Joy beyond belief

Where is your joy, in things you have or want, in others, in yourself?

Do you know all these things are temporary, they will go away and they will all let you down?

We sacrifice the eternal for the temporary when we should exchange the temporary for the eternal.

Joy is something that most people never experience, they might feel happy for a moment, proud, but joy not so much. Joy comes from inside our souls, it comes with a right relationship with Christ Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

We try to fill that emptiness inside us with new, bright shining things or with a spouse or children, or with a promotion and more money, but in our pursuit for joy we encumber ourselves and get bogged down with things, and these things keep us from seeing what we are missing.

Until we put Christ first in our lives we will not have joy, we might have temporary happiness but at what cost?

Joy isn't found in our circumstances, joy isn't found in our accomplishments, joy isn't found in anything or anywhere except in Christ.

Those who seek joy will never find it, to find joy we must first seek Christ, joy is given to us when we are in Him, the areas of our lives we have given Christ are the areas we have the most joy in, the areas we don't experience joy in are the areas we need to turn over to Him.

Do you have joy in your life no matter what is going on around you?

I don't find it joyous to struggle in my health, but I find joy in sharing Christ with others, I find joy in knowing that God is for me, I find joy in knowing my home is in heaven with Him for eternity and this is all temporary, my joy is in Christ, for He sought me and saved me, He changed me and continues to change me daily, He has great plans that He works in my life every day and He holds me and helps through everything.

This I know what Christ has done for me and continues to do in my life, He will do in yours, if you don't have joy you're missing the greatest part of this life, today right now ask Christ Jesus to show you what joy is, surrender your life to Him, if you're His already and you're missing joy ask Christ to fill your life with His.

If Christ found joy in the cross so you and I could be with Him for eternity, surely we can find joy in Him always no matter what is going on around us, for we know that this is all temporary and Heaven, where He lives, is eternal.

Surrender it all to Him and have joy everlasting. That is how God created us to have an eternal relationship with Him, that is what Jesus prayed for us, it is time you stopped being robbed of all God has for you and start living in Him.

God's word says this:

“Now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy completed in them. I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. I sanctify myself for them, so that they also may be sanctified by the truth. “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me. “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they will see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the world’s foundation.”
John 17:13-24 CSB

“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 CSB

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22-25 CSB

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
1 Peter 1:8-9 CSB