Rejoice!  It is your heritage to have JOY!!

One of the ways I show love to my daughters is to give them things that make them rejoice. Christmas is an exciting time for me because I love giving gifts. Nothing causes me to get more excited than the prospect of finding the perfect gift for someone I love. I want to suggest to you that God is the same way about you. He is intent on bringing you joy. It is one of the greatest gifts we enjoy because of our relationship with God.

It is unique to the followers of Jesus because only God can give you joy. Of course, human beings have the capacity to be happy and even experience gladness or glee at times, but joy is the exclusive product of God sovereignly giving you joy. By joy I mean the spiritual condition of being in a state of rejoicing or feeling jubilant. Ushering up from your spirit you feel an inner sense of utter delight even euphoria and amusement operating inside your being. It has nothing to do with your outward circumstances or even how things may be going at the time. It is something that defines your outlook, your perspective even your mental posture.

You are a person of joy. Of the many promises God gives us in His word, this is one we cannot afford to fail to inherit. Jesus says in John 15:11, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” Notice God’s intent is that joy be a permanent part of your life remaining in you all the time and that joy will be in such dominant proportions that there is literally no more room for anything in your life but joy. Joy occupies so much space that you don’t have any opportunity for anything but joy to be your disposition, your state of being. It is like you are overjoyed, literally exuberant always in high spirits.

One of the greatest lies ever put forth by the forces of evil is that sinners have more fun than Christians. So many people delay accepting the Lord because they are led to believe that becoming a Christian will mean being boring and uneventful. Nothing could be further from the truth. To the contrary no one lives better, has more to celebrate and absolutely enjoys their journey on earth like those who get to walk and talk with Jesus. Jesus wants you to have joy. Thank God for the promise of heaven we will receive later but right now there is the promise that you can have joy. It is very simple. To have joy you simply must rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. Let’s decide that we are going to not only live with God but live joyfully with Him. His motivation for how he has moved in your life is He is constantly giving you reasons to rejoice.