According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, joy is defined by such words as bliss, great pleasure, happiness, or delight. Without a doubt, joy can contain elements of these emotions because we have experienced them in certain situations in varying degrees. None of these words are contrary to how the Bible would define joy; however, this seems too simplistic and temporary compared to the biblical view of joy.

In 2022, Kathleen Grift went back to college to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a nurse. “I excelled,” Kathleen says, but “began tripping frequently and struggled to carry my backpack of textbooks. The diagnosis arrived at the end of the second semester. ALS! How could it be? I was 49 years old.”

♪Do you remember learning about “above,” “beyond,” “in,” “of,” and the other approximately 150 prepositions that belong in the English language?

I’ve known Philippians 2 since I was a tiny human. Familiar and quotable, Christ “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death” and was triumphantly exalted “to the highest place” (vv. 8–9).

In Mark 6, we encounter a king who is experiencing the absence of true joy. Herod is selfish, lustful, and distressed. The result of this foolishness is the death of John.