“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

Seeing the joy of the Lord in someone’s life is truly a beautiful thing. Joy is the Greek word chara in the New Testament. It is used about seventy times and always describes an inner gladness that is not based on circumstances but on spiritual realities. It is a source of strength that produces godly character, as Nehemiah declared: “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10).

Joy is the result of a relationship with Christ. As Peter the Apostle wrote, “Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Pet. 1:8).

Joy comes from the Lord Himself, who said:

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:9–11).

Joy is a gift that comes from the Lord and is experienced in our lives as we abide in Him and obediently follow Him. It is evidence that we are becoming more like Him. It is evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

We are instructed to “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). But if joy is a gift, how can we express it as we are commanded? Only through the power of the Holy Spirit.

As those who represent the Lord in this world, we are to remember that “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). This verse reminds us that these three qualities—righteousness, peace, and joy—are to be evident in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ, and all three can only be displayed through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I have seen individuals who exuded this joy even while passing through deep waters. They were able to do so because joy is an inward reality that is not controlled by outward circumstances. It enables us to “rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Rom. 5:11).

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Joy ought to be evident in every believers life, but can only be expressed through the power of the Holy Spirit.