I've got that joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, Christian Blog, Christian Blogs, ChristianBlog.Com

I've got that joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart

Are you happy with your life? Are you happy with yourself? Are you happy with your spouse? Are you happy with your church? Are you happy at all?

Happiness is something we feel on the outside and is very much determined by the circumstances and situations we find ourselves in. If we were given a hundred dollar bill, that would make us happy. But, if someone stole that hundred dollar bill, we would lose our happiness.

Because happiness is determined by what is going on around us and to us, it is very easy to be happy one minute and very unhappy the next. Although God does want to see us happy (blessed), He is aware of the fact that our happiness may be fleeting and replaced with sadness or anger at the drop of a hat. That is why when it comes to the deeper spiritual realities, JOY is preferred for it is an inside job”.

The song many of us know goes; I’ve got that joy, joy, joy, joy joy down in my heart (where), down in my heart (where) down in my heart…” At least that is how I learned the song anyway. It doesn’t say anything about the happiness down in my heart” for that is not available. Only joy can be found in our hearts and only God can put it there.

The scripture says; The joy of the Lord is my strength” because God places joy in our hearts when we do His will. When we do as He asks of us, we receive the fruit of the spirit and fruits of righteousness; both of which include JOY. Just as peace, love, patience and all the other fruit of the spirit are not outside blessings, so JOY is not either. JOY is found in the depths of our hearts when we please God. It is, in a way, His way of blessing us for blessing Him.

As God’s children, we should strive to bring joy to our Father’s heart by obeying His commands and doing as He says. When we do this, we are children in whom God is well pleased. We bring a smile go our Heavenly Father’s heart. When we so bless our God, we are blessed with love, joy peace, etc. in our hearts. God puts these fruits in our hearts, not us.

The truth of the matter is this; God never promised we would be happy all of the time in this life. God has promised to bless us and we do have periods of happiness at times when the circumstances allow. But, when it comes to JOY, it is available to have joy no matter what is going on around you for it is not attained through outward success but rather through obedience to God’s Word.

While Jesus was hanging upon the cross, dying the most horrible death any human ever had to endure; the Bible says in Hebrews 12:1, 2:

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Even while suffering the worst pain and agony any man has ever endured, Jesus had joy in His heart due to what was coming. He knew that the afflictions he was suffering were not worthy to be compared with the glory which awaited Him if He remained obedient unto death, even the death on the cross. By doing God’s will, Jesus was blessed with joy in His heart even during the darkest hour of His life.

Happiness is simply the icing on the cake of JOY. What is important is that we have the JOY of the Lord in our hearts and that comes through remaining faithful to His Word and looking unto Him no matter what is going on around or to us. I pray that your heart is filled with JOY this weekend and until the great and glorious Day of His return.

posted: 07/03/2009 02:14am by blessings2you View: Backlinks, Permalink Total Views: 288 ShortURL: http://christianblog.com/6b34 Category: Inspirational	Print This Blog Entry
Blog Tags: down, happiness, happy, heart, hearts, jesus,
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Author Details:

Author: blessings2you
Location: Warrenton Missouri USA
Gender: Male
Age: 57
Blog Entries: 822 (archive)
Blog Comments: 9

My Biography:

god called me to serve him when i was 16 years old while on a church work trip in new mexico in 1969. in the 40 years since; i attended bible school/leadership training, been ordained to the christian ministry and worked full time for a non-denominational ministry for nearly ten... view full biography

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in 1969 god stepped in and transformed my life as a sixteen year old teenager. after a couple of years of intense emotional ups and downs, i decided i needed a firm foundation in my life that went beyond emotional experiences. it was the decision to become involved with a... view full testimony

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Amen my brother I receive your prayer for joy within my heart this weekend.

Thank you for another truth-filled blog.

kbird

Posted 07/03/2009 02:59am
Author: kiwibird

B2Y,

I needed this reminder today!

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16:11

He fills us with His joy which is not based on our circumstances... it comes from being in His presence!

Blessings!

K :princess:

Posted 07/03/2009 07:23am
Author: kreynolds

Thank you, blessings! I try daily to remember to say, "The joy of the Lord is my strength". It is a matter of where we keep our focus, huh? We keep our focus on the promises of God and not our situations and surroundings and joy can be attained no matter what we are going through. Hallelujah!

Posted 07/03/2009 07:40am
Author: debradoo

Like B2Y, I learnt the song in Sunday School, but with a slight difference:

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy
down in my heart (where),
up in my head (where)
down in my feet
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy,
All over me
Glory to His name.

