Scripture calls believers to rejoice always. That call rests on a deeper reality: God himself is joyful. The New Testament speaks of “the blessed God” (1 Timothy 1:11), pointing to God’s own fullness and delight. The Father delights eternally in the Son, and the Son delights in the Father.

When Jesus says that his desire is “that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11), he invites his people to share in that joy. Christian joy flows from knowing and sharing in the joy of the God who is joyful in himself.

Joy and the life of God
Joy begins with God. Christian joy grows as God shares his own joy with his people, the joy that eternally belongs to the Father and the Son. The gospel opens the way for believers to be caught up into that gladness. God does not relate to his people with reluctance or distance. He delights to draw them into the joy that already fills his own life.

Scripture treats joy as essential to faithful living. When joy fades, strength soon drains away. Prayer feels thinner. Obedience feels heavier. Perseverance becomes harder. Joy is woven into the way God sustains his people. “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Joy as the fruit of the Spirit
Joy is not a personality type and it is not something Christians manufacture by trying to think happy thoughts. Scripture calls it “the fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22). The Spirit produces joy by fixing our attention on Christ. Jesus says, “When the Helper comes … he will bear witness about me” (John 15:26).

Paul describes the Spirit’s work with particular clarity in 2 Corinthians 3. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). That freedom grows as believers behold Christ. “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Spirit opens our eyes, turns us towards the Lord, and changes us through what we behold.

Becoming like what we behold
The Old Testament offers a striking picture of this truth. In Exodus 32, Israel fixes its attention on the golden calf and becomes spiritually dulled, forgetful of the Lord who saved them. In contrast, Moses longs to see God’s glory. “Please show me your glory,” he prays (Exodus 33:18).

God answers by revealing his goodness. “I will make all my goodness pass before you” (Exodus 33:19). Moses is granted a partial vision. When he comes down the mountain, his face shines because he has been with God (Exodus 34:29).

Paul returns to this scene to show what is greater under the new covenant. The law given through Moses came with real glory, yet it was temporary. Believers now receive “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). What Moses could not see unveiled, Christians now behold in Christ.

The glory that gives life
God’s glory is sometimes misunderstood as self-display. Scripture presents it as goodness poured out. When Moses asks to see God’s glory, God speaks of mercy, grace, and steadfast love (Exodus 33:19; 34:6).

That is why the cross stands at the centre of Christian joy. At the cross, the goodness of God passes before us in its clearest form. Here is glory revealed through humility, patience, forgiveness, and love. The face of Christ crucified shows the heart of God with unmistakable clarity. This sight lifts the veil, scatters darkness, and awakens joy.

For some, Christ may still appear distant or unappealing. Others may desire forgiveness or heaven while finding Christ himself strangely unremarkable. Scripture names this condition as a veil over the heart. The invitation of the gospel is simple and searching: turn and look. “Look to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 45:22).

Living in the light
The Christian life is lived in the light of Christ’s glory. As believers look to him in Scripture, prayer, and worship, change takes place, often unnoticed at first. Moses did not realise his face was shining.

This gaze reshapes desire. Sin loses its appeal as Christ becomes more beautiful. Human approval loosens its grip as divine acceptance satisfies the heart. Joy becomes resilient as its source remains unchanged, even when circumstances do not improve. The Lord who gives joy is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

And this renewal is not the end. What now happens by faith will one day be completed by sight. “We shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). On that day, God’s people will fully share his joy and “shine like the brightness of the sky above” (Daniel 12:3).

Until then, the path remains clear. Look to Christ. Behold his glory. And find in him a joy that strengthens faith, sustains obedience, and endures through every season.