Greek = chara. Cheerfulness, calm delight, gladness.

Introduction: One of the most joyful people in the history of the world was Mary, the mother of the human nature of our Lord. Her very own soul glorified, or magnified, the Lord, and her spirit did indeed rejoice in God her Savior. Perhaps at that point in history she experienced some of the deep emotion that King David experienced in Psalm 43:4 when he called God "my exceeding joy." In the words of Charles Spurgeon, "Let us bless God that our religion is not one of gloom."

1. Spurgeon taught that a Christian would have fullness of joy by: pleasing God; abiding in God; bringing forth much fruit; keeping His commandments; loving one another. If you are joyful today, which one of those five areas best characterizes your life? If you are not joyful, what might be keeping you from being a Christian example of this fruit of the Spirit?
2. Read Psalm 37:4. Have you been able to find much delight in God lately? How might all of us join in the joyful spirit of an old creed that states, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever?"

3. Read John 15:11. What is Jesus trying to teach us here about joy? Read John 16:24 also.

4. The best Bible teaching on joy very well may be found in the book of Philippians, where Paul writes clearly on this topic. Read Philippians 4:4 and talk about how that can take place.

5. The joy of the Lord is supposed to be our strength in the FCA. Joy is often associated with a bubbly personality, but that can be misleading. Who is your most joyful Huddle participant?

Memory verse: "I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and no one will take away your joy." — John 16:22

Conclusion: "You don’t have to go out and drink and do drugs and do all of those wild things to enjoy life," said Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sean Casey. "You can enjoy life by laughing, having a good time with people, joking it up, hamming it up with your friends. You can find fun in all different kinds of things — it’s your attitude toward things and your optimism for each situation."