“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11).

As believers, we desire to live godly lives, to become more Christ-like. Last week we began a series on the Imitation of Christ by analyzing the communicable attributes of God and then, as image bearers of God, learning how we can apply them to our lives and carry them to others as fruits of the spirit. Communicable attributes are those that we share with God because we are made in His image and are in addition to those attributes that only God possesses, such as omnipresence, omniscience, etc., which are called his incommunicable attributes.

We know from Scripture that one attribute of God is love: God Is love. But did you know that joy is also a communicable attribute of God? And the coolest thing is that when we see God expressing this attribute, it is because he is rejoicing in us, his creation! “The Lord takes delight in you, and he will rejoice in you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). And God desires to fill us with his joy. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13). The most extreme example of this godly joy is found in Hebrews 12:2 “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

What was/is this joy that Jesus was looking forward to, that made it worth it to endure the shame and horror of the cross? If we consider the previous Chapter (11) of Hebrews, the writer is recalling the many heroes of the faith who are now in heaven; and if we consider that Jesus was looking forward to returning to heaven where he would take his place at the right hand of God, it seems evident that his joy was to be with his Father and with all the saints in Heaven.

I can relate to this at the human level. I feel such a joy when all my family is together —my husband, my two boys and their families. My heart is full of happiness, peace, and contentment and it seems that I could not want more than this. But I know that as wonderful as this is, it is not usually enduring. People, even our most beloved family members, will disappoint us at one time or another. Or they will get sick, or something will happen to spoil the situation. I am not being negative or dramatic, just realistic because of the corrupt world we live in. This is why we must set our hearts on things above to experience true joy.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21).

There are a couple of things we can learn from this:

First, we see that joy comes at a cost. The cost to Jesus was his horrific crucifixion. But note that he did not go through that for himself. He did it for us! Can we even grasp that our rescue from this corrupt world was so worth it to Jesus that he endured the cross for us, for the joy of being reconciled with us in heaven? What joy!!

And secondly, we must understand that joy will come at a cost for us. James tells us to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-3). Note that he does not say if, but when. Joy cannot be dependent upon our circumstances. Jesus tells us that in this world, we will have trouble. David tells us that “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

Joy is a mindset. My Life Application Bible defines joy like this: “In contrast to happiness stands joy. Running deeper and stronger, joy is the quiet, confident assurance of God’s love and work in our lives, that he will be there no matter what! Happiness depends on happenings, but joy depends on Christ.”

While we live in this world, enduring trials of many kinds, we remind ourselves that this world is not our ultimate home. We can be joyful because we know that our ultimate destination is in glory with God in heaven. Paul confirmed the mindset challenge when he wrote to the Philippians from prison in Rome “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

How can we have the fruit of joy in our lives? We must simply remember the love that Christ has for us that caused him to rescue us from our earthly troubles by his sacrificial death on the cross. We must dwell on the hope that we have in a glorious eternal life in heaven with our heavenly Father.

“Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” (Psalm 126:5).

In Christ,

Judy