Joy Restored

Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Is it possible to lose our joy? Yes, but only if we choose to give it away. Our joy comes from having a relationship with God, thru Jesus. Upon receiving God's salvation, we receive the Holy Spirit, who indwells us, seals us, and keeps us, securing our salvation (so that we can never lose it, and cannot be taken from us). Just as our salvation cannot be taken from, so our joy cannot be taken (because God is the source). However, we can forfeit our joy by living a life of disobedience, and sin. This is where King David was when he wrote this Psalm. He had committed adultery with Bathsheba, and had her husband killed in order to cover up his sin. When he was confronted by God's servant, Nathan, David was truly broken, and mourned what he had done. This is the key to having our joy restored when we give it away to sin. God's desire in repentance is that we truly mourn, and confess, our sinful behavior; not because we got caught or because there is a good chance we're going to get caught, but because we know that sin is vile, wicked, and when we sin, we sin primarily against God, who despises sin. He demonstrated just how much He hates it when He poured His wrath on Jesus, for our sake. The salvation we have has been given to us freely, but it cost Jesus everything. The joy we have also comes to us freely, but again, came at a costly price. Let us not trample all over the grace, mercy, love, forgiveness, and joy, God has bestowed upon us. Let us stop, and consider, that this is exactly what we do when we choose sin over righteousness, and obedience. We hinder our relationship with God, and give away the joy of His salvation. If there is anything at all that is standing between us and God today, let us mourne it, forsake it, confess it, get right with God; and go back to having that joy, and peace that passes all understanding.