Joy is a settled state of mind and heart produced by the Holy Spirit, resulting in contentment and hope-filled confidence in God’s trustworthy character and good purposes. It’s a settled state, not a passing feeling, of mind and heart; that is, it involves thoughts and affections. Joy is produced by the Spirit, not cranked up within or prompted by favorable circumstances. This leads to contentment, or being peacefully satisfied in God, and a hope-filled confidence in God as the one who is in control of our lives for His good purposes. This is why joyful people are relentlessly positive; they cannot be kept down. Even when life repeatedly beats them up, they rise again.
Romans 5:1-5 connects joy to our relationship with Christ.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s
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