God Is Our Joy

When you think of God, does the word joy come to mind? Do you ever picture Him laughing or with a smile on His face?

The Bible says that God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17). In the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, we learn that there is joy in heaven when a sinner comes back to God (Luke 15:7, 10). God rejoices! If that wasn’t enough, the parable of the prodigal son includes the joyous celebration of the father upon seeing his son return (Luke 15:20– 24). Does this sound like a God who is grumpy and constantly irritated … or a God who is joyful and gives us everything for our joy?

In the Christmas story, the angels announced, “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10 ESV). Great joy … for all people. At bare minimum, this means that God cares about the joy of every person in the world.

The smiles, food, music, lights, songs, and laugher of friends and family around the Christmas tree are to be enjoyed indeed. They are also meant to point to the God of joy, who came not only to save you but to give you everlasting joy in Christ. God is not against your joy; He is for it. All our earthly joys point to Him, and true, lasting joy is found in Him. So, live a life of joy in Christ!