Listen

I have said these things to you so that my joy will be in you and your joy will be complete.

John 15:11

Think

Jesus didn’t say, “Life will always be easy.” But Jesus did say that his joy could be in us, no matter what. That tells us something huge: joy isn’t just about being happy when things go our way. It’s deeper than a mood. Joy is a steady confidence that comes from knowing we are loved and held by God, and we are never alone. Even on hard days, when we feel stressed, lonely, or like we just can’t deal with what’s happening, God offers us something unshakeable. God’s joy fills us from the inside, even if things around us are falling apart.

Have you ever put on sunglasses that are tinted in a different color? Looking through them, everything suddenly becomes a shade of that color. It changes the colors we see around us to all be that one color.

That’s what God’s joy does when it fills us up. It helps us see everything through the lens of joy. It gives us courage. It reminds us that we belong. And it helps us live fully, with hope and trust.

Lauren Mills

Question to Ponder:

What would it look like to have God’s joy in your life even on an ordinary or hard day?

Pray

Jesus, help me know God’s joy in every part of my life today.

Amen.

Go

May you walk in the deep joy of Jesus today: joy that stays with you in every moment and flows from God’s heart to yours.