Where does JOY come from?

Where does JOY come from?  Paul said to the Roman church: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NIV “so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed.” Romans 15:32 NIV

We learn from the scriptures that joy is not found within ourselves; it comes from God. Most of us have this weird view of joy, thinking that we can decide on it, or that we can find it in meditation or through some personal strength. Joy is not something that we can will into our minds; it is not a concept that I can just decide to start having. Joy is a fruit that is grown from God. That is why it is a fruit of the Spirit; it is the result of giving ourselves to God and to others.
We can’t decide to have joy, but we can do things that result in joy in our lives. Joy begins when we start the removal of the old life, the removal of selfishness and independence from God. Joy continues the more we give ourselves to Jesus. By following Him, by doing the will of God, our joy is made complete. Each moment with Him is a complete one filled with joy.