Happy or Joyful? by Lane Jordan Burday
Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. (Psalm 21:6)
When someone asks about your child or grandchildren, we usually say, “He’s fine! I just want him to be happy!”
And who doesn’t want our loved ones as well as ourselves to be happy?
But the problem with happiness is that it is so fleeting. You may want that new dress in the window, a new car, or new furniture. And these things are all right to have. But have you noticed that after you get them, your happiness doesn’t last? That’s because ‘things’ are temporal.
But real, inner joy comes from our relationship with the Lord—His very presence—and it is lasting!
You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11 NKJV).
Oh, how I wish I’d known this years ago! When we are in our twenties, most of us work as hard as we can to afford all the dreams we have for what will make us happy.
But as we mature and walk daily with our Father in heaven, there comes an inner joy and peace that words cannot express what it is like.
All I know is that this Joy cannot be duplicated. God, through His Holy Spirit, fills us with the beautiful fruits that give us an amazing life!
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
And what’s amazing is that we can have this joy without ever seeing Jesus! Peter explains in I Peter 1:8:
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.
My prayer for you today is that you can also have the inexpressible, glorious joy that God wants to give you. All you have to do is ask Jesus into your life by submitting your all to Him.
A new life awaits you when you walk with Jesus!
Our latest devotional book, Treasure, just won the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA) Golden Scroll Award for “Devotional book of the Year!” It was also named the “Best Christian Non-Fiction Book” by the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. If you have not purchased Treasure, it is not too late. Lane Jordan Burday and Lisa Burkhardt Worley, along with the POP Team, combined their talents to write the book, which is full of wonderful inspiration. You will be inspired by the messages, and receive daily treasure as God will speak to you through His Holy Spirit. To buy Treasure just click on the Amazon link that takes you directly to the page and check out our new e-book. https://tinyurl.com/2uj9sn5x.