Look to be joyful

Greetings:
Joy is something that should be a part of every Christian's life. It is not merely icing on the cake to be tasted once in a while.
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. We often consider happiness or joy as something that happens to us, not something that should flow from us. We don’t consider joy as a duty to be performed, but as an emotional state to be received passively and involuntarily. But when we look at the concept of joy in the Bible, it is expressed as something we do by faith.
Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.…”
Unhappiness and a lack of joy, in many circumstances, is a manifestation of the flesh. Certainly, there are times when we are filled with sorrow. We must understand that it is legitimate to feel sorrow and grief. But a person can have a sense of joy even in the midst of mourning and profound grief. This is because our sorrow is directed toward a circumstance, but our joy is focused on and flows from God.
Joy, therefore, not being opposed to sorrow, is a fruit of the Spirit. It is our duty to be joyful: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” Being joyful is a matter of the will. The key to being joyful all the time is “in the Lord.” If Christ is in me and I in Him, that relationship is constant. Therefore, there is always a reason for joy. That is why, in the midst of difficulties, we can rejoice in Christ—or because He is always present in us.
Remember the words of John 15:11, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full".
Be blessed.
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