Joy Down In My Heart
“Maar de vrucht van de Geest is liefde, vreugde, vrede, geduld, vriendelijkheid, goedheid, trouw, zachtmoedigheid en zelfbeheersing. Tegen zulke dingen bestaat geen wet.”
Galaten 5:22-23
There are several different words in the Old Testament that are used to describe joy. One word is simchah, which carries the thought of brightness and shining. It is used to express the joyful songs the women sang for David after he defeated Goliath (1 Sam. 18:6).
Another word used for joy is masos, which means leaping or jumping. This reminds us of the man in Acts 3:1–10 who had been sitting at the Beautiful Gate, lame and unable to walk. When he was healed in the name of Jesus, his heart was filled with joy, and he was seen leaping and praising God.
Rinnah is a third word used for joy that carries the idea of an exuberant expression of joy connected with shouting. There is yet another word for joy used in the Old Testament, gil, which has its roots in the idea of “moving in a circle” or rejoicing greatly.
When we consider these Hebrew words together, we gain a fuller picture of what joy looks like. Joy may be expressed through quietly shining eyes or through the exuberant leaping and jumping of someone whose life has been dramatically changed. In every case, however, joy begins within the heart and is then expressed outwardly.
The New Testament word for joy is chara, which closely resembles the New Testament word for grace, charis. Grace is God’s undeserved favor, and if it were not for the grace of God, there would be no salvation for anyone. The more we learn to appreciate the grace of God, the more it produces within us the joy we are considering.
As we read through the book of Acts, we discover the joy that characterized the early Christians:
“So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:46-47).
When Philip shared the gospel in the city of Samaria, many responded and lives were changed. As a result, we read, “And there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:8). After receiving Christ and being baptized, the Ethiopian eunuch “went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:39). In Acts 13:52, we read that “the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit,” even though they faced opposition for sharing the gospel of Christ.
From these examples, we can clearly see that their joy came from within as a result of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.
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Each of us should ask ourselves, “Is such joy being displayed in my life today?”