J-O-Y

Ps. 118:²⁴  “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Do you know anyone or are you the kind of person that remains joyful in times of adversity and uncertainty? If it is someone you know, then what strikes you most about that person? While we were sharing this topic at Thrive, our midweek Worship Experience, someone told us about a venerable he knew.He said the man’s wife died on a Sunday morning and the venerable still showed up in church to perform his duties before God. I know someone that lost his sister and still went to a Thanksgiving Service to preach and dance. Even though he was in so much pain, he said to God, “You are bigger than this!” Joy is just amazing. Yet there are people that are pointing their fingers at God because of a flat tyre. May fire not consume your hand, in Jesus Name!

However, sometimes we think that the purpose of life is that everything happening to us will be good. We think that the purpose of our lives is to be happy. We think that the purpose of life is for us to get cookies, get the good stuff. Sometime we go through a rough patch and we conclude that something must be wrong. The truth is that God has a bigger picture. Some people will say, “If I am serving a Living God then where is He?” Again, the truth is that God sometimes allows some things to happen so that we can become all that He has created us to be.

God is more committed to your holiness over your happiness. Do not get me wrong; God wants you to be happy. But if God needs to choose between what will make you holy and what will make you happy, He will choose holiness. And most times it would not make us happy. But God will choose holiness because becoming holy means becoming a partaker of His nature because He is holy. God is more committed to your character than to your comfort. If God needs to choose, He will pick what will build character in us over what will give us comfort. But most times what builds character is uncomfortable. Regardless of what comes, God wants us to be joyful.

Prayer [song]: Let Your Living Water flow over my soul. Let Your Holy Spirit come and take control of every situation that has troubled my mind. All my cares and burdens unto You I roll. Jesus… Amen!