Posts with the tag “joy”

"But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works." - Psalm 73:28 Envy loses its power when purpose takes its place. The psalmist who once wrestled with comparison came to a simple but powerful truth: it is good to be near God. When he focused on others, he felt frustrated and bitter. But when he turned his eyes back to God, his heart foun...  Read More

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." - Psalm 1:2 The search for happiness drives most of what people do. We chase new experiences, new things, and new goals, hoping each one will finally make us feel complete. But no matter how much we gain, the joy fades. The thrill wears off.  The psalmist in Psalm 1 points us to a different kind of happiness, o...  Read More

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit." - Psalm 51:12 Healing is not just about what God does for you. It is also about how you respond to Him. Many people come to God when they are hurting, desperate, or broken, and He graciously meets them there. But true healing does not stop with receiving. It continues with returning. It is in coming back to God after t...  Read More

"Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks." - Luke 17:15-16 Most people are good at asking God for help, but not everyone is good at returning to say thank you. In Luke 17, ten lepers cried out to Jesus for mercy. They were outcasts, cut off from family and community, desperate for heali...  Read More

"May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy." - Colossians 1:11 There is a kind of strength that does more than help you hold on. It fills you with joy even while the storm is still raging. That is what Paul prayed over the believers in Colossians 1:11. Not just for survival, but for endurance that is marked by joy. Joy might no...  Read More

"For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." – John 3:16 We have looked at all kinds of exchanges lately. We have talked about trading comfort for the cross, selfishness for the Savior, and judgment for joy. But none of those matter without the one exchange that makes them all possible. The exchange...  Read More

"For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each according to what he has done." – Matthew 16:27 There is something strange about judgment. None of us likes to be on the receiving end of it, but somehow, we often feel justified when we are the ones handing it out. We may not say it out loud, but our thoughts can be quick to assume, quick...  Read More