Advent 2019 – Week 3 JOY (2)

We too often think of Joy in connection to our happiness in life. The Bible is clear in its reference to Joy that it is a state of mind and a part of our character that is founded only thru our faith in God. Our view of Joy is usually an internal perspective on our own lives. It has us looking at our station in life as Joy while the Bible asks us to look at our results in life, a Fruit of the spirit, and how we live and serve others as our basis for Joy. If Joy is a visible quality when Nehemiah says “ The Joy of the Lord is our strength” it brings us to the question of how can we see God’s Joy in our lives. The most obvious is in God’s works –

Romans 1:20  

20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

God provides a reminder for us of His Joy in how he begins and ends each day. The sunrise and sunset both contain bright pink, pale pink, rose pink all painted into them by God. Like the shades of God’s joy our joy and expressions of joy can be different. Joy can be exuberant when we experience the faithfulness of God, it can be a calm confidence in His sovereignty, or a simple feeling of faith in Him everything will be ok even on days when we cannot see the sun.