Even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an unspeakable joy that is full of glory. 1 Peter 1:8
God fills His people with joy. But we often have a hard time living in that joy. You see, we live in an unspeakably distressed world and that negativity affects us, and those depressing events can end up leaving us feel hopeless and dejected. Even if discouragement sometimes seems like the easiest mindset to fall into, we know that joy is by far the happiest and most fulfilling way to live our lives.
It is in joy that we are filled with God’s own glory. Joyful people are more content with their life circumstances, and are more fulfilled and satisfied with life. Joyful people are more content in the mundane tasks of life, and they are more engaged in their work and more productive.
Have you ever wondered how joyful Christians manage to routinely be that way? I want to share a few ideas on that this week:
1. Joyful Christians have unshakable faith that God is working all things out for our good for us (Rom 8:28). Confidence in God is always the key to feeling good about ourselves, and joyfulness is no exception. When we know that we know that God is in control and He’s a good God—then we have the confidence to reach for all we can be in Him—then joy is the natural result.
2. Joyful Christians are grateful for what we have (1 Thes 5:16-18). When we feel blessed with everything that we already possess in Jesus, we’re much more likely to feel happy about our present-day life, work, and circumstance. This gratitude is the opposite of a spirit of entitlement—those people are never happy. Instead of dwelling on the great things God has done for them they just want more. And God wants to give us more, but without feeding our spirit of entitlement—that would just make us even more miserable.
3. Joyful Christians don’t settle for less—ever (Phil 3:14). No matter how easy it might be to give up and give in to a spirit of complacency, joyful people don’t settle for less than all that God has for us (Luke 18:1-8). We hold God to His promises because we know He is faithful and true (Rev 19:11)…He literally wants to be held to His promises (Gal 6:9)—He wants to be taken at His Word. And in holding God to His promises we actually set the stage for our own joy in working with Jesus to see His promises come true.
4. Joyful Christians are respectful and honor those they come in contact with (1 Pet 2:17). Feeling good about our actions toward others, even when we don’t agree with them, will definitely make us feel the Lord’s joy. We share in His joy when we act like Him. When we pay attention to how we can honor others in our lives, we lift our own attitude and we create an atmosphere where His joy can be fulfilled in us (1 Pet 2:17, Phil 4:4,5).
5. Joyful Christians surround themselves with joyful people. Even though many of us find comfort in commiseration and it’s true that a friend is born for times of trouble (Prov 17:17), the friends we choose to surround ourselves with play a huge role in how we feel about life. If we fill our circle with people who are as filled with the joy of the Lord as we want to be, then soon we’ll have a significant head start in feeling the same way ourselves.
More next time…