I Got That Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy...

Alana stood next to Dallas as he nervously knocked on the door. Yesterday they both decided to meet up with Pastor Arthur to ask about programs for early Christians. Dallas and Alana were both hungry for the Lord. Pastor Arthur open the door and greeted them with a smile.

"Hello! I'm Pastor Arthur, but you can just call me Art. What can I do for you today?" he kindly offered."Hi! I'm Alana," she politely responded. "And I'm Dallas. I would like to join your church. I just committed my life to Christ, with Alana's help. Do you have any programs that would help me?" Dallas inquired. "Welcome to the family of Christ, brother! We have many programs for new Christians. Just come on Sunday mornings at 10:30 for regular service and stay till 12:00 for lessons for baby Christians. You'll fit right in! Oops! I'll have take this call. I'll see you two on Sunday. God Bless!" Art said as he rushed away. "He seems to be very busy, but that was very kind of him to talk to us for a short while," Alana said positively. "He was very kind, and so happy," Dallas trailed off. "He was full of joy! You wanna talk about it over lunch? I know this great diner," she offered. "Sure! Let's go!" He agreed.

As soon as Dallas had finished ordering, Alana started explaining Art’s joy. “Art may seem happy, but he actually has joy. Nehemiah 8:10 says,’...for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ Joy is described as ‘the feeling of great pleasure or happiness’. God’s joy is everlasting, so it shouldn’t fade like happiness. That’s why he is always full of joy.” “Wow. I want joy like that. But how do you get it?” Dallas questioned. “One of the fruits of the spirit is joy (Galatians 5:22). When we do God’s work we find joy. For example, I found joy when you asked me to help you give your life to Christ. You could do the same thing, Dallas. Just share your faith with people, and you too can bear the fruit of joy,” she encouraged. “That’s sound like a great idea,” Dallas agreed.

God’s joy cannot be found in materialistic things. We can only find it by bearing the fruit of the spirit, just like Alana said. You can bear fruit by doing things that are Christ-like. For example, tell the good news, volunteer, or just be a light of Christ*. You make the choice of bearing joy, so if you want it go get it.

*Read “What a Light”