Psalm 119:2 reads, "Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts." (NLT)
Today there are so many things that promise us joy. Some of those are instantaneous, some of them cost time or money, but one thing they all have in common is they are temporary.
Yet true lasting joy is experienced when we focus our life on obeying God and searching for him with all of our hearts.
A joyful life is not void of sorrow, Jesus himself was known as a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering (from Isaiah 53). Yet... even the cross wasn't too high of a price to pay for the joy that would come after, (as the writer of Hebrews explains) "For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (from Hebrews 12:2, NIV, emphasis mine)
However, a joyful life of obeying God and searching for him starts with the decision to do just that. There comes a time in our lives when we simply need to decide.
I remember being at that crossroads, at the lowest point of my life, I knew I had a choice before me. Serve God completely, or serve myself.
I have to say that the years that followed that dark time have been seasoned with times of great joy. Joy even in the midst of dealing with the consequences of my own sin. I had a joy that strengthened me when I needed it.
Have you ever chosen to live for him, totally and completely? Not perfectly, for we all have times of stumbling, but have you set off on that road determined to stay on it?
Have you experienced his joy?
