fruit is evident when people look at us and see us having joy in a situation that joy is not expected. This is simply because the strength we have in pain and anguish comes from this fruit (Joy). Its power and ability enables us to stand in the face of circumstances which are expected to destroy us.

Joy is given to us so that we can have strength in any situation. Scripture tells us that when we are weak that God is strong. He will therefore pour out this joy in us in our weakest moments so that we are able to stand.  We ourselves will know that this strength (Joy) is not coming from us and we will glorify God for bestowing it on us when we need it most.

This Joy will also give you a song in the middle of your crisis.

We often associate joy with our emotions, how we feel, so we lose our joy easily because we believe that it is coming from the outside. This type of (outside) joy does not last long. Job 20:4-5 reminds us that manmade joy is brief and lasts but a moment.

(Inside) Joy is guaranteed by the Lord. We can have faith and trust that God will manifest this joy in us even in the midst of grief and pain. Draw closer to Him and He will pour out this fruit in us.

God’s joy has no limit. Not only does it strengthens but it sustains. It allows us to stand as more than conquerors in Christ Jesus.

He wants His light to be seen in us. This light (joy) will give others front row seats in the arena of our lives to see Christ in us. When they see us facing situations that they know that we ought to be crying, but instead they see us singing and rejoicing and standing, they will want to have this God that is in us and sustaining us. Let our God be glorified in our “pain-filled” joy.

As this fruit is manifested in our lives, it helps us to resemble God.

Let us embrace the Joy of the Lord as He pours it out in us to strengthen us.

Let us remember that our God is limitless – nothing is impossible with Him. As we stand facing individual challenges, embrace and ask for His Joy so we can stand and face them. Because guess what, life happens and therefore challenges will come.