The exultation of my inward being that results from genuine harmony with God and with others.
How do we live our life in joyfulness? According to this definition of joyfulness, it comes from within us as a result of being at peace with God and others. This means we have to first have the inward joy in our hearts. Where does this come from? Joy comes from knowing the Savior. Psalm 5:11 says, “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy….” Our salvation will bring us great joy and peace with God.
When Jesus is living in our hearts, He will bring a harmony with God as we follow Him and listen to His Word. It is so important to be in the Word daily to find that harmony with God. “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:” (Proverbs 1:5) The joy in knowing that God is leading in our lives will then spill out into every facet of our being and others will start to notice.
When others see our joy, they will want to know what has happened in our lives to create such a positive outlook. We can then direct them to this verse in Psalm 16:11, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” We are called to show others a Savior Who died for them, will forgive their sins and lead them in this same life of joyfulness that they see in us.
It comes then as no surprise that this joy is bubbling up inside us when we know God. We won’t be able to hide this joy when we meet others. Our goal should be to share this joy with others so that they in turn can find their joy and walk through life in peace with God.
Our world is a mess. We meet people often who are sad, depressed, feeling hopeless and they have no idea how to climb up out of the pit of despair. We have the answer but if our face looks just like them how will they find joy? Show them the joy in your heart and let them know how they can find their joy in God, too. Remember Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
When we have found our joy and shared our joy, we will be able to reach only one conclusion: joy unspeakable.
I have found the joy no tongue can tell,
How its waves of glory roll;
It is like a great o’erflowing well,
Springing up within my soul.
I have found that hope so bright and clear,
Living in the realm of grace;
Oh, the Savior’s presence is so near,
I can see His smiling face.
I have found the pleasure I once craved,
It is joy and peace within;
What a wondrous blessing, I am saved
From the awful gulf of sin.
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,
Full of glory, full of glory;
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory,
Oh, the half has never yet been told.
Lord, help me to find my joy in You today and share that joy with others. Help them to know peace with You.
“A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” (Proverbs 15:13)
This is an excerpt from an upcoming book I am writing. Character traits are something we learned in school but we don’t know them so much nowadays. Teaching our children to have character (godly) is so important! You can find more of my writings here.