O the joy of the Lord begins in the heart and affects our attitudes in our heads and it causes our feet to move where the Spirit wants us to go. We can have the joy all over us if we praise Him, for praise is man's joy-tribute to the Lord.

At our cell group meeting tonight, we were discussing dementia and how it affects the aging . Someone said that the joy of the Lord keeps depression away and reduces the onset of dementia. Wow! the joy of the Lord I am sure, keeps other medical conditions at bay when we accept His strength, His peace and love as well. Praise the Lord.

Amen B2Y, may He fill and we accept His joy not only this weekend but always.

Posted 07/03/2009 08:53am
Author: ptl2008

B2Y,

There are no words to express how much I needed to hear this today. Just this morning I was thinking, "I'm not happy and I don't know why! God please, help me to be happy." But now I understand that's not what I should be seeking. I should be seeking JOY! That wonderful, FULL feeling. A satisfied feeling. Amen brother, amen.

Prayerfully,
Diva

Posted 07/03/2009 03:48pm
Author: cowgirldiva

B2Y,

I like how you have put it in terms of receiving joy from God through pleasing Him. When we give our Father joy, He responds by putting joy in our hearts. You are right that the things of the world are only "happy meals" - nothing replaces the true joy that comes from knowing and being with God in spirit and in truth. Thank you for another inspiring and thought provoking message.

YBIC,
Doulos

Posted 07/03/2009 10:42pm
Author: doulos

I like "The joy of the Lord is my strength". We talk about having strength in the Lord ... "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me ..." is something that was drilled into my head as a child but as an adult knowing that that strength comes through joy brings a different perspective.

When our daughter first came to live with us, she had only been to church a handful of times in her 11 years of life. So this summer, when it came time for our church youth to go to church camp, she really wanted to go. We signed her up and she roomed with our pastor's wife and another girl from our church. We picked her up on the last day along with our son who was at the same camp and took them for a short weekend to Silver Dollar City. During that time our daughter didn't tell us much about camp except about swimming in the cold lake and riding on the zip line. Spiritually she didn't seem to have gotten anything at all and I kind of wondered why I hadn't sent to her to girl scout camp instead.

But then she did something amazing to me. She came home and we told them they needed to unpack their camp things and take them to the laundry room to get washed, so she started to do so. Before she got all her clothes out of her suitcase though, she stopped and went to her chalkboard and wrote with hot pink chalk in big letters, "Happiness may come and go, but the joy of the Lord is forever."

I love walking in her room and seeing that written there because in her own childish way she understands something that I too often forget and it reminds me that I too need to have that child like faith and accept the joy of the Lord no matter what else comes.

thank you for the blog,
blessings,
erin

Posted 07/04/2009 12:57am
Author: throughfaith

I have come to experience God's joy in my heart in a very personal way myself. I never knew what it really meant until these past 2+ years. I was injured on my job, lost my career and have been home/bed bound for the most part since then. During this time, my father died, I've had to deal with the emotional distress of being out of work for the first time in 21 years, financial pressures, I'm in pain every day of my life, I have no idea what my future holds or how I'm ever going to be able to support my family again or what I'm even going to be able to do for a living from here, plus a plethora of other trials and tribulations... ... ... ..yet, through it all there has been one constant. My relationship with Jesus and the faith that He has something better in store for not only myself, but others too, and because of this long ordeal I've been going through. I know He will use it for the good because His Word promises me that. I honestly believe that without that, I would have had a nervous breakdown a long time ago.

But - instead of being depressed or falling apart; for the first time in my life, I've felt true joy and peace in my heart and soul throughout it all. Why? Again, my relationship with Jesus and my daily studies in His Word. I now know that true joy comes from nothing that happens or doesn't happen to us in this world nor from what we may or may not have. True joy comes from the Father through Jesus Christ and a working, daily, personal relationship with Him; with knowing, studying and learning His Word given to us in the Bible. Because you see, no matter what happens to us in this life; we, as children of God, always have Him and His Word to guide us and sustain us. He will always make the best out of any situation we may run into in this life and when we are not strong enough to go on, He will carry us through. True joy comes from our relationship with Him and following His Word and from helping and loving others when given the opportunity to do so. True joy can only come from God through our salvation, the most precious gift of all, given to us by Jesus Christ.

Posted 07/04/2009 02:01am
Author: lisa4jesus

lisa4jesus--your testimony is exactly what defines and perfectly describes the joy of the Lord being our strength. Thank you for being willing to share such a personal story and your faith is extraordinary. I pray that God continues to provide for you and take care of you in every way. Thank you for sharing a bit of your life and what is truly important in it.

Thanks to all of you for your comments, thoughts and experiences.

B2Y

Posted 07/04/2009 02:29am
Author: blessings2you

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