In His Name Devotionals
IN SEARCH OF JOY
In His Name Devotionals
IN SEARCH OF JOY
“But the fruit of the spirit is...joy...” (Galatians 5:22)
Ever heard someone say, “I am going to relax when my kids get out of school.” We live each day of our lives looking forward to the passing of future events. We look forward to getting our driver’s license, graduation from high school, going to college, getting a good job, getting married, having children, retirement. At this stage in my life I am looking forward to seeing my children finishing their education. Our looking forward to the future should not keep us from finding the joy in the present. Solomon said, “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, I have no delight in them” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).
Too many of us just exist, always thinking that things are going to get better. We need to study the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Nestled in the list of the fruits of the spirit, between love and peace, is joy. Love and peace foster a state of well being that allows joy to grow. Rather than waiting till sometime in the future for something to happen that will bring me happiness, we need to look each day for a simple pleasure that makes us smile. It might be a sunrise, a sunset, a green leaf, a flower blooming, a bird singing, a gentle raindrop, a snowflake, a kiss, a hug, a smile, or a laugh that makes us remember the Creator and what He has done for us.
As we get older, we realize much more clearly the need each day to find that youthful joy that the cares and concerns of this world has robbed us of. James said, “Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit. Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, If the Lord wills we shall live and also do this or that” (James 4:13-15).
If we could only live each day as though it were our last—not putting off till tomorrow the joys of today.
