Sometimes, it seems as though the “joy, joy, joy, joy down in our hearts to stay” has abdicated the throne. Try standing on a stage looking out over professing believers “worshiping the Lord” and pay attention to their expressions. It can look more like a scene from “Night of the Living Dead” than a crowd of people brought from death to life. Better yet, get caught in a candid picture, and see your own joyless face. Talk about humbling!
Now, I’m not saying we should manufacture happiness and fake it. However, if we truly DO have that “joy, joy, joy, joy, down in our hearts to stay”, then at some point, it should show up on our faces.
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. If you are a professing believer, you possess His JOY. It’s up to you whether it lies dormant inside or not. Do you walk in the Spirit and abide in His love, like Galatians 5 and John 15 tell us to do? That’s a daily choice every true Christian makes. And that choice will determine whether we exuberate the joy of Jesus to others or not.
As they say, if you aren’t dealing with a trial, you just finished one or are about to start another one. So sure – we are human, and we WILL have times we can’t even muster up a grin. The point is not that we won’t have times we will express sorrow. Those days will come and go. However, if we are walking around miserably day in and day out while giving off Eeyore vibes 24/7, we might want to ask the Lord to give us a heart check.
The book of Acts tells us that Paul and Silas were publicly ridiculed and wrongfully imprisoned, yet they sang and praised Jesus WHILE they were shackled. Yet centuries later, with all our freedoms and commodities, we as modern-day Christians stand and almost yawn during the song service at church. We sigh when the song leader opts for another stanza or repeats the bridge of a song. We can’t wait to sit comfortably again or go home for lunch and the game.
Lord, have mercy on us for not giving You the level of praise that You deserve. Forgive us for not exhibiting the fruit of Your Spirit.
Like it or not, our purpose is to point people to Jesus with our lives. What does your face tell others about your relationship with Jesus? Maybe that “joy, joy, joy, joy” is just a little TOO far down in our hearts. 😉 Walk with Jesus. Abide in His love. And let the joy of Jesus rise to the surface.
Just a Mom’s View 