“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Matthew 13:44 (NIV)
And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:52 (NIV)
Joy is one of the most infallible signs of the presence of God in our vessels of jars of clay. Nothing is more piteous than to see a Christian walking around with a doleful countenance. It’s oxymoronic at the very least. Joy is the second fruit of the Spirit and most assuredly God desires for His children to manifest it in their lives. Robed in joy rather than in garments of sadness we shine as a bright light for the Savior. This is not some feigned action. Joy should permeate our beings. Christians have every reason to be joyful. We have been cleansed from our sins, heaven awaits us, and we go forth in the power of the Holy Spirit. As Scripture states: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him” – 1 Corinthians 2:9. In light of that we are to live to the fullest today, tomorrow and forever.
Further, it cheers our souls to rejoice in the Lord, Who is capable of all things and Who does not withhold any good from His heirs of mercy. It gets our focus rightly upon our Savior, which Scripture commands us to do (Hebrews 12:2), taking our eyes off our problems and placing them on our problem solver – exactly where they should be. This will lift our despairing anxious hearts. It is He Who will direct our paths and lead us home. We will always find ourselves wanting when we get our focus off our Lord and on to our circumstances. In obedience we praise and rejoice in what He has done for us, we seek His ways and pursue them, we grow in the knowledge of the Son of God and in so doing we “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)