What are you empowered by? What’s the fuel in your tank? I’d like to suggest that we are designed by the Lord to run on the powerful fuel of joy. Joy can mean a feeling of great pleasure, happiness, rejoicing, cheerfulness, or even calm  delight. This is not the caricature of joy where one is always happy or never having a bad day, nor facing trials. That’s a caricature of joy, not the real thing.

Real joy is relational. Joy happens when you walk into a room, and your friend’s face lights up because they are glad to see you. Then your face lights up in response, and you both are glad to be together. That is Relational Joy. The deep sense of being glad to be together.

Abundant Joy and Calm Delight

Regarding joy, Psalm 16:11 reads, “You reveal the path of life to me; in your presence is abundant joy; at your right hand are eternal pleasures.” (CSB)

In Hebrew the word for “presence” is the same word for “face.” So another way to translate Psalm 16:11 is, “in your face is abundant joy”.

Read the full article here: January ’23 Issue 17