God's Promise of Joy

Thought For Today - October 10
God's Promise of Joy
By: Robert A Searles

We are told that the pursuit of happiness is the right of every one of God's created human beings, and so it is,; but sometimes, we are misguided into believing that happiness and joy are one and the same., but this is not necessarily true. Happiness must be pursued, and sometimes we find it, and sometimes we don't. Whether or not we are happy at any one particular moment can very often depend upon our state of health, our financial situation, our possessions, our gains or losses etc.
Joy, on the other hand, is a deep seated, lively emotion of happiness, a sense of gladness, and delight and well being that is a fixation in our soul that was not found by our pursuit, but has been imparted to us as a gift from almighty God. If we have ever experienced the overwhelming sense of security and gladness, delight, and well being welling up from the depth of our innermost being, even in times when our body may be experiencing pain, or our bank account balance showing zero, or perhaps we have experienced some great disappointment, or even in times of great loss or even death itself., then we have experienced true joy.
Happiness is contingent upon our present situation or state of affairs, and no one could expect to be what the world calls extremely happy when stressed out by worry over health, finances, and our every day problems which we are trying to resolve by our own worldly wisdom; but when we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we can take all our burdens to him, and not only can we find peace and happiness, but he will give us his assurance of our salvation, and give us his joy. We are told to take our burdens to the Lord and leave them there.
Sometimes in the pursuit of happiness, we try to convince ourselves that we can find happiness and experience joy if we get that new house or that new automobile, or if we go to the shopping mall and accumulate a new wardrobe, and spend money for things that we do not really need, and sometimes find that we have over burdened ourselves with debt that only adds to our unhappiness in the end. Sometimes we even go to extremes and think that if we were in a different relationship with someone else other than the one to whom we are espoused, that we would have more happiness and joy, but none of these artificial remedies can bring us true happiness and everlasting joy.
The basic problem with all of us is that we are all sinners and separated from God, our creator. In order to be filled with joy, and experience true happiness, we need to have our sins forgiven, and fellowship restored with God. We are all guilty before God of being born sinners. We need God's forgiveness and pardon. Christ came into the world for this very purpose, that though his death on the cross, men and women, boys and girls, might find forgiveness and restoration to God our Father. Until we, by faith, come to Christ, believing that he is God in human flesh, and that he offered himself on the cross for our salvation and freedom from sin and its' penalty of guilt and damnation, we will always be carrying around within our souls a heavy burden of guilt, because, whether we realize it or not, our discontent and unhappiness is the result of our guiltiness before God.
We do not have to carry this heavy burden of a guilty conscience on our shoulders because all we have to do is to come to Christ by faith, believing his word that he is willing to save to the uttermost all who come to God by him. Sincerely ask for his forgiveness, and open our hearts and minds to him so that he might fill us with his Holy Spirit, and then we are born again, the children of God, and then the joy of the Lord fills our entire being. When we have the joy of the Lord in our hearts, then what we think of as happiness is there also regardless of our state of being or situation in life. God has not promised that we will not have trials and tribulations and problems, but he has promised us everlasting joy, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
“Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name; ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full.” John 16: 24.
“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost” Romans 15:13.
“And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their hearts; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35: 10.
Oh satisfy us early with thy mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” Psalm 90: 14.
“Thou will show me the path of life, in thy presence is fullness of joy: at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11.
“If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you that your joy may be full,” John:15:10-11
“And ye now therefore have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy, no man taketh from you” John 16:22.
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30: 5.
You will experience Joy in serving Jesus.
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