not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. [2 corinthians 1:24]
hear these truths, admonitions, commands from God’s word, his voice.
- these things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. [matt 15:11]
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until now you have asked nothing in my name. ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. [john 16:24]
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for the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. [rom 14:17]
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may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. [rom 15:13]
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but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [gal 5:22]
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and you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, [1 thess 1:6]
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count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, [james 1:2]
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though you have not seen him, you love him. though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, [1 pet 1:8]
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now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. amen. [jude 24-25]
what will move you to joy today? please, think and pray on this question for a moment. what will move you to joy today? we want it. we work for it. we grieve when we don’t have it or can’t find it or lose it or it is stolen. we will do just about anything for those we love to know joy, yet we can’t seem to grab hold of it ourselves.
paul told the corinthians, his friends, his co-laborers in Christ, “we work with you for your joy”. paul knew joy was worth the work and, it was the reason he labored among these people he loved. he longed for them to know the joy of the LORD. joy that only comes from the LORD. it is why paul tells us to rejoice in the LORD. rejoice means to proclaim your joy. one of my first pastors defined ” to rejoice” as: returning to the source of your joy.
rejoice in the LORD always, and again i say, rejoice! [phil 4:4]
today, ask your Father in heaven: LORD, will you and your presence move me to joy today? be bold. this is his promise and his command. he is our joy and he alone gives us true joy. so, 1) let’s pray and ask boldly for his joy to become more and more of who we are and, 2) let’s re-read the above verses and ask God to fill us with his presence of joy as we read his word.
~ john ryan