24. Joy in God
Romans 5:11a And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The promise is that we “joy in God” through Christ; it is not just that have joy in God, but we actively rejoice. The joy we have is a deep inner joy that dwells deep inside our spirit. Out of that deep wellspring flows a joy that rejoices in God. There is no doubt that God is full of joy; there is no doubt that God rejoices. That kind of eternal joy is also in us when God lives in a cleansed vessel. The freely granted forgiveness and salvation causes us to joy in God. Rejoicing in the Lord is always available and possible for us in spite of the surrounding circumstances that cause sadness and despair. We do not rejoice because of outside circumstances, but we rejoice because of God’s joy inside. Looking outside may cause pain; looking inside where the promises of God become real causes joy, always.
The Lord will rejoice over you with gladness [Zechariah 3:17]. This remarkable promise asserts that we, His children, make God happy; what makes God happy is not what we do but what He has done for us. God does not respond to our goodness but rather to His goodness in us. Our salvation, worked by God Himself, makes God happy and so He rejoices over us. If God is happy with us, and He is, we also can be happy with ourselves. Thus we joy in God, not only in who He is but also in what He has done.
No one can take away this inner joy in God. The Enemies can only lie, and if we believe the lies our joy in God is diminished. Hearing the Gospel prevents us from believing the lie that God could not love us. Not only does God love us, but He also rejoices over us. We need the constant refreshment of the Gospel to believe the Truth—then we joy in Him. The response to the Gospel is thanks; giving thanks is how we rejoice in the Lord.