Joy is not Optional

God takes Joy seriously!

He takes it so seriously he commands us live in it - "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"  Phil 4:4

The phrase "Rejoice in the Lord" appears twelve times in the Bible and 4 of those appear as commands.

God wants to help us obey this command, so He gave us His Spirit who strengthens us to live for God in all areas.  But if we look at the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 we notice that the second characteristic that the Spirit produces in us (right after "love") is "Joy".

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience...
Galatians 5:22

Why does God want to live in Joy? For at least two reasons.

One, God is the most Joy-filled being in the universe.  God is not this grumpy old man looking down waiting for someone to get out of line in order to zap him.  He is filled with Joy. When we are filled with Joy we become more like God.

Two, God's Joy in us makes sin look less attractive.  When we rejoice over the good things God has given us (salvation, family, friends, the wonders of nature, etc...) Satan's temptations loose a lot of their appeal.

This is why Nehemiah told his people: "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD  is your strength." Neh. 8:10


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