Joy is the Pursuit of God

Do you remember when you were growing up, what joy life was? All the new things that you learned? All the things that you got to do?

Of course there are many children that grow up in homes where there is alcoholism, divorce, drugs and more.

But I am thinking of the homes where there was at least some good times and joy. Families whose home life wasn't abusive, even though there may have been problems. 

Where did all those years go? Years that when we grew to adult hood and had to enter into responsibility. Of raising kids. Of keeping a home. Of sharing our life with a mate. Of holding a job. 

Joy doesn't usually just come up and hit us on the head. We might have to find it. We might have to pray for it. 

But instead we sometimes go looking for it in all the wrong places.

The best place to find it is in our pursuit of a Holy God. Our Father that loves us and wants to share a relationship with us.

And those pursuits of Him sometimes start at an ulter where we ask God for forgiveness of our sin. They might start in someone's home that leads us in a salvation prayer. It might start and even continue in simply reading His Word.. Where there is an abiding peace with Him. Along with everlasting joy even when we don't feel very happy. He is there for us. In our quiet times alone when no one else sees our pain. 

Romans 15:13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.

1 Chronicles 16:27 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place.

1 John 1:4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

These verses are just a few, showing us that God wants us to experience Joy. He does not look down from his high place in heaven to crack a whip at His creation to make us miserable.

Would you not agree, that we make ourselves miserable enough at times?  And then sometimes we might even blame God for the fact we are miserable. Or at least for letting us getting into the messes we do?

God is love. He is our refuge. He is our strength. He is our all and all. 

He is our God.

That is for those that love and are his children through the shed blood of his Son, Jesus. 

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. I hope you are having a joyful and blessed Lord's Day in Jesus.