How many times as believers do we let our joy be stolen by our circumstances?

James 1:2 says: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.”  Joy is supposed to be a characteristic of true believers because it is a fruit of the Spirit.  If we have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, then the character of Christ should show through us, regardless of our circumstances.

As a third-century man was anticipating death, he penned these last words to a friend: “It’s a bad world, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people are the Christians–and I am one of them.”

Does your joy show that you are one of them?