Joy can be like wetting yourself, everyone else can see it, but only you can feel its warmth.

The other day I donated my watch, phone, and $50 to a poor guy.  You don’t know the joy I felt when he finally put his knife back in his pocket.

Never underestimate the power of laughter and deep-abiding joy.  Both are like medicine.

The Scripture defines joy as cheerfulness, calm delight, and gladness.  But how do you achieve the fruit of joy amid difficult situations?

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

As we see how James approached the idea of joy, it can be ours even in the midst of the trials of life.  But for that to be our reality, we must know there is some benefit coming our way due to what we are going through right now.  In this case, it is the testing of our faith.

Put another way, I believe James is telling us that our need for Jesus extends well beyond initially getting saved.  We need Jesus every day of our existence here on earth.  We need His life, love, help, and wisdom.  I believe James is encouraging us to go deeper in our relationship with Jesus and that an opportunity to do just that is afforded to us during situations that try our faith.

To embrace the opportunity that the trials of our faith can offer, we will need to practice taking captive our thoughts about what we are going through and bring them into submission to the obedience of Christ.  Jesus completed the work at the cross to secure a deep, abiding relationship with God so we could live by faith.  The word of God counsels us and encourages us when it declares; the Just shall live by faith!

I am not the source of my help; God is.  That is why it is good to get to know God!  I am wisest when I am seeking wisdom from the wisest Being of all.  But when I desire His wisdom, I have to ask for it believing He will give it to me.  If I doubt His goodness, ability, and willingness to enable me with His wisdom generously, I will not obtain it.  This reveals that I need to know Him well enough to trust Him.

Please allow me to encourage you today to look to Jesus, the author, and finisher of your faith, and be encouraged by His unfailing love for you.  Let the love He demonstrated at the cross testify to His unfailing great love for you.  Let it convince you of His good intentions toward you.  Let it testify that He will never leave you, nor will He ever forsake you.

You may be having a difficult time right now, but He is with you in whatever storm or situation you are in, and He will lead you through it to the other side.

Victory is already prophetically yours, my friend.  You are in Him, and He lives in you.  This test of your faith will produce heaven-born patience according to His likeness in you.  That is why growing in knowing Jesus is good news for you!

If a sparrow can’t fall to the ground without Him knowing it, and you are worth more than all the sparrows, then I am convinced you are not alone, and He is very aware and very much with you today!  You are getting to know Him even better; that’s why you can count it all joy.