DAILY DEVOTION,  Oct. 20, 2021

The second fruit of the Spirit mentioned by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23 is joy. Joy is much deeper than happiness. Happiness depends on our life circumstances. If things are going well and we have enough money, good health. and our favorite team is winning,  we are happy. When we trust in Jesus, receive His forgiveness, and seek to follow Him, we feel joy even if our external circumstances are not good. The things Jesus said and did are intended to bring us joy (John 17:13). He promises to answer our prayers, and that will bring us joy (John 16:24). So why are so many Christians joyless? I suspect because they do not try to follow Him seriously. Joy is for the serious Christain. Those who flippantly profess faith in Jesus but make little effort to “trust AND obey” will not experience the joy of the Lord. Joy illudes those who are not striving to be faithful disciples.  Are you feeling joy deep down in your soul today? If not, I wonder why.

Father, I thank you that when I trust and obey, I feel such a sense of joy in my soul. But, when joy is absent in my heart, please help me to identify the problem. I don’t want to sacrifice joy for the transient happiness the world offers. In  Jesus’ holy name, I pray, Amen.