All of us want to be happy. We want our kids to be happy. Our
culture tells us we deserve to be happy. The Bible leads us into something
more; a deep, soul-filling joy. Yes, there is a difference. Happiness depends
on circumstances. To be happy, this has to happen; the right job, the perfect
partner, the deserved vacation, or___? You fill in the blank. What blanks are
you waiting to be filled in order to be satisfied? Instead, maybe we should ask
to be filled with a perpetual spiritual joy.
No matter how we try
to fill our lives without Jesus, they remain half-empty. There will forever and
always be a God-sized hole. Jesus promises us a joy that can never be removed.
I have seen this deep joy in others around me; in my friend, still suffering
the repercussions of a severe stroke suffered many years ago. I have seen it in
a woman I visited over the years, suffering with heart failue, with an attached
oxygen tank and blindness. How?
They know Jesus.
They know Him intimately. He is real. He is there. He fills them with true joy.
Every step they take relies on Him. Every word they speak is spoken in service
to Him. They give to others sacrificially, even in a state others may view as
impossible. Jesus offers a new type of joy.
I have told you this so my joy may be in you and
that your joy may be complete. John 15:11
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and
even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an
inexpressible and glorious joy. 1 Peter 1:8
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again,
Rejoice! Philippians 4:4
Don’t rule your life
based on finding fleeting happiness. The happenings in our life don’t guarantee
a worldly contentment. But Jesus does. He will bless us no matter what. He will
fill our souls with His kind of love and joy. And it is heavenly.
Jesus,
Only You have the way, the truth and the life. It is an
abundant life. The life that is led by You offers deep joy. Lead us into that
kind of joy. It is unlike any other.
Amen
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