True joy is not a fleeting emotional expression; as a child of God, joy should be a lifestyle. You cannot be at your best in a sorrowful, bitter, sad, depressed, and unhappy state of mind. However, how do we live a joyful life in a world filled with chaos and misery? This devotional provides some answers.
Daniel Cole
Day 1
Scriptures: Philippians 4:4, Isaiah 60:22
The True Anchor for a Lasting Joy
Phil 4:4, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice.”
When we place Philippians 4:4 side-by-side with the current happening in the world, it is easy to assume that the verse was probably an afterthought or a mere suggestion. How can we rejoice always in the face of evil around the world? Hunger and Starvation, war, suicide, murder, diseases, terrorism, joblessness, socioeconomic unrest, and the list goes on. Could it be that Apostle Paul was oblivious to the evil around the world when he wrote this letter to the Philippians? No, that couldn’t be logically accurate. Apostle Paul had his fair share of pain and tribulations.
When we see joy as an outcome-based reality, Philippians 4:4 no longer holds. True joy is not anchored based on outcomes, expectations, positive or negative realities, success or failures; true joy is anchored on faith in Christ Jesus, that, despite the evils or events around us, we can still live a joyful life.
You don’t have to have all your ducks in a row; you don’t have to have life figured out; you don’t have to have all the answers to life’s questions to be joyful, but you’ve got to have faith that God has your best interest at heart. You are not waiting for your goals to succeed to become joyful; on the contrary, you are a joyful person waiting for your goals to succeed.
True joy is not a fleeting emotional expression; as a child of God, joy should be a lifestyle. You cannot be at your best in a sorrowful, bitter, sad, depressed, and unhappy state of mind. Hence, anything that contends with your joy is never from God. The devil plans to keep us focused on what is not working yet in our lives, but we must not take that bait. Take your joy away from expectations. Take your joy away from outcomes. Take your joy away from people’s promises. Why? Isaiah 60:22, “When the time is right, I the Lord will make it happen.”
An absolute peaceful world, void of pain, evil, cruelty, hunger, and strife, to name a few, is only possible through divine intervention. Sadly, this is our painful existential reality. Though we may play our roles in managing and containing the evil around us, we’ve got to admit that only God can create a perfect world. The freedom of choice is one of God’s greatest gifts to humankind; how we express it creates the kind of world we live in.
We’ve got to be intentional about living each day joyfully, irrespective of the circumstances around us. Every day is a gift, and this day is not coming back. Live your best life now.
Day 2
Scriptures: Galatians 6:4, 2 Corinthians 10:12
Comparison, the Greatest Joy Killer
“Don’t compare yourself with others. Just look at your own work to see if you have done anything to be proud of.” Galatians 6:4
We can draw inspiration and courage from other people’s success and achievements, but we should never attempt to look at our lives from the prism of their accolades. There will always be someone doing better than you, and there will always be someone you are doing better than. The goal is to find joy in the excellence and integrity of your own work and assignment. You have to embrace the uniqueness of your calling and purpose if you are going to live a joyful and peaceful life.
As children of God, we should contend against and defy the urge to conform to societal stereotypical standards or measures—be it the standard of success, beauty, character or virtue. The world standards are moving signposts. Don’t aim to catch up with it; it’s a set-up for a frustrated life. It will rob you of your joy. “Godliness and contentment are great gains.” (1 Tim 6:6). Jesus is the true measure and perfect standard.
When you compare your life outcomes with someone else’s, it’s always a subtle attempt to mock God. But God cannot be mocked. There is nothing that robs us of our joy more quickly than comparison; it’s an immature and ungodly thing to do.
Parents, never compare your child with someone else’s child; it robs them of recognizing and embracing their own uniqueness. Wives, never compare your husband to someone else’s; it robs him of his confidence, and husbands, never compare your wife to someone else’s; it’s an ungodly thing to do.
It is only in Jesus Christ we can find a true sense of fulfilment and joy from our works, not by comparing our results or outcomes with other people. Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians puts it this way, “Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!” (2 Cor 10:12).
When we have a grounded understanding of God as a loving father who will never deny us anything good, it settles every internal conflict and contentions as to why others may have something we want, but we don’t have it. God knows what we need, when we need it, if we need it, why we need it, and how to get it to us. We have to settle this in our hearts.
A joyful and peaceful life is contingent on a contented life. It doesn’t mean we have to settle for less than God’s best; it simply means while we trust God for more and play our part in reaching out for it, we are content and fulfilled in whatever season we are in.
Day 3
Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Philippians 4:6
The Power of Gratitude
1Thess. 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I have a journal called the gratitude journal, where I document the things I’m grateful for in life. Why is this important to me? I have realized that as humans, the more we reach out for more in life, the easier it is to forget God’s goodness in the past. We can be so fixated on the next that we forget where we are coming from. We can get so frustrated with slight delays, be it the next car, the next job, or the next breakthrough, that we forget our past miracles. Remembering the tough seasons we survive is a good anchor in our waiting seasons.
There are probably challenges and problems you never knew how you survived, but through the help of God, you did. Maybe it’s a health issue, a job loss, an accident, or a legal matter. At the time, all hope seemed lost, and there wasn’t a way out, but God came through. Don’t just gloss over these experiences as if they don’t matter; write them out as points of gratitude. Remember, a grateful life is a joyful life.
