These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (John 15:11)

Jesus has a special gift for His people. He made the offer to His disciples as they were about to face one of their greatest challenges and that same gift is available to us today.

We often use the concepts of joy and happiness synonymously; however, there is a fundamental difference between these two words. Happiness is often based upon our circumstances whereas joy is based on our internal attitude. Joy is not the absence of problems but it’s an assurance that God is with us. The words joy or rejoice occur over 300 times in our English Bibles. Is your life characterized by joy? Unfortunately, many people are living under their circumstances rather than experiencing the fullness of God’s joy.

How do we experience joy? We are able to experience His joy as we come to Him in prayer:

Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. (John 16:24)

Jesus’ desire for us is that we may be filled with His joy:

But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. (John 17:13)

Could it be that many of the pleasures that people pursue in life are actually a feeble substitute in their quest to find joy? You may be facing difficult circumstances, but don’t allow your circumstances to dictate your emotions. Viktor Frankl, a prisoner of war in World War Two, wrote in Man’s Search for Meaning, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”