I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul.

Isaiah 61:10a

How do we give joy to others? We can only give to others what we have. Isaiah determines that he will rejoice, that he will find joy in God. Again, we see that joy is a choice, it is in some way a matter of the will and we have to be intentional about it. While we need to be intentional about finding joy, we cannot produce it on our own.

Joy comes from the Lord and it comes to us from a personal, intimate relationship with him. The Greek word for joy (chara) shares a common root with the Greek word for grace (charis). This reminds us that joy is only possible by the grace of God. To get joy we must connect with the source of joy through prayer, worship, and other spiritual practices.

Almighty Father, I want to make my relationship with you a priority every day. Help me to radiate the joy you give me and communicate your presence to the people I encounter.