should christians have a permanent sense of joy and peace regardless of circumstances?

Answer 1

For me personally, not joy all the time. Life can get pretty rough some days. Peace seems to be a good constant in my life though. It's an inner Peace.

Answer 2

Absolutely. And the problem many seem to not understand is that a state of joy and peace do not necessarily mean a life without troubles or pain. The joy and peace that comes from trusting Jesus is deeper than the troubles we experience in our lives from just plain old living!

Great question and God bless you!

Answer 3

To some this may be a difficult question to respond to and I will explain. Within our modern Christian culture to many Christians think God is some Santa Claus or some twinkle fairy that helps them feel good about themselves. Now being a Christian I know that may sound pretty harsh and like I'm bashing Christianity. But within the scriptures it clearly points out that we will suffer and experience pain. Now the peace and joy that this world has is different than the peace and joy that as christian is suppose to have. Hope this helps. God bless

Answer 4

Not always. Peace and joy are fruits of the spirit. Some times when we are in a bad spot, we may not have peace or joy, but God can, and does give them to us if we ask for them. It is quite an amazing thing when God gives you that gift. Don't beat yourself up if you don't have them. Just ask. Sometimes having a trial or crisis makes us seek God's face and that't what He is looking for. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

On should not feel joy at the wrong times. It is like a drug to feel joy, when real life conditions, don't give you a reason, for feeling that way. On the other hand, one can be strong enough to be at peace, even with very harsh conditions arround you. And use this calmness, to be of help to others.

Answer 6

No.
Even Jesus wept when his friend Lazarus died... and he knew his friend was going to be resurrected. But the sadness of those around him still affected him so profoundly that he 'gave way to tears'.
Even though Christians are to be happy- even when persecuted we don't rejoice over being ill-treated. We rejoice when we maintain our integrity and faith.
And now-a-days, there are many chemical imbalances which can come into play and other health problems.

We merely try to cultivate a spirit of thankfulness- not being overly pessimistic or gloomy. We rejoice over the blessings we do have and pray for strength and a quiet spirit (contentment).

Good question!

**Edit.
Flying King, I believe the scripture you're thinking of is Revelation 21:3, 4 which to paraphrase is: 'and he will wipe out every tear from their eyes and death will be no more, neither more mourning or suffering be any more- the former things have passed away.'
But it's referring to the Paradise earth once God destroys the wicked and people are able to live in righteousness forever.

Answer 7

A true Christian does. Because we know this life is just a passing phase. The real joy and peace is yet to come.

Answer 8

No, that would not be unlike the current movement in the psychological/psychiatric world to suppress all negative thoughts, emotions and actions. We are able to understand happiness because we know what sadness is; we have a greater appreciation for plentifulness because we know what it feels like to be deprived of something. I believe the words spoken by Jesus--e.g. when He said, "All tears will be wiped away in heaven" or something like that--are intended to bring hope to us when we are in our most dire circumstances. Sometimes pain lingers and seems like it will never go away. It is at these moments that the promise of a happy afterlife of abundance or a future when my cup will runneth over give me the most comfort. One good thing about pain is that it is temporary. Jesus said, "I am a doctor who has been sent to heal the sick." Many of the words of joy and happiness that He spoke were meant to comfort those who are farthest from these calm experiences.

Answer 9

This life will have ups and downs, but as a Christian, I can say that I manage to meet crises much easier since I have the inner peace that God has given me.

And everyday things just don't get to me like they used to. My life is much calmer and full of joy since I accepted Jesus many years ago.

Answer 10

Yes, but it's not the 'joy' or 'peace' defined by the world. Instead, it's a simple, underlying sense that no matter what happens, we will ultimately be okay.