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“You will make known to me the way of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” Psalm 16:11

Do you ever send yourself an email or a note on your phone to ensure you remember some idea, to-do, or appointment—or is that just my own aging mind that needs this life hack? Well, lately I’ve needed a bit of reminding on some spiritual stuff, so I thought I’d share this “note to self” with you.

This particular sermonette-to-self is about choosing joy. In the ESV translation of the Bible, “joy”, “rejoice”, or “joyful” appear over 400 times. Joy is not “happy”—happy is about happenings. Joy transcends our circumstances. As believers, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit (not our strength) to experience joy in and in spite of pain and suffering. So, let’s begin with reminders from God’s Word of some joy-filled truths:

• Psalm 5:11 – “But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may exult in You.”
• Nehemiah 8:10 – “Do not be grieved, for the joy of Lord is your strength.”
• John 15:11 – “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
• I Peter 1:8-9 – “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
• Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you abound in hope.”

Friend, joy is commanded throughout the Old Testament [Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (Psalm 32:11)] and the New Testament [Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4)]. We’re to count suffering for the Lord as joy (James 1:2-3). Like Jesus, we’re to endure the distress, grief, and sorrow of this life for the joy before us (Hebrews 12:2). We’re to share joy with others by rejoicing with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15). And we’re to know that God finds joy in us (Zephaniah 3:17)—that truth alone is a mic drop.

But the most powerful motivation for choosing joy is our salvation—we were dead and now we’re alive in Christ! We can rejoice in the now because of God’s grace toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). And we rejoice in the hope of our glorified future in heaven. In the madness of this world, the battle against the sinful desires of our flesh, and the constant lies of the enemy, we must hold fast to the fact that Jesus is victorious over it all. And, although the battle is constant, we’re fighting from that victory—not for it. So, circling back to Psalm 16, we find our “how” to joy: “In God’s presence is the fullness joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” We must abide in the Lord, keeping our eyes on Him—and on the One to His right…the exalted Christ.

The current cultural divisiveness, political vitriol, and economic stresses can make embracing joy a challenge (especially if you consume the news or social media). So, it’s absolutely vital that you and I remind ourselves—every single day—that the Lord has created us to be joyful in all circumstances. And He’s given us the indwelt power of the Holy Spirit to make that a reality.

“Lord, may I keep my eyes upon Your heavenly throne, upon Jesus who has given me joy unspeakable through His victory over sin and death. In Your amazing grace and truth, may I always choose joy.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life