“You will say in that day:

“I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.””

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭12:1-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

There are two directions we can focus our efforts as we walk with Christ that will result in joy. The first is obviously when we point our hearts toward God. He is Sovereign-over-all and no one but Him should receive the first fruits of our efforts. When we serve God, our hearts pointed toward Him, joy is our reward. Coming humbly before our Master with the gifts of our life laid before Him should always be a point of great joy for us. We use what He has given us, putting those good talents & skills to work and so we will feel fulfilled in Him.

The second is when we serve others in His Name, giving Him glory. There is a great joy that comes when we pour our lives out for others in His Name. This is very intentionally a part of how He has wired us. When we focus first on Him, and then on others, we find fulfillment. When we lay down our lives for His purposes, and do away with our selfish desires, we will always find His joy in that place.

The life that is always focused on self will always need to search for more, to grasp after more, because we are shallow wells that cannot pour into ourselves and refill our own hearts. But when we seek God as our source to pour into others, we will find His supply joyfully poured through us into their lives, and we will experience the joy-filled moments where He is glorified, and where we step aside. Being a conduit for His joy is always better than being the end recipient. He never intended for us to take it and hold onto it for our own benefit. We are blessed to be a blessing, and to glorify His Name.

His joy is most deeply experienced when it it shared. Rejoice in Him today, and share the love He has given us in Christ