9 Bible Verses About Joy
December 03, 2019
When times get tough, it is easy to turn inward and get angry. And even let that anger evolve into bitterness, resentment, sadness or other emotions that separate us from God. These emotions rob us of the promise of the abundance of joy God gave us because of His son’s death on the cross. So, what does joy look like in our lives? We hope these nine Bible verses about joy will inspire and encourage you in your walk with the Lord!
What is Biblical Joy?
Joy is the opposite of despair, misery, sorrow, and pain. The world is full of these negative emotions. But we can have joy in the midst of even the most difficult circumstances. Psalm 30:5 says, “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” It's impossible to completely avoid sorrow in this life. Yet, we are promised joy will quickly follow if we put our faith in God. He will wipe away our tears and be our hope in our pain and suffering.
What is the difference between joy and happiness?
Happiness is a fleeting feeling that changes based on your personal circumstances. Happiness is also a temporary emotion that wavers among the many emotions we can experience. People try to achieve happiness by acquiring possessions, working hard and accomplishing tasks and trying to control people and relationships. Joy, on the other hand, is more than a feeling; it is a state of being.
RELATED: 11 Bible Verses About God's Love
How do you get joy?
Joy is listed as one of the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace...” Joy must be cultivated. As we plant the seeds of faith and hope in Christ in our lives, the fruit of joy grows. When that fruit is ripened in our lives, we can use it to nourish our souls and edify those around us.
How can I always be joyful?
1 Thessalonians 5: says, “See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” By doing good to others, praying and living our lives in thanksgiving for all circumstances, we can always have the joy promised to us through Christ.
Proverbs 10:28- “The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.” There are moments when it is tempting to be jealous of those who live their lives separate from the Gospel and reap the benefits of a good life. But this is narrow-minded thinking. When we live a righteous life, we may not see the financial benefits of a posh life with Christ, but we reap the benefits of a life filled with joy—a characteristic non-believers live their lives without.
Nehemiah 8:10- Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” In this verse, the prophet Nehemiah declares that joy is the emotion to lean on during tough times. When we do this, our mourning will turn into joy. This seems counter-intuitive to the world. But to the Lord, it is His promise that when we follow Him, even mourning can be turned into joy.
Bible Verses On Joy
John 16:20- “Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” Grief is a natural part of life. No matter how close we are to the Lord, we will still experience grief in this broken world. But it’s OK! According to this verse, the grief we experience will turn to joy, eventually. It may come slower than we would like. But God promises our grief is not a permanent destination, but only a part of the process.
John 16:22- “So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” Our mourning and grief over losing a loved one can be turned into a source of joy. While non-believers grieve without hope because the future of their loved one’s soul hangs in the balance, we can be assured that those that place their faith and trust in the Lord grieve on this earth, but only temporarily. As they know they will be reunited with their loved ones in heaven.
Bible Verses About Joy
James 1:2-3: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” This is a tough verse to apply to our lives. When our life situation is the worst, how can we possibly respond with joy? Yet, responding with joy to the difficult trials of life is the way an unbelieving world gets to know God in a new way. When we respond in ways that are counterintuitive to the way the world looks at life, non-believers take notice. Unbelievers may never pick up a Bible, but they will understand the verses we apply to our lives.
Joy is a trait everyone is looking for in his/her life. When we can learn to live with joy, even the toughest circumstances will be ones we can respond to in a way that spreads the gospel message.
Galatians 5:22- “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…” When we have the Holy Spirit, we have joy. His is a gift from God for walking in obedience with Him. Fruit grows because it has been watered and has access to the sun. In the same way, we need to water the fruit in our lives through the Word of God and prayer. We also need access to the Son—through a deeper understanding and an intimate relationship through listening and practicing disciplines like fasting, journaling, etc.
Bible Verses Centered Around Joy
1 Peter 1:8-9: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” Joy is not only a fruit of a life lived with Christ. It also results in salvation. When we choose joy over anger, bitterness, rage, malice, and gossip, we reap joy in our lives as well as other’s lives. To have joy we must have faith. Faith that God is who He says He is and has our wellbeing at heart.
2 John 1:12: “I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.” In this individualistic, technological age, it is easy to flip on a TV or podcast and pretend we are having true fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. But did you know that true fellowship can only be achieved through actual relationships?
True Fellowship Fosters Joy
John wrote this to his church in the wake of a church split. John understood what it was like to have the comfort of his brothers and sisters in Christ around him. He also knew what it was like to have them leave because they didn’t like how he led the church. We cannot have joy without true fellowship. While social media may try to offer community, true community only happens within a context of the local church family.
Hebrews 12:2- “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” It is hard to believe that Jesus had joy when He had to endure the cross. Yet, it is clear that He did. He didn’t focus on the temporal pain of the cross, but rather what His death would accomplish for mankind forevermore.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: 33 Birthday Bible Verses For A Sister
If we want to become more like Jesus, we must fix our eyes on what the pain in our lives accomplishes rather than on the temporal suffering that is refining us into who God wants us to be. When we give Christ his glory, non-believers will begin to ask us why we act with joy towards our circumstances rather than anger or pain.
