Doesn’t that sound perfectly blissful—fullness of joy? According to the verse above, that kind of joy can be found in the presence of our Heavenly Father, at his right hand of favor.
That’s because, “There has never been a parent on earth who wants joy for his or her children as much as your Father in heaven wants joy for you, his child” [1].
To that end, God has provided numerous ways for us to experience his joy—all augmented as we share in each pleasure with him.
Just for fun, I took that phrase fullness of joy and challenged myself to create an acronym from its letters, to name some of the joy-makers our Heavenly Father provides. Then I dressed up each statement with the best-fitted quotes I could find:
F oster your relationship with God; F east on a world filled with his wonders (Psalm 92:4).
“When I am consciously aware of him,
life fills with wonder and wonder brings joy” [2].
U se time, gifts, and talents to bless others (Proverbs 11:25).
“In spreading my joy, God restored ME. MY JOY WAS FULL!
. . . As we pour out ourselves for others,
we ourselves are renewed” [3].
L ive in community with other believers (Psalm 133:1).
“When large numbers of people share their joys in common,
the happiness of each is greater
because each adds fuel to the others’ flame” [4].
L ift your voice in prayer (John 16:24).
“When I think upon and converse with Thee,
ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up,
then a thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed,
then a thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart,
crowding every moment with happiness . . .
I love Thee above the powers of language to express” [5].
N ourish your spirit with scripture (Psalm 19:8).
“[The Bible] is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory,
and a river of pleasure” [6].
E xperience God’s presence (Psalm 21:6).
“The difference between tears and laughter
is found in being aware of the presence of God” [7].
S pend time outdoors, reveling in creation (Psalm 104:24-25).
“Time outdoors accomplishes a three-fold blessing:
better health, better mind, and better spirit” [8].
S ing (Psalm 100:1)!
“Nothing is more indicative of a fulfilled life,
a contented soul, and a happy heart
than the expression of song” [9].
O ffer encouragement to others (Proverbs 11:25).
“When someone does something good, applaud—
you’ll make two people happy” [10].
F ill your heart with gratitude (Psalm 9:1-2).
“Joy doesn’t cause us to be grateful;
joy is born out of our gratitude” [11].
J ump for joy–because sometimes you have to reach for it (Psalm 28:7)!
“Begin to rejoice in the Lord,
and your bones will flourish like an herb,
and your cheeks will glow
with the bloom of health and freshness.
Worry, fear, distrust, care—all are poisonous!
Joy is balm and healing,
and if you will but rejoice, God will give power” [12].
O ffer praise for who God is (Psalm 145).
“As I decreased my praise time, my joy also decreased.
I found out that when I made a habit
of intentionally giving God the praise he deserves,
I appreciated life so much better” [13].
Y ield to God’s ways, designed for our good that we may prosper (Psalm 19:7-8).
“The ultimate purpose of obedience is joy” [14].
By way of these Joy-Makers and more, we can experience the fullness of joy God wants to bring to our lives—the kind that permeates each moment as we abide in his presence.
Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
–Psalm 47:1 ESV
(P.S. Continue your praise, guided by the free resource offered below as part of our newsletter!)
[1] Timothy Keller, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God, p. 238.
[2] Deanna Chadwell, contributor to Soul Bare, 83.
[3] Barbara Johnson, Pack Up Your Gloomies in a Great Big Box, 197.
[4] St. Augustine, Confessions.
[5] From a Puritan prayer included in Valley of Vision by Arthur Bennett.
[6] Anonymous.
[7] Beth Moore, Believing God Bible study workbook, 44.
[8] F. Elaine Olson, Peace for the Journey, 191.
[9] John MacArthur, Ephesians, 256.
[10] Sam Goldwyn.
[11] Brother David Steindl-Rast.
[12] A. B. Simpson.
[13] Thelma Wells, contributor to Boundless Love, 231.
[14] Timothy Keller with Kathy Keller, Songs of Jesus, 199.
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This thorough exploration of “fullness of joy” filled me with joy, Nancy. Thank you for all your meticulous research in order to write this to enlighten us all. Your are such and inspiration!
God bless you always!
Thank you, Martha. What a delight for ME to contribute joy to YOU, my friend! I must say, God helped me several times as I experienced writers’ block for the title, a segue, and the conclusions. He’s so good to provide for me like that,time and time again!
