Joy

Becoming more like Jesus also means that we will have steadfast joy throughout all of life. This is the second fruit of the Spirit that Paul lists in Galatians 5:22. While worldly happiness rises and falls with the highs and lows of life, the joy that Christ gives remains steady because it is fixed on God’s unchangeable character and not our fleeting circumstances. Paul tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). We can always have joy when our joy is always set on the God who is always faithful.

Everyone in the world has a kind of joy when life is going well. But Christians are distinct in that we rejoice even in the worst of situations: 

“ … we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to you” (Romans 5:2-3-5).

Growing in Christlikeness means we stop allowing our joy to go up and down with our circumstances. Instead, in every season, we display the joy of Christ, which cannot be shaken by the world. As Jesus told his disciples: “Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22).