1. JOY
‘…And be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your
strength’. Nehemiah 8:10 AMP
Joy simply means an outflow of state of ease, relief and excitement fromthe
inside expressed to the outside. It is different fromhappiness which flows from
the outsidedue to an event or an action to the inside. Can one actually
experience joy on a daily basis? The answer is yes, you can be joyful. Itis a matter
of choice and allowing the Holy Spirit to help you be it. Irrespectiveof whatis
happening around you, there can still be overflow of joy in your heart through the
Holy Spirit of God.
Ways you can develop a joyfulheart are: 1) By holiness. Holiness is the whole
Christin the whole life. Furthermore, joy vanishes when you only talk about
holiness, it only becomes real when you live holy. A sinner cannot experience this
type of joy becauseof lack of holiness. 2) Selflessness or helping others. A ragged
urchin stood looking into a sweet shop window. A man came along and observed
the scene, took him inside and said to the salesboy, ‘Fill a bag with every kind of
sweet he wants.’ The boy couldn’t believe his luck. As he filled his mouth with
sugary delights, his benefactor asked, ‘Is thatgood, son?’ He nodded in
affirmative: ‘Uh huh. ‘Then the man asked, ‘Could I have some?’ Immediately the
boy’s look of joy turned to fear, and clutching the bag he ran away shouting,
‘Mine, mine!’ Joy doesn’tcome by getting ; it comes by forgetting yourself and
living for others. Job had to pray for his friends before God restored twice all that
he had lost in the past(Job 42:10). So the word for you today is: helping others
brings joy while selfishness never can.
KEY POINT
Only a joyfulheart can receive a blessing fromGod.