Choose Joy!

This is the second post in our fruit of the spirit "teaching style" series. And today we're talking all about JOY!

First let's talk a little bit about what joy actually is. I think a lot of us get joy and happiness confused. Having joy is so much more than just being happy. Happiness can waver with your moods and emotions. Happiness can be easily taken away depending on situations and circumstances. But joy, my friends, is rooted in something much deeper than our feelings or our experiences. True joy is rooted in Christ. And when you have a joy that is rooted in Jesus, with that joy comes hope; with hope comes assurance; and with assurance comes peace. When we live lives full of peace, assurance, and hope in who we are because of Who we serve, joy is ours for the taking. 

John 15:11 says, "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." This passage speaks of two joys. The joy of Jesus and our own joy. And Jesus implies here that our joy is not complete until it is mixed with His joy. Our own joy cannot be successful standing alone. What Jesus has offered us is a supernatural joy that can withstand the fiercest of life's storms.

We all know that as teachers when we are joyful, we teach better, we lead better, we love better. So how do we take hold of that joy that only Christ has to offer? How do we get that joy IN us? I once read a Biblical recipe for joy. I can't remember where I saw it or who wrote it but it has stuck with me. It went something like this:

 

Add gratitude, humility, forgiveness, faith, hope, patience and love. Take away resentment, anger, fear, worry, materialism, greed, jealousy, complaining and pride. The result? Joy!

True joy comes only from faith. And faith comes from a daily relationship with the Father. Let me get personal for a moment. I have had trouble my entire life keeping a consistent daily quiet time in the Word. I've always had the desire and craved time with God but I'm not someone who thrives on routine and I was simply just not consistent. It wasn't until three years ago that I got serious about my effort to get consistent. It started when I chose a word to live by for the year. I chose the word "consistent". I worked all year that year at being consistent in every area of my life. My life changed that year.  I built that habit of a daily quiet time the first couple of months and from then on out I felt like I couldn't get through my day without that time spent in the Word. And honestly, the times I've skipped, my days have been awful! My relationship with Christ has grown 100 fold because of that intentional step I took to get consistent. 

If you don't have a daily quiet time with Jesus or if you are like I was and just aren't consistent, I want to challenge you right now to make a point to have a daily time in His Word. You have no idea how your life will change and how God will reveal His character to you. You will find that joy that we've talked about today! When your class is misbehaving, you can have joy. When a parent has chewed you out, you can have joy. When you have piles of paperwork, you can have joy. When you get a less than stellar evaluation, you can have joy. In the small daily stresses and big storms of life, Christ has given you His JOY! Take hold of it today!!!