Joy — Crammed Full!

As I was studying Galatians 5;22, 23, I decided to see what other verses used the same words. 

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11

Joy: grace recognized

Jesus Christ, being God, knew exactly what was ahead for His disciples. He knew that He would be facing persecution and death. He knew that after His death and resurrection, His disciples would endure many hardships. God wanted to assure them (and us) that in the midst of it all — joy would remain!

How can joy remain in the mist of hardships? Because joy is not based on circumstances. Joy is grace recognized! Joy is a direct result of a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

This promise of the Saviour was abundantly fulfilled. The apostles with great frequency speak of the fulness of their joy - joy produced in just the manner promised by the Saviour - by the presence of the Holy Spirit. And it showed his great love, that he promised such joy; his infinite knowledge, that, in the midst of their many trials and persecutions, he knew that they would possess it; and the glorious power and loveliness of his gospel, that it could impart such joy amid so many tribulations. Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

In October, I read this verse and wrote this: 

Notice the source of joy: Jesus Christ.

Notice the shift of joy: God's joy becomes my joy (My - your)

Notice the supply of joy: enough to fill and overflow; fullest possible; totally complete

God's joy — FULL joy! 

Full:  to make complete in every particular; to render perfect

I love the root word for "full",  "pleres" is means to make replete—literally to cram, fill up. I love the picture that creates. Joy is so FULL... it repeats and is CRAMMED full so that it's spilling out. It can't be "used up" as it continues to repeat... a never-ending, overflowing source of joy. 

Now, the question is....... am I dampening God's joy? Am I trying to put a lid on it and contain it? Or am I allowing God's joy to overflow in my life? 

Joy — grace recognized — repeating so that it's crammed full and overflowing, not to be contained. 

Heaped up in Happiness

Throughout this year, each day of the month, I'm "Treasure Hunting" in a Psalm. I've created a "Ponder Every Morsel of Truth" Book to record the truths as I learn them. The thirteenth of each month, I'm studying Psalm 146. Here's what Treasure I found today.

Blessed are those who receive help from the God of Jacob. Their hope rests on the Lord their God. Psalm 146:5 (GW)

Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is he who has the God of [special revelation to] Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God. Psalm 146:5 (AMP)

Blessed: be blessed, happy, how happy!

God: the Almighty, power, strong, God of thy fathers.

Jacob: a son of Isaac.

Help: Protect or aid.

Hope: expectation—hope, by implication (of watching) to expect (with hope and patience).

In: according to, after.

Lord: of deity Yahweh.

God: Elohim, supreme God, mighty God.

Think of what this verse is saying: The almighty God, the supreme God, the all-powerful God, is my protector and helper, my hope is secure in the one-true God and that fact creates an overflowing abundance of happiness and joy.  

"Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help." Heaped up is his happiness. He has happiness indeed: the true and the real delight is with him. He is happy in help for the present and in hope for the future, who has placed all his confidence in Jehovah, who is his God by a covenant of salt. Happy is he when others are despairing! Happiest shall he be in that very hour when others are discovering the depths of agony. We have here a statement which we have personally tried and proved: resting in the Lord, we know a happiness which is beyond description, beyond comparison, beyond conception. O how blessed a thing it is to know that God is our present help, and our eternal hope. Full assurance is more than heaven in the bud, the flower has begun to open. We would not exchange with Caesar; his sceptre is a bauble, but our bliss is true treasure. The Treasury of David

I like that phrase, “heaped up in His happiness”. Happiness piled so high.... well there is no end. Reminds me of a pile of leaves... as you run and jump in and the leaves fly everywhere, and anyone nearby enjoys a deep belly laugh. That’s one thing about being “heaped up in his happiness”— those around you want to enjoy the happiness too!

But unlike that pile leaves, the source of true happiness is God, and He is eternal, so our happiness doesn’t depend upon the Season, or upon ourselves. Rather, our happiness and joy is from the Almighty, Eternal, Supreme God!  

O for a heart full of joyful gratitude, that we may run, and leap, and glorify God. The Treasury of David

When my heart is full of joyful gratitude, when I’m heaped up in happiness, that creates a positive day indeed!

Get Out of the Night

Throughout this year, each day of the month, I'm "Treasure Hunting" in a Psalm. I've created a "Ponder Every Morsel of Truth" Book to record the truths as I learn them. The Twenty-second of each Month, I'm studying Psalm 30. Here's what Treasure I found today.

For his anger is but for a moment; His favor is for a life-time: Weeping may tarry for the night, But joy cometh in the morning. Psalm 30:5 (ASV)

This is the literal translation: "For a moment in his anger. Lives in his favor. In the evening weeping may lodge: but in the morning exultation." Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

As I read Psalm  30 this morning, I had to stop and re-read this verse several times. As I studied it, I found much comfort in the last part of the verse, “Weeping may tarry for the night, But joy cometh in the morning.”

Weeping is a temporary visitor. The weeping, the sobbing, the complaining with tears is temporary. There is an ending to the crying. 