Thank you Nancy for always bringing joy to us through your blog. Your positive attitude is infectious and I’m so grateful for you.
You’re welcome, Cathy. It warms my heart that these posts bring you joy! Please know I’m grateful for you also. You’re a wonderful example of the difference God makes in a life, as you demonstrate his peace and strength in the midst of grief, as well as the wise insights you offer in your writings.
Your bolded statements detailing what contributes to joy form a wonderful checklist to determine why joy sometimes eludes us. Thank you, Nancy! 🙂
‘Never thought of that, Nancy! Sometimes we forget there’s a choice in the matter. We can do what generates joy or we can wallow in self-pity, anger, negativity, etc. Thank you for sharing your insight, my friend!
🤗
Love this positivity!
Thank you, Linda. Praise God for his inspiration!
What a delightful post to read, bringing joy to my heart!! I am just back from a vacation and catching up on all my readings and this is one of the firsts and a great one to read. Thanks for bringing joy to my morning.
Always my delight to bring you joy, Jean!
Lovely!
Thank you, Dana! As always, I have to praise God for his inspiration all along the way–from idea inception to final edit. (I know that YOU know the same experience!)
Oh yes! And sometimes it turns out totally different from my original idea!
Yes it does!
Wow, Nancy. Incredible job on your fullness of joy acronym! You have filled me with joy!
It warms my heart that this post should fill you with joy, Wynne. Praise God!
I just loved this post!! Thank you for sharing this with us. The psalm above that speaks of gratitude as the doorway to joy is so true. When we live our days in praise of our Heavenly father, we see that ‘ His mercies are indeed new each morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23.
Amen, Linda. Thank you for adding Lamentations 3:22-23 to the conversation, highlighting the fact that God’s “lovingkindnesses” (v. 22 AMP) never fail–they will never run out. The HOPE we have in our gracious God is another reason for joy!
Fullness of Joy–what a beautiful picture of God’s deep and abiding love for us, how He sees us with delight, and is with us no matter what. This was such a great inspiration to remember that we all have SO MUCH to be grateful for. Thanks, my friend.
Indeed–so much to be thankful for. Praise God for his goodness to provide, protect, and guide. The more we meditate on the list, the greater our joy!
Such a terrific, creative, and helpful post. Yesterday I was shopping and it was a challenge. I am afraid that I did not exhibit much joy as I trudged through the day. I remember being impatient and sighing my impatience as I stood in line and waited for the customer ahead of me to have her husband retrieve something he had forgotten. When I got home, I told my mom that it’s a good thing that I don’t have ‘Jesus’ written on the back of my shirt (the way I have a ‘Jesus’ Ichthys symbol on the back of my car.) It reminded me that I should exhibit joy all of the time; not only are people taking note of my behavior, the Lord is always watching as well. And why would anyone want to be around a joyless person? (With ‘Jesus’ on the back of my car it helps me to be a courteous driver.)
We ALL lapse from time to time, Cheri. What I see is a person taking responsibility, not making excuses! I agree, it helps to remember our “Audience of One” (the title of a song by Big Daddy Weave back in the mid-2000s, I think). May I remember that the next time I have to wait in a long line (which seems to happen more often than the law of averages would indicate)!
Amen. Nancy, I appreciate how your creative efforts joined up with these encouraging verses. Our Father designs infinite outlets to bring us much fullness of joy.
So true, Richard. Praise God for each joy he provides; praise God they are never-ending!
Felt joy overflowing as I read this, Nancy. Surely the abundant life that Jesus came to give us overflows with joy even now, and into eternity.
So glad to bring you joy, Dora! I agree–Jesus provides MUCH in this life that brings us joy. I can’t begin to imagine the euphoria of heaven!
These are really good. I imagine this was a pretty fulfilling study as you put this together. I especially like the “jump for joy because sometimes you have to reach for it.”
💜
Thank you Alicia. It WAS a delightful challenge, considering the focus throughout the process was joy! So glad you especially enjoyed the “jump for joy” line! I’m sure you’ll agree: Praise God for dropping into our minds such good tidbits–at just the right time!
Yes so very often He does that! …Whether it’s a great blog post, a friend’s encouragement through a call or text, or a beautiful worship song. 💜