Today’s Scripture: 1 Chronicles 16:27 NIV
Splendour and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place.
People seek joy but cannot find it because they seek it in all the wrong places. Life is incredibly transient. As such, we cannot find lasting joy in anything the world offers. Wealth, like fame, is fleeting; it is futile to seek enduring joy in them. Power, even for the most brutal dictator, is soon wrested away; to be pitied is the person who hopes to find lasting joy in it. Earthly relationships, vital as they are, cannot give lasting joy because loyalties often wane, and the strongest of friendships are sometimes strained. The truth is, joy can never be found in anything this world gives. True joy is only found in the Presence of God.
”It’s a bad world,” a third century man wrote to his friend, “an incredibly bad world, but I have discovered in the midst of it, a quiet and holy people who have learned a great secret. They have found a joy which is a thousand times better than any pleasure of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people are the Christians.”
Yes! We have a source of joy that transcends this world, reaching into the very Presence of God. The Bible says, “Strength and joy are in His dwelling place” (1 Chronicles 16:27b). What a great joy it is then to know that we have access to the Presence of God by Jesus; access to unlimited joy. We are often tempted to abandon this endless channel of joy, and go seeking for it in the fleeting offerings of the world. But indeed, fullness of joy is in His Presence. We need not seek it anywhere else. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit, housing the very Presence of God Himself. We cannot but exude joy. This joy must be reflected in our corporate and personal worship.
The Jews have an interesting fable: Satan was asked in the pits of hell what he missed the most about heaven. Without skipping a beat, he replied; “The sound of the trumpets every morning.” God’s Presence is filled with rejoicing. So, come into His Presence every morning with singing and rejoicing. Let His praise continually be in your mouth. Let an attitude commensurate with joy be inherent in you; speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs; sing continually to the Lord, making melody to Him in your heart. We carry the Presence of God. We have the joy of the Lord, and it is our strength, in the name of Jesus.
Memorize & Meditate:
“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11
Prayer/Confession:
Father, in Your Presence is joy everlasting. I choose to dwell in Your Presence. Grant me the grace to continually abide therein. I have joy like a river, in Jesus’ name.
