Pastor's Corner: If you have God in your life, you have joy
Do you remember as a little child that song we would sing in Sunday School? “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart to stay.” As a young boy in grade school and junior high would sometimes sing that little song on the school bus on the way home from basketball games.
The rest of this little melody went like this, “And I am so happy, so very happy, I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart.”
Doesn’t it seem at times in our lives where just maybe that joy and love could be missing or stagnant? As a child didn’t it seem like there was more joy and love to go around? We need to start singing that song again and put that little melody back in our hearts.
What does get us through the tough times in life? How do we handle it when we have a week that does not go so well? Nehemiah 8:10, the second part of this verse says, “For this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Psalm 73:26 says, “My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
We can take great joy and peace knowing that our God is more than we will ever need. He is our El Shaddai, which means “God Almighty.” He is our Jehovah-Jireh, which means “The Lord our Provider.” He is our Jehovah-Shalom, which means, “The Lord is Peace.”
In the book of Isaiah, chapter 52, verse 7, he tells us this, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, your God reigns!”
The last three words of this verse we need to hold on to, not let go, be reminded every moment and meditate on … “your God reigns!” Joy, that should fill us up and running over the brim knowing that no matter what we may feel or think, “Our God reigns!”
The joy that the world gives as we all know may only last for a minute or maybe a few weeks, but the joy that God gives us is eternal. The new car or new house may bring joy for a while, but eventually, another car or another house looks more pleasing to the eyes and what you have starts to fade like a rose in a vase after a week or so.
But only God can give to us a supernatural joy that never fades, is eternal when we keep our eyes on Him and not look to the natural things. That same joy will draw people to Jesus, will keep the cares and worries of this life at bay. You will become a walking and talking story teller of the goodness of God and what He has done in your life. People will look at you and not see you but they will see Jesus in you, loving well, kindness and gentleness will exuberant from you.
Like the bright morning sun coming up in the morning after days of gloomy weather, people will be drawn to the Joy of Jesus in you. Like the old commercial that said, “Got milk?”, you will say to people with a boldness because of your joy that oozes out of you, “Got Jesus?”
Remember … “The Joy of the Lord is your strength!”
Rev. Brian King pastors at First Baptist Church of Fairbury
This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Pastor's Corner: If you have God in your life, you have joy
