Dr. BJ Condrey

On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus talked about joy. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:9–11). There you have it. The Son of God, with an excruciating death looming and a disciple about to betray him, is thinking about the joy that he can bring his disciples.

Joy is not something that comes and goes depending on the weather. It is something much deeper, permanent, and unshakable.

We all want it.

We all crave it.

We were all made for it.

As the waves of life toss back and forth, joy remains. Even in suffering, joy can still be present.

Now, if you think of joy as little more than an emotion, then this is hard to grasp. I am happy one hour and not the next. I wanted to go out to eat but then an unexpected bill comes in the mail that I am not happy about. You get the idea.

In John 15 and other places in the New Testament, “joy” is translated from χαρά (“chara” in Koine Greek). It is translated in different places throughout the NT as happiness, rejoicing, overjoyed, full of joy, glad, and pleasant.

Joy is something that runs deep, a river underground, fresh and clear. It is available to all, yet only truly available in Christ. John Piper with Desiring God defines it as “Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world” (“How do you define joy?”). Yet, it is not just a feeling. It is a deep satisfaction with God that permeates all other areas of our lives. We have joy because we have him, and our hearts—even on the difficult days—enjoy God’s goodness, his beauty, and the beauty he has placed around us.

On this note, I want you to take some time to reflect on two questions:

1. What brings me joy?
2. What is blocking my joy?

They are not the same question although related. They both need to be asked together but separate. Even better, these questions are best asked with the Lord, in prayer. The Holy Spirit can help us think through these questions with little whispers, thoughts, conversations, etc. Joy matters to us because it matters to him. He is a joyful God, and we are created in his image.

We don’t have to be afraid of joy.

It is a tragedy to settle without it. So don’t.

Pursue joy.

Open yourself to joy.

Be rigorous in your prayerful, Holy Spirit guided examination of yourself until joy springs up like a well.

Even David prayed after finally coming clean about his sins: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation.”

He wanted joy. I want joy. You want joy. God wants us to have his joy in and through his Son.

It is, after all, a fruit of the Holy Spirit! (Gal. 5:22–23).