The Lord will lift you to higher places in that moment because you have chosen to give thanks in all things; you have chosen joy.
Happiness and joy can be used interchangeably to express the same emotion. In my opinion, the word "joy" emotes that very feeling. However, there is a subtle difference between feelings of happiness and feelings of joy. Happiness is an emotion that is felt as a result of a circumstance where joy isn’t an emotion but something we choose to feel. Let that sink in. In order to feel joyful, we need to choose it. I have a small framed print on my desk that says, “Today I choose joy.”
Galatians 5:22 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.” On any given day, if we are being honest with ourselves, could we say that we showcase every fruit of the Spirit? Probably not. The word "fruit" here intrigues me… Recently, we went apple-picking with our daughter and grandchildren. We tried out a new orchard that did not disappoint. Instead of the trees being lined up according to type, they were all mixed in together with markers on them to determine the type of apple tree. It was like a scavenger hunt to find your favorite flavor apple tree. Even though we could’ve picked apples from any tree, we were selective with our limit of one bag to fill with our favorites.
In God’s “orchard,” all of the fruit we have to choose from is good and available for us to pick, but, sadly, we may stick to only ones that “work” for that day, and there may be some that we never “pick.” If I had to guess, I would say the fruit of joy may be the hardest one for us to choose because, well, life isn't easy. The world we live in today is getting tougher and tougher to navigate. Many of us are in circumstances that are difficult, and the last thing we are thinking about is choosing joy.
There seems to be a progression within the fruits of the Spirit with joy landing in the top two. This makes sense because when we love and choose joy, then peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness will naturally follow suit.
So how can we live a life full of joy? I believe 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 shows us three ways to do just that:
1. Rejoice Always
Right out of the gate, as believers in Jesus, Philippians 4:4 tells us why we have every reason to rejoice always no matter what is going on in our lives: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” Jesus died for our sins so that we could have eternal life. He not only saved us from our sins, but He is close to us every single day. He is our Strength, our Provider, our Comforter, our Great Physician, and our Mighty Counselor. He is our joy.
When we choose the Lord every day, we are choosing joy. When we choose to open our Bibles and spend time in the Word, we are choosing joy. When we choose to serve the Lord with gladness, we are choosing joy. To rejoice in the Lord always, we have to know Him. The way we know Him is through His Word. Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy."
The Psalmist David was so good at recognizing the joy he had in the Lord. Even when he began his psalms with a lament, he always ended them by remembering God’s goodness and faithfulness. Even if he couldn’t find something within his own life, he would look to the Word and rejoice in God’s faithfulness to His people.
We are Kingdom children and as such we are partakers of God’s joy and peace. Romans 14:17 says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Rejoice always and you will live a life full of joy. You are a child of God!
2. Pray Without Ceasing
When Jesus died on the cross He made a way for us to approach the Throne Room of Grace uninhibited. As children of God, we can come to our Heavenly Father and ask Him for anything. He desires us to come to Him with our prayer requests.
I knew of someone struggling with prayer. They felt that since God was going to do His will anyway and knew the end from the beginning, what was the point of praying? Even though that is the case, prayer is so much more than answers. It is about a relationship with Jesus. It is about leaning on Him in all the ways He asks us to and trusting Him with the outcome. But most especially, it is about the joy we feel when He answers a heartfelt prayer request. John 16:24 says, “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
I have had several instances in my life where I have prayed so fervently for something to happen, and when it finally did, in God’s perfect timing, the joy I felt was indescribable. In one instance, at age 57, when I received the answer, I was jumping up and down like a little child and clapping my hands in the stairwell where I worked, lol. Had I not prayed, there would’ve been no joy to feel, let alone that degree of joy.
Pray without ceasing and you will live a life full of joy. God will not disappoint you.
3. Give Thanks in All Things
Giving thanks in all things might be a tall order for some or maybe for all of us. Does this really mean all things? When you have been faithfully fighting for your marriage for years and it ends in divorce, do you thank God? When you have miscarried the baby you had prayed for for years, do you thank God? When you have lost your job and are facing losing your home, do you thank God? Even as believers, this does not come easy, certainly not right away… If anyone could relate to what it meant to lose everything, it was Job. Yet, in Job 1:21, it says, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” And we all know how Job’s story ended. All of his pain was redeemed and he received everything back tenfold.
For us, there is something about hindsight that gives us perspective in these situations and then we are able to give thanks for the pain because we see how God had something better for us. So how do we give thanks in all things in the midst of the crisis? Romans 12:12 says, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” We see here once again the aspect of prayer with the addition of hope and patience, patience being one of the fruits of the spirit that comes when we choose joy. James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Here we see how God redeems “counting it all joy.” The Lord promises, “For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
Psalm 71:23 shows us that when we give thanks in all things, we burst forth with joy: “My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.”
The Apostle Paul gives us a wonderful example of how we can give thanks in all things even when we don’t feel like it: “But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, 'These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.' The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened.” Acts 16:19-26
Even if you can’t utter the words, turn on praise and worship music and begin singing with all your heart. I promise you, as you sing praise to the Lord, you will feel joyful in spite of your circumstances, no matter how difficult. The Lord will lift you to higher places in that moment because you have chosen to give thanks in all things; you have chosen joy.
I believe that joy is woven into every aspect of our relationship with Jesus, and when we choose Him, we choose joy. “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” (1 Peter 1:8).
May we all choose to live a life full of joy by rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, and giving thanks in all things.
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