God and My Emotions: Devotions From Time of GraceSample

Looking For Joy

You know the old phrase that says, "You get what you pay for." One Christian amended that to this: "You get what you pray for." I’d like to add a third: "You find what you are looking for."

If you have a basically pessimistic outlook on life, if you expect to be disappointed by people, encounter moral and ethical failures, run into financial hardships, and suffer rejection, you will find all those things. If on the other hand you choose an optimistic worldview, that Christ has risen, that all things are possible in Him, that every day you will meet awesome people, that God’s help and support will keep coming from a variety of angles, that there is a solution for every problem, then that’s what you will experience.

Are you looking for joy? Do you believe that there is goodness in the people God is sending into your life? “[Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:7) That isn’t blind faith. It’s eyes-wide-open faith, because it’s not based on naïve and wishful thinking. It’s not a foolish projection of one’s own fantasy life. It’s based on God’s clear promise. Jesus’ resurrection made Him the winner. Your faith in Jesus makes you a winner too.

Look for joy today and you will find it.