Exploding Love/Joy: Ours to Possess and Ours to Give Away

There is a deep and holy sense of love and joy when you know and draw nearer to the Lord.

Have you been around people who know the precise moment when they became a disciple of the Lord? They can usually describe the details of the conversion right down to what they were wearing, including how it made them feel. Sometimes it seems like everyone’s had one life-altering, “this-is-it” experience except me.

It used to bother me that I hadn’t. Was there something wrong with me? Am I not “holy” enough? Did I not pray correctly?

But as I look back at my journey, I can actually identify many events and instances, not just one defining moment that profoundly impacted my faith. Each occurrence was followed by a deep, burning in my heart that I can only describe as love and joy all rolled into one.

This “fire” kept burning brighter with each instance. Now at times it is so intense, I can hardly stand it. I feel like it is trying to burst out—and perhaps it is.

Perhaps this love/joy is not something we are supposed to hold onto tightly, unwilling to let it go. Maybe we are to release it to permeate our surroundings, to infect those around us.

I believe this is what being a disciple of Jesus Christ boils down to—not only sharing the text and life-giving outcome of the Gospel: salvation, but also relaying the impact of what that truth delivers in our day to day living: joy.

^“Singers and dancers alike will say, ‘My whole source of joy is in you’” (Psalm 87:7, HCSB).

Different Than Happiness

This joy is not like happiness. It is not fleeting, depending on our circumstances.

Joy is not always evidenced by laughter, nor is it found only in those with trouble-free lives. Among the definitions of joy found in the Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary is “emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires” or more succinctly, “a source or cause of delight.”

What greater cause for delight is there then knowing we will be spending eternity with the Lord!

Joy in the Lord means that despite the pain and suffering of living in a fallen, sinful world, we always have hope.

It means we are not sojourning alone.

It means that as a follower of Christ we already possess well-being, success, and good fortune. Not necessarily in the way the culture defines those terms but because we have the Lord’s promise of constant strength and grace.

Joy in the Lord means that despite the pain and suffering of living in a fallen, sinful world, we always have hope. We are not sojourning alone but already have well-being, success, and good fortune as His follower. Click To Tweet

We can feed that furnace of joy by choosing to notice the grace lavished upon us. Even during trials and in ordinary, mundane moments, gifts are given—treasures are present for us to gather. Harvest the gems of grace and grow the joy in your life.

Even during trials and in ordinary, mundane moments, gifts are given—treasures are present for us to gather. Harvest the gems of grace and grow the joy in your life. Click To Tweet

The exploding love/joy of living in Christ is ours to claim. It is also ours to share. Take a chance today, and release it!

“They scavenge for food; they growl if they are not satisfied. But I will sing of Your strength and will joyfully proclaim Your faithful love in the morning. For You have been a stronghold for me, a refuge in my day of trouble. To You, my strength, I sing praises, because God is my stronghold— my faithful God” (Psalm 59:15–17, HCSB).

Reflections: What caused the burning of true joy in your life? Did you experience one profound conversion moment with no looking back or many large steps toward the Lord? What has helped keep the furnace of love/joy raging on a daily basis? How have you shared that joy with others?

Check out all the posts on joy with the Faith Barista at the Thursday Faith Jam.

By His grace ≈

Julie