Joy

"Joy means the perfect fulfillment of that for which I was created and regenerated, not the successful doing of a thing." (Oswald Chambers)

I was reading My Utmost for His Highest, and Chambers brings to light a really interesting point.  He says, "We are more than conquerors through Him in all these things, not in spite of them, but in the midst of them.  the saint never knows the joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but BECAUSE of it."
You can't be a conqueror unless you go through the trial.  You can't win the war if you don't fight the battle. You don't learn the lesson if you don't go through that experience.  But once we conquer through Christ and come to realize His goal and purpose for us, we are able to take part in His JOY.

"In all things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."

Our Lord loves us, and nothing can come in between that love and us.  Nothing we do can separate us; he will love us no matter what.  He loves us with an unending, unconditional love.   And because of that love we can know true joy through the fulfillment of His purpose for us.  As I think about the fact that my Savior loves me with a gracious, never ending love... and as I consider that He created me for a purpose so that I can share in His joy... I am in awe.

What a wonderful Savior!