Joy is not an easy fruit of the spirit to cultivate in our lives. However, joy is possible for all of us who believe. With faith, we can have joy even in the toughest of situations. Look to Jesus. Participate in the gift of true fellowship and choose joy rather than anger or rage. Then joy will be planted—and flourish—in our lives.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Images
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Peace around the World This Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 3
As Christ's followers, we must also be FOR those who are in need, not content to live comfortably and blind to the spiritual war going on around us.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Peace around the World This Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 3
As Christ's followers, we must also be FOR those who are in need, not content to live comfortably and blind to the spiritual war going on around us.
Past Stories
- Parents Find Healing After Loss of Son By Donating His Beloved Key Collection To Little Boy
- Mom Dances With Son At His Wedding After Being Placed in Hospice Care 2 Weeks Before
- Grandmother and Young Granddaughter Battling Cancer At the Exact Same Time
- Community Brings Christmas Joy to Virginia Woman With Just Weeks to Live
- Four Friends Recreate A Fun Vacation Photo From 50 Years Ago
- School in Arkansas Mourns the Loss of Their Beloved Emotional Support Dog Abby
- 93-Year-Old Has Made Sure To Attend Every High School Football Game Since 1946
- Texas Mom Doesn't Remember Delivering Triplets After Rare Complication After Birth
- United Airlines Pilot Buys Pizza For 155 Passengers After They Make An Unexpected Stop
- Teenager With Down Syndrome Enjoys Playing Kickball After Parents Organize Neighborhood Game
- Woman in Shock After Finding Winning Lottery Ticket At the Bottom of Her Purse
- Australian Couple Walks Into Their Bedroom To Find the Cutest Koala
- 5 Boys and Their Father Were Saved By Good Samaritan After Explosion
- Daughter of WWII Soldier Finally Learns What Happened To Him, 80 Years Later
- Sisters Scream With Joy Watching Their 4-Year-Old Sister Take Her First Steps
- Her Mom Put a Message in a Bottle As a Child, 26 Years Later Her Classmate Found It
- This Missouri School Was Renamed After Their Much Loved and Dedicated Custodian
- Michael Strahan's Daughter is Now Cancer Free and Has Taught Him All About Perseverance
- These Two Newlyweds Found Love in Their Late 90s, After Meeting At Their Retirement Home
- Sisters Who Were Adopted By Separate Families Nearly 40 Years Ago Reunite After DNA Tests
- Oldest Living Person in the US Passes Away at 115, After a Long and Faithful Life
- At Just 20 and 22 Years Old, These Two Sisters From Minnesota Saved Their Family Farm
- After Over 450 Days in a Shelter, Boone and Rellie Find Their Forever Home, Together
- Sweet Kitten Named Coraline Loses Both Her Eyes, but Inspires Many with Her Spirit
- Donny Osmond Sees the 'End of the Tunnel' Coming After Performing for Over 6 Decades
- An Iguana Hitches a Ride on a Garbage Truck in Tennessee, Now Trying to Find Its Owner
- 6-Year-Old Starts 'Poop Scooping' Business to Help Animals and Adopt One of His Own
- Bride's Dad Drops During Father-Daughter Dance, but Things Lined up Perfectly to Save His Life
- Young North Carolina Father Risked His Life To Save a Couple and Dog From a Sinking Truck
- UPS Driver Jumps into Action As He Spots Elderly Woman on the Ground & Says It Was All God
- Rescuer Braces for the Worst After Spotting Kitten on the Side of the Road, Then Sees a Paw Move
- AJ Griffin Gives Up High-Paying Career with NBA to Follow God
- These Former Conjoined Twins Finally Go Home After Their First Birthday
- Teenager From Iowa Uses His Flying Skills to Help Hurricane Helene Victims
- Son Saves For 9 Months and Surprises Mom By Paying Off Her Mortgage
- Woman's Home is Surrounded By 100 Raccoons, and They Aren't Leaving Anytime Soon
- Dog Saves Her Owner's Life By Sitting in the Middle of the Road
- Widower Shares the Last Thing His Wife Told Their Son Before She Passed Away From Cancer
- A Nurse Saved Her Life 35 Years Ago, Now, She is Surprising Her With a Visit
- These Twin Sisters Have An Important Message To Share On Their 102nd Birthday
- This Brave 5-Year-Old Saved Her Mother's Life By Calling 911
- 79-Year-Old Broke Her Ankle After Scattering Her Mom's Ashes, Then Strangers Save the Day
- Dad Travels Through Mud and Debris to Walk His Daughter Down the Aisle
- Owner's Trip to the Vet with Unwell Dog Results in the Craziest X-Ray
- After Getting Lost in Yellowstone, This Precious Cat Made His Way Back Home To California
- Mom's Funny Response To Daughter's Dirty Sock On The Floor Goes Viral & Ends Up Doing Good
- A Kidnapped Boy Is Found After 70 Years and Reunited With His Family
- This Puppy Was Found With a Note That Read 'Help Me,' Now He's Looking For a New Home
Top Music Videos
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Gaither Vocal Band Gaither Vocal Band - Mary, Did You Know? [Live]
Anne Wilson Anne Wilson Captivates with Heartfelt 'My Jesus' Live Performance
CCM Magazine 3 Doors Down’s Brad Arnold Shares Message of Faith During Nashville Concert
CCM Magazine Randall Goodgame’s ‘Scripture Hymnal’ | ‘In The Beginning’
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.