Who Wants Joy?

2 Chronicles 29-31; James 4 

“The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great rejoicing,…so for another seven days they celebrated joyfully…There was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.”

2 Chronicles 30:21, 23, 26

The release of spontaneous joy throughout Jerusalem after the cleansing of the temple and the restoration of worship and sin-sacrifices was an unexpected by-product of getting right with God. When we pursue joy through pleasure and self-indulgence, we frequently don’t experience it. However, when we choose repentance for our sins, worship of the Living God, and we consecrate our lives to him, joy fills our lives. Maybe we’ve experienced that same joy at the communion service or after a time of personal retreat with God. Joy is one of the evidences that the Holy Spirit is freely flowing through our lives. The joy of God’s presence now is only a small taste of what awaits us in heaven. Joy is a powerful witness to the reality of God’s presence and cleansing work in our lives.

Do we want more joy?

“Lord Jesus, I repent for all defilements in the temple of my body and offer myself to you in worship, for your glory.”