Being Joyful, Not Just Happy | AS BOLD AS LIONS DEVOTIONAL | January 23, 2023

Being Joyful, Not Just Happy | AS BOLD AS LIONS DEVOTIONAL | January 23, 2023

Do not grieve, because your strength comes from rejoicing in the LORD. Nehemiah 8:10

Emotions come and go. Happiness and sadness can all exist within the same day, from one moment to the next depending upon our circumstances. How then does one develop contentment and even have joy despite the emotions swirling around? For myself, I find a difference between pursuing happiness in life and living in a state of joy. Happiness can be fleeting and although I have a desire to always be happy, look happy, and pursue what makes me happy, I don’t think it’s a reality. God knows us intimately and knows there are seasons of the soul. But a common thread throughout those seasons must be one of joy.

Joy is something that points us beyond just this life. “A joyful hope” ultimately means that when our days are over, we will be taken up into glory if we are in Christ. We will go to a place without sorrow or tears, a place made perfect by His presence. What that means for us in the here and now, is that nothing in this life can possibly shake us from the joy that we gain in knowing Christ. Just as Jesus was able to endure the cross, because of the “joy that lay before Him,” we are able to endure whatever life brings. Jesus’ went to the cross knowing it would ultimately bring joy for you and I. That news doesn’t just make me happy, it makes me rejoice!

Question for today: What does living in a state of joy rather than pursuing happiness look like for me?

Pray: Jesus you went to the cross with the promise of heaven being the joy laid before you. Thank you for going to the cross and for modeling to us what true joy looks like.

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