The goal is not to stay in the past. No, life has to be progressive, and the best of God is never your past miracles, but while you forge ahead, remember, acknowledge and document the things you are grateful for. In the wilderness, the Israelites experienced miracles upon miracles, manna from heaven, water from the rock, and an abundant supply of quails as meat. They had the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, but just like many of us, they forget all of these, and one by one, they almost all perish in the wilderness.
The goal of the devil is to keep us focused on what is not working yet in our lives and consequently lure us to deny God. We see this in the life of Job. He inflicted him with so much pain and tragedy that at its climax, his wife said to him, curse God and die. But Job stood his ground, and in the end, God gave him back double for everything he lost.
You cannot live a joyful life if you are not intentional about your gratitude. Write down at least three things you are grateful for today. The more grateful you are, the more things you will have to be grateful for. The Bible says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Phil 4:6).
Day 4
Scriptures: Psalms 118:24, Proverbs 19:21
Don’t Trade Joy for Expectations
Psalm 118:24 “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Anticipation, if not well managed, can rob us of our joy. The Psalmist said, “This is the day that the Lord has made…” not yesterday, not tomorrow, not the future, but today. Yesterday is a memory; tomorrow is a prospect; but today is a gift. Enjoy it.
God’s pattern of provision focuses on one day at a time. When God provided manna for the Israelites, he instructed them to only take enough for the day. Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will cause food to fall from the sky. This food will be for you to eat. Every day the people should go out and gather the food they need that day. I will do this to see if they will do what I tell them.” (Exodus 16:4).
When Jesus was teaching his disciples how to pray, what we now know as the Lord’s prayer, one of the lines says, “Give us today, our daily bread.” These patterns aim to teach us a life of daily absolute trust and faith in Jesus.
Eventually, all our hopes and aspirations will come true if they align with God’s will, but trading our joy and peace of mind for those grand moments is not God’s desire for us. Friends, eventually, you will buy that property; you will get that job; you will buy that car; you will have that beautiful marriage and happy home; you will have those beautiful children; you will get that degree; you will get that healing, but while those realities are still in view, live.
We don’t have to live so uptight, waiting for the big moment to live a joyful life. Enjoy each day as a gift because it’s not coming back. Find joy in the little things. Smell the roses; feel the sunshine; enjoy the rain.
Life will give you one thousand and one reasons to be sad, hopeless, and cynical; all you need to do is turn on the news. Is it war and terrorism; is it natural disasters, suicide cases, starvation and hunger, murder and robbery, kidnapping and child molestation? There is enough going on around the world to be sad about, but you have to be intentional about living out your joy. Sometimes, we have to leave the big stuff for God to solve while we play our part. Only God can create a world of absolute peace, void of tyranny and chaos.
Starting today, take your joy away from that goal. Life is defined by moments, and these moments become memories we later cherish in our twilight years. Plan for tomorrow, but don’t live there. Remember, today is the day that the Lord has made. Be glad and rejoice in it.
Day 5
Scriptures: Galatians 5:22-23, Habakkuk 3:17-18, Psalms 30:5
Be Careful of the Superficial and Elusive Pursuit of Joy
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Gal. 5:22-23).
There are no scientific or superficial means to creating a true and lasting joyful life—not psychedelics, not drugs, not alcohol, not sexual immoralities, nothing. All of these only leave us more empty. It’s a craving we can never fill on our own. We sometimes anaesthetize ourselves with these things to numb the pain of the vacuum we fill inside, but only God can fill that vacuum, and only God can completely heal and restore a broken heart. True joy is the fruit of the Spirit, not a by-product of chemical-induced substances.
When the Spirit of God dwells in us, joy becomes our inherent experience. It is something we may not be able to explain or articulate. Our success and progress may bring temporary happiness and excitement, but they are always short-lived. True joy is not bound to outcomes or probabilities; it is one of the manifestations of the Spirit of God that lives in us.
A joyful life is not necessarily a perfect life; no, we will always have moments of disappointment and sadness, and we may sometimes get overwhelmed by the burden of life responsibilities and unplanned circumstances, but remember what the Bible says, “Sorrow may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5).
You have to be deliberate in keeping and protecting your joy. Someone cut you off in traffic; stay joyful. Don’t lose it. If someone says something negative about you, leave them alone. God is your vindicator. Stay joyful. People may try to bait you into conflict and strife; don’t take the bait; ignore them and keep your joy. Don’t get involved in battles that are not between you and your divine destiny. Stay calm and let God fight your battles.
Make peace with yourself that not everyone will be at peace with you. King Saul was not at peace with David, yet he ascended the throne. The commissioners and satraps find all means to find fault and accusation against Daniel, but in the end, who did the King promote? Daniel! Protect your joy from the naysayers.
People sometimes go through life bitter, resentful, and cynical and find all means to drag you into their drama; be careful. Let the dead bury their dead. Sometimes, you have to deliberately excuse yourself from tables and rooms that no longer serve you. Protect your joy and peace of mind.
Friends, I want to leave you with this, Habakkuk 3:17-18, “Though the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”