Christian Joy

“And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.” Acts 13:52
“And ye...received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.” 1 Thessalonians 1:6

There many joy texts in the Bible. They serve to encourage us and give us hope. They are like diamonds in the rough. Mrs. S.L. Brengle stated: “Then take more time, and find out whether or not the joy of these Bible people matches yours. If not, why not? If you go grumbling where they are praising, if you are meeting persecution, trials, hardships, privations, necessities, sorrows, with grit, dogged endurance, a sense of hard duty, or anything except the grace and joy of the Holy Spirit, with all the perfect fruits of righteousness, which the Spirit produces, you can’t spend the rest of your time any better than in getting on praising ground. Get filled with the Spirit, and you must, you will, rejoice at all times.”

Her husband S.L. Brengle added: “As lilies of the valley pour forth perfume, so good hearts pour forth thanksgiving. No mercy is too small to provoke it, no trial to severe to restrain it. As Samson got honey from the carcass of the lion he slew, and as Moses got water from the flinty rock, so the pure in heart are possessed of a sort of heavenly alchemy, a divine secret by which they get blessing out of all things, and for which there is giving of thanks.”

Do these statements describe your experience in the face of trouble, persecution or hardships? They can if you follow the advice: be filled with the Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit describes an ongoing process of replenishing yourself spiritually. You receive salvation through faith; you are entirely sanctified by faith once you have died out to yourself, but then you are to be continually filled with the Holy Ghost to keep your experience up to date. We are to be constantly coming before the Lord Jesus Christ and asking Him to fill us again! More and more until we are overflowing with Him! When we do that, our joy will be showing!