From Sunday Morning
by Bro. Linton on May 01, 2016
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Psalms 16:11).
In life we forget about the joy promised to us through Jesus Christ (Luke 2:10). We look to the world to fill a void in our life instead of to God. Even when we realize God desires to bless us, we get too caught up in the gifts He gives us instead of taking joy in the Giver.
True joy can only be found in Jesus. Our search should not be in materialistic things, but in the pursuit of the Lord, Jesus Christ. If we’re unwilling to empty ourselves of everything the world can give us, or even what we can manifest in our own lives (e.g., pride), there won’t be any room for His joy.
We get confused about what true joy is—we’ve allowed the world to define it. Emotions and circumstances do not have anything to do with God’s joy. If we can hold onto the true joy in Jesus, we will see it will never leave us.
As in the days of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 8:9–12), we have sought after idols in this life. These dead things have stolen the joy the Lord has given us. We can’t get comfortable in this world and seek to be fulfilled by the things in it. The world will give us false comfort and joy—it looks good on the outside, but it’s dead on the inside.
We need to listen to the Word of the Lord today and allow it to increase our faith—faith to know God will supply our every need; one of those needs is joy! If we allow the fullness of the Lord to enter our life, we will experience the fullness of true joy. All we have to do is ask today, and we can experience that joy (John 16:24).
