Joy’s Completion

Recently I completed a scripture study about joy, or at least I thought it was complete. You can refer to “Until Morning Comes”, a devotional from March 29^th.

The Holy Spirit then led me to study the subject of love. I’ve been reading in 1^st, 2^nd,  and 3^rd John as well as other areas in the Gospel of John and of course, I  took a look at the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13.  You can see most of the scriptures in past blogs or devotionals, but I will try to post all of the scripture references below.

I’ve been challenged to dig deeper. Every time I’ve searched, read, and studied as much I can without my eyes glazing over in exhaustion, The Lord wakes me up the next day to dig even deeper. It’s been exciting and exhausting at the same time.

Are you walking in the fullness of Joy God has for you? I believe it’s God’s will we walk in joy. The bible is full of references that end in… “so that your joy may be made full.” Our strength comes from The Joy of the Lord.  Joy is ours. I want to walk in it, don’t you? There are so many things that come our way attempting to steal the joy of The Lord in our lives. My studies brought me to this conclusion as referenced in an earlier devotional post:

Hope + Praise + Morning = Joy

I think if we want to experience joy, we must do a self-exam. I think we need to be willing to ask God to search our hearts.

What keeps you from experiencing God’s joy? What keeps me from experiencing full joy?  Over the past several days as I’ve been reading about love, God is showing me that another key component to experiencing joy, is to be walking in love. I’ll say it again. If I want to walk in joy, I must be walk in love.

If I want to walk in joy, I must walk in love.

Hope + Praise + Morning + Love = Joy

Joy is a fruit of the spirit – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-25)

• Joy is a constant, deep happiness that comes from confidence exercised and dependent on God and not dependent on the circumstances or situations we may find ourselves facing. (my definition after looking at many)

A Crushed Spirit = Crushed Joy

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22

What circumstances attempt to crush the spirit?

Hurt, anger, death, grief, sickness, exhaustion

The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse (Mean, contradictory, bad, difficult) tongue crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:4

How can we replace a crushed spirit with joy?

1. Hope brings joy

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

The hope of the righteous brings joy, Proverbs 10:28

2. Praise brings joy

    * Praise always, not just when we feel like it (Choose a priority of praise)

       Rejoice always, 1 Thessalonians 5:16

   Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Philippians 4:4

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Psalm 150:6

The Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart

Leaps for joy and with my song I praise Him.  Psalm 28:7

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Acts 16:25

KEEP PRAISING UNTIL MORNING COMES

3. Love brings joy

 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

4. Morning brings Joy

For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for          the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30:5

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;

You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness Psalm 30:11

So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. John 16:22

Hope + Praise + Love = Morning, which brings joy

Self-reliance is not God reliance. We must “live & walk in The Spirit” to possess joy.