Faith, hope, and gratefulness

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. (1 Peter 1:8 NIV)

 Christian joy is intimately connected to faith, hope, and gratefulness. It’s about taking a long-range view of life that is based on faith in God, trust in what He has told us through Scripture, and the knowledge that our earthly life is only the beginning phase of our eternal relationship with Him.
 Our joy is based in our faith in what Scripture has taught us: that God is our Creator; that though humanity is alienated from Him due to our sins, He has made a way for us to be reconciled with Him through the sacrificial death of Jesus and the forgiveness of our sins; that through this reconciliation, we enter a relationship with Him in which His Spirit dwells within us, and this relationship will last for eternity.
 Our faith in God and deep trust in His promises of salvation, reconciliation, and ultimately eternity with God help us have peace of mind and a confident outlook. Our beliefs generate hope, an expectation of good things to come, and cause us to live in joy. —Peter Amsterdam [1]

 From a biblical point of view, we can define joy as “having a daily spirit of rejoicing through all circumstances.” It’s more than inner contentment, more than gladness, more than overall satisfaction with life. —Michael A. Zigarelli

[1] Activated Vol 12 issue 11