You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9 HCSB
The first church I served out of seminary was the Delaney Street Baptist Church in Orlando, Florida as Youth and Outreach Minister. We had a bus ministry with five buses that picked up children every Sunday. We held a children’s worship service each Sunday for all of the children. One of the songs we taught the children was “I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy.” The kids loved it when we would do the song with the motions.
In these verses Peter is telling his readers that as believers in Jesus they have inexpressible and glorious joy. This joy is the result of a right relationship with God. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within each believer and helps him to live a Spirit-led life (see Galatians 5:22). It enables believers to rejoice and fellowship with other believers (see Philippians 4:1).
Challenge: Do you have the joy of Jesus in your heart? A self-seeking, pleasure-seeking person will not experience joy, happiness, and fulfillment. Look for ways that you can give of yourself to help others and you will find joy that can only be found in serving and living for Jesus. Listen to the song “I’ve Got Joy, Joy Joy” on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z29h7HUcJus