The morning. Just at daybreak as the sun begins to rise. At the first hint of light in the dark night sky, there is a SHOUT, jubilation of JOY! The painful sobbing has been changed into gladness, joy, proclamation, rejoicing, shouting, singing, and yes triumph!

I guess this verse hit home because living with  chronic pain, there are many nights I literally cry myself to sleep. I am overwhelmed by pain, and “never-endingness” of the pain. Yet, as the darkness of night begins to change to the sunshine of day, even though the pain is still present, there is a sense of peace and joy. 

Phillips, Craig and Dean have a song called “Little Bit of Morning”. Here is a video of that song. 

To create a positive day, I need to ‘get out of the night’ and give a SHOUT of triumph to God Almighty. The temporary of sobbing, gives way to everlasting JOY. The triumph that God is still God. He is the ALMIGHTY and He is my hope and my salvation. God is my source of Joy, and that is greater than any pain; therefore, I will ENJOY a Morning of proclaiming and shouting about my Great God!

Multitude of Happiness

Throughout this year, each day of the month, I'm "Treasure Hunting" in a Psalm. I've created a "Ponder Every Morsel of Truth" Book to record the truths as I learn them. The Eighteen of each Month, I'm studying Psalm 1. Here's what Treasure I found today.

Can a person really find true happiness? The answer is “yes”, if that person is looking in the right place.

Look at Psalm 1:1.

Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. (AMP)

The word for “blessed” embraces all that is supposed to constitute real happiness. It’s the fullness of happiness. And this word is plural, so it means “blessednesses” —multitude of happiness is available! 

How do we get this “multitude of happiness”?  Psalm 1:1 gives a list of where happiness CAN NOT be found! 

“Walks not”. That is the “happy person” does not make it a habit to follow the conduct, or lifestyle of the ungodly -- those people without God. 

“in the counsel of the ungodly.” Don’t take advise from those who don’t know God. Period. 

“Nor stands”. Has the same attitude; or in this case.. does not have the same attitude.

“of sinners”. Remember we are all born sinners. But those that trust God, should not be continuing in their sinful ways. The mind set should not be to continue in sin. 

“nor sits down”. Take up dwelling. 

“where the scornful gather.” “Scornful” means those who mock, deride, scoff; those who treat virtue and religion with contempt.  

Notice the progression here. First, follow or take on their lifestyle, want to “look like” the ungodly. Next, comes the attitude. The mind set of the ungodly. Then you move in... and take up resident with the ungodly. It happens slowly. Next you are surrounded by those that mock God and his absolute standards. 

The Psalmist is warning... don’t DO IT! Those that do not know God do not have “multitude of happiness”.  Those that don’t love God and follow God may “seem” happy, but they are searching for happiness in things and people and are always disappointed. The only true happiness and abundant happiness is found in the true source of joy—God Himself.

A multitude of happiness creates a positive day, and I need to make sure I’m searching for it in the only place it can be found—God and God alone. 

Joy Pills

When I was in High School, I lived next door to the M&M plant in Hacketstown, NJ. Loving M&M's it was a great place to live. When I went off to college, I took a jar of M&Ms with me. And the jar soon was full of "JOY PILLS"— green and yellow M&Ms.

Why were they called "joy pills"?

 Because whenever you eat M&Ms you smile! 

My dormmates would drop by and take a few "joy pills" when they needed some encouragement. Since college, I've kept up the tradition of having the same jar filled with M&Ms (either green and/or yellow).

Today, I knocked over the jar and green M&Ms went everywhere. As I tried to sweep up the M&Ms they just rolled away. They rolled under the heat vent, the shelving...everywhere. Just when I thought I had gotten them all... I'd see another one. As I stood there looking at the M&Ms all over the floor, I smiled.

 I had spilled my 'Joy'—

but God got my attention!

God's joy is not based on circumstances. It's not based on what we have, or don't have. Joy is not based on how we feel, or what is happening in our lives. Joy is not about US—rather....

Pure Joy

is based on an

UNCHANGING God, 

who loves with an

 UNCONDITIONAL love.

I'm going through medication withdraw, as I prepare for a new treatment to lower my pain. There is NO reason I should be experiencing joy right now. The pain is unbearable. I'm dizzy and have a terrible headache. My body is wanting medication, but the medication I can give it...has it's own side effects. Yet in the midst of my circumstances, I have joy!

Since the joy God provides, is not based on our emotions (which change on a whim), we can enjoy JOY 24/7 no matter our circumstances. We can celebrate joy in the midst of any circumstance knowing that God is in control and He is at work in our lives. 

 Joy—mine 24/7!

Will I fill my M&M jar? Probably. It will take a while to fill it up with just green and or green/yellow M&Ms. But the "JOY PILLS" remind me of my great God and His love for me. 

Today was an especially rough day, and I was struggling to focus on anything. God knew He had to get my attention and remind me of His love for me. When I spilled the M&Ms I smiled—God got through to me.  Today was positive, all because I spilled some M&Ms on the floor and remembered the true source of joy—God.