Hank stared into the distance. From the outside, his life seemed like it should be perfect. He had a fantastic job, a wonderful wife, beautiful kids, and a lovely home. Yet here he was, completely unhappy and questioning life. Sally had everything she dreamed of as a child. But her husband, kids, and friends seemed to annoy her now. She spent day after day miserable. Both these people live a life devoid of joy. And this is the story for the vast majority of Christians today.
However, God has something better for us. In Galatians 5, the second characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit is joy. Scriptural joy is deep-seated satisfaction and contentment with life. A characteristic all desire, but few have. Yet, when we recognize that it is the fruit of the Spirit, we discover that it can be (and should be) engrained in our life. It comes through a strong relationship with God.
In 1 John 1, the Apostle John introduces his book with the statement that he wrote it so that we could find joy. This joy comes from the Word of Life, Jesus Christ. But we only gain this joy through a correct, passionate relationship with Christ. In verse 1, we discover that we must honestly believe that Jesus is who He said He is. We must believe that He is real. John informs us that he saw Jesus, touched Jesus, and experienced fellowship with Jesus. And he declares to us that he is real.
In verse 3, John concludes that we must believe that Jesus is real to have a relationship with God and God’s people. When we state that we must believe that Jesus is real, we must believe that He is who He said He is. Jesus is the absolute authority over all things, holds all things in His hands, and died and rose for our redemption. He controls every aspect of your life and the world around you. Far too many Christians lack joy because they downplay Christ’s sovereignty. As a result, if life does not go as planned, they become bitter, angry, and controlling. But when we develop a proper relationship with God, we find joy!
This proper relationship with God involves walking in the light (1 John 1). It means we fix everything in God’s Word and anchor ourselves to it. We don’t make it say what we want it to say. Instead, we allow the Word to say what it says and obey it. Walking in the light means that we humbly confess our sins. We recognize that we regularly sin and deal with it quickly. Walking in the light looks like walking in the Spirit in Galatians 5.
Christ reiterates this reality in John 15. In verse 10, Jesus informs us that we abide in His love when we keep His commandments. Then, in verse 11, Christ tells us that this obedience results in joy. When we discover an unhappy and bitter Christian, we discover a Christian failing to obey God’s Word. They have lost sight of Christ. A joyless Christian is a Christless Christian.
How, then, do we find this joy? By deepening our relationship with Christ. Do you regularly repent and confess your sin (Proverbs 28:13; James 5:16; 1 John 1:8-9)? Are you regularly spending quality time in God’s Word (Psalm 119:105; Hebrews 4:12)? We should note that this quality time is not simply five minutes with a devotional book. Are you regularly spending time in prayer (Philippians 4:6-7)? Are you spending time fellowshipping with and serving God’s people (Hebrews 10:24-25)? Are you practicing the spiritual disciplines (Romans 12:1-2)? If your answer to these questions is “no,” it is not a mystery why you don’t have joy.