Joy is the divine benefit of the Christian’s standing in Christ, one of the ‘spiritual blessing(s) in the heavenly places in Christ.’ (Eph. 1.3).
John MacArthur, 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Chicago: Moody Press, 2002), 25.
Tag Archives: Joy
The Beginning of Mission
Mission begins with a kind of explosion of joy. The news that the rejected and crucified Jesus is alive is something that cannot possibly be suppressed. It must be told. Who could be silent about such a fact?
The mission of the Church in the pages of the New Testament is like the fallout from a vast explosion, a radioactive fallout which is not lethal but life-giving.
Hearts That Resonate with the Desires of God
Grace overwhelms us with God’s love, and as a result our heart resonates with the desires of God. His purposes become our own. Our soul delights in his service as love for him and thanksgiving for his mercy make us long to honor him. True grace produces joy and promotes godliness.
Bryan Chapell, Holiness by Grace
HT: Reformed Quotes
The Banquet House
Christ is not only a remedy for your weariness and trouble, but he will give you an abundance of the contrary, joy and delight. They who come to Christ, do not only come to a resting-place after they have been wandering in a wilderness, but they come to a banqueting-house where they may rest, and where they may feast. They may cease from their former troubles and toils, and they may enter upon a course of delights and spiritual joys.
God Doesn’t Just Hand out Prizes
If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them. They are not a sort of prize which God could, if He chose, just hand out to anyone.
C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1952).
Sorrow Is a Minister
Sorrow is a minister, creating character for those who dwell in the Will of God; for such, sorrow is turned into joy.
Glorifying God by Enjoying Him
In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him
The Reason for Joy
The purpose of rejoicing is not so we can feel better emotionally (though that will happen). The purpose of joy is to glorify God by demonstrating to an unbelieving world that our loving and faithful heavenly Father cares for us and provides for us all that we need.
The Depth of a Christian’s Joy
The depth of a disciple’s joy in the Lord may well be measured by the degree of his participation in the sufferings of the Lord. It is still true that those who pay a great price in suffering to remain true to Christ know a deep measure of this Spirit-wrought joy in their lives. Perhaps our Christian lives are so lacking in this joy because our Christian profession costs us so little.
D. Edmond Hiebert, The Thessalonian Epistles (Chicago: Moody Press, 1982), 60.
Life Is Worship 