I Want That Kind of Joy

   Imagine you are walking down the street. You are minding your own business, enjoying the sunshine. You see people pass you by. Two in particular catch your attention. One person is walking down the street wearing bright colors. She is singing a song and bopping up and down to the song. She smiles at you as you walk by. She makes you feel warm inside and you wave back.

   The other person who caught your attention had headphones in. He was looking at the ground and was frowning. You wave to him but he either ignores you or did not see you.

   Which person do you think had more joy? Well, if we were talking about the way the world thinks of joy it would be the first person. However, when the world says “that person is joyful” they are thinking more about happiness. Joy actually encompasses a lot more.

   Joy is more than a feeling. Joy is something that is inside you. Christians have joy because of a person. That person is Jesus. Jesus had joy. He didn’t walk around with a smile on all the time (I mean he cried when Lazarus died and he was in pain on the cross). However, Jesus had joy in the Lord. He had peace, trusted in God’s plan, had a good attitude, and reflected God’s glory.

   We are to emulate Jesus, which means we are to have joy too. How can we have joy all the time? Check out the sermon I preached at Maytown Church of God to find out.

   Proverbs 17:22, James 1:2-3, and Philippians 4:8

   Scroll down to sermons and click on “I Want That Kind of Joy.” Make sure the volume is not muted. Link to sermon here.

   Image from here.