Our Source of Joy

Be honest... what do you tend to depend on for your happiness? Take a snapshot of the last few years of your life. When you were at your highest high, what was the cause? When you were at your lowest low, what caused the decline? Sadly, the church's telemetry screen looks much like the world's. Those things that make the sinner's heart beat faster with excitement causes ours to thump the same way! Those circumstances that make the sinner's heart murmur in defeat have the same affect on the blood bought child of God.

Where am I going? Really simple... a raise at work makes anybody and everybody smile; the purchase of a new shiny car makes the sun shine brighter; when a dream home is completed, the owner swells with pride. All of these things are well and good but they have one thing in common... they are passing away. You can take it to the bank; if you depend on these types of things for your joy, that joy will be just as passing. The church sports a defeated persona because, for the most part, we haven't recognized that along with our conversion came a new set of standards; a new book of rules. If we desire for our mood to be consistent, the object of our joy has to be something that never changes and that object is the risen Son of God! We have to find ourselves steeped in His word and loyal to His commands. If we abide in His word we'll continue in His love and the Bible says that we will experience His joy in it's fullness.

You want real joy? Stop investing in those things of earth that let you down and are passing away. Lay your treasures up on the other side... for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also!