My Joy Is Not That Cheap—Two2Grow, Friday, August 14
My Joy Is Not That Cheap—Two2Grow, Friday, August 14
“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 NIV
“My joy is not that cheap” is an expression I have used for years when I go through circumstances that are about to steal my joy. Just recently, we locked ourselves out of our house and had to pay a locksmith to come and open our door. It cost money that we wanted to use for other things, and I was about to lose my joy. But I told myself, “My joy is not that cheap,” and decided not to let go of my joy.
When we allow circumstances and the devil to steal our joy, we get weak spiritually, and we start to lose hope and many other blessings too. Some people lose their joy way too easily—just because someone cuts them off in traffic, says an unkind word, ghosts them on social media, or whatever.
Joy and happiness are two different things. Happiness is grounded in good and pleasant circumstances. I am happy when I feel good, when people are kind to me, and when things are going well. I lose my happiness when circumstances go wrong.
The joy of the Lord has its foundation in God—who the Lord is, what He has done for us, His promises, and the fact that we belong to the kingdom of God.
Since God never changes, His love is constant toward us, and He has promised to be with us through thick and thin, we can have joy even in the most difficult and challenging circumstances. Joy and hope go together.
Joy is the work of the Holy Spirit, but we need to make sure to nurture joy and protect our hearts so that we don’t lose it.
So whatever you are facing, decide that your joy in the Lord isn’t that cheap. You are not letting go of your joy in the Lord for anything.
Father, I thank You that You never change, that Your love toward me is ever-flowing, and that You are with me no matter what I face. Holy Spirit, help me to nurture joy in my heart and protect it as I go through this day. Amen.
Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD
“My joy is not that cheap” is an expression I have used for years when I go through circumstances that are about to steal my joy. Just recently, we locked ourselves out of our house and had to pay a locksmith to come and open our door. It cost money that we wanted to use for other things, and I was about to lose my joy. But I told myself, “My joy is not that cheap,” and decided not to let go of my joy.
When we allow circumstances and the devil to steal our joy, we get weak spiritually, and we start to lose hope and many other blessings too. Some people lose their joy way too easily—just because someone cuts them off in traffic, says an unkind word, ghosts them on social media, or whatever.
Joy and happiness are two different things. Happiness is grounded in good and pleasant circumstances. I am happy when I feel good, when people are kind to me, and when things are going well. I lose my happiness when circumstances go wrong.
The joy of the Lord has its foundation in God—who the Lord is, what He has done for us, His promises, and the fact that we belong to the kingdom of God.
Since God never changes, His love is constant toward us, and He has promised to be with us through thick and thin, we can have joy even in the most difficult and challenging circumstances. Joy and hope go together.
Joy is the work of the Holy Spirit, but we need to make sure to nurture joy and protect our hearts so that we don’t lose it.
So whatever you are facing, decide that your joy in the Lord isn’t that cheap. You are not letting go of your joy in the Lord for anything.
Father, I thank You that You never change, that Your love toward me is ever-flowing, and that You are with me no matter what I face. Holy Spirit, help me to nurture joy in my heart and protect it as I go through this day. Amen.
Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD