“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” — Philippians 4:4, NIV
So where should we find our joy? We can find complete joy only in God. In many instances, the Scriptures direct us to find joy in our hope in God. For example, Psalm 16:11 mentions finding joy in God’s presence, Philippians 4 instructs us to rejoice in the Lord, and in John 15, Jesus tells us that He gives His complete joy to us.
It is important to cultivate joy in our lives, even when we are not feeling happy. This does not mean we should fake or hide our emotions. Instead, it means that we can chose to pursue Jesus and the joy we can find in Him in all of our circumstances.
Our relationship with Jesus is our greatest joy. He gave His life for us so that we could have a relationship with Him. He gives us complete joy, which we simply cannot find apart from Him. His joy is a gift that we can choose to accept and pursue no matter where we are in life and no matter our situation.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” — Romans 15:13, NIV
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