Joy is a choice! In John 15:11, Jesus reminds us that His joy is meant to remain in us, making our joy complete. Discover how choosing to be joyful, even in difficult times, can transform your life and strengthen your faith. Read more for encouragement and biblical wisdom!
Episode Transcript
As we gather this morning from Morning Moments with Jesus.
You know, as I think about our devotions that we
do day after day, week after week, and trying to
draw us into the presence of the Lord early in
the morning. That's what Morning Moments with Jesus is designed
to do, is just give us a little time together
and draw ourselves into the presence of God before we
(00:27):
start our day. But it came to my mind this
morning as I was preparing for this devotion that devotions
are great in the fact that they do draw us
into the presence of God. They confirm some things in
our lives. Sometimes they encourage us on something that we've
got to do or things we've got to face. But
(00:48):
if we rely totally upon devotions or even the preaching
of the Word or songs to bring us joy or
to bring us that stability in life, then we miss
a great treasure because those things are there as tools
(01:08):
to help us stay connected to those things, but they
are never designed to bring us true joy in life
and peace in life. That can only come through the
power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in you and
your ability to allow God's Spirit today after day, week
(01:29):
after week, moment by moment to enrich your life and
to bring you closer to His presence. So with that
in mind, this morning we talk about finding joy, and
it's found in John fifteen and verse number eleven, the
verse that God brings us to this morning that says this,
these things have I spoken unto you, that my joy
(01:52):
might remain in you, and that your joy might be
full as I look in the Word of God, Jesus
speaks often of what our conditions should be like on earth.
And although our lives are few and full of trouble,
the Bible says our approach to living life that's the key. See,
(02:16):
he tells us that we should live under the influence
of His peace and not the world's peace. That he
came to give us an abundant life, not one of
gloom and one of sorrow. And we are under the
illusion sometimes that joy is somewhere else, it's the next place,
it's the next thing. But joy abides in us through
(02:41):
the power of the Holy Spirit. I came across as
saying the other day, I'd like to share with you
It simply said this that we need to be beware
of destination addiction, and that's the idea that happiness and
joy is in the next place, in the next job,
(03:01):
or even in the next relationship. Until we give up
the idea that joy is somewhere else, it will never
be where you are. So as we look at that
this morning, in this verse, Jesus desires for his joy
to remain in us through the Holy Spirit, but that
the joy might be full. That means all encompassing everything
(03:26):
we have is joy. Happiness is often based on our
circumstances at the moment, but true joy is a choice.
True joy is a lifestyle. It's a spiritual position, not
a physical position. So maybe it's time this morning you
stop believing that true inner joy is always going to
(03:50):
be found in things or people, places or positions, and
you begin to live a life of inner joy that
can only be found in Jesus. So I pray that
blessing over you today. I pray that you stop looking
for joy and everything else. See, that's the pursuit of happiness,
(04:15):
and happiness is not a bad thing. But happiness is
usually based on who you're with, or what you're doing,
or if things are right in the world. But true
joy comes from Jesus that no matter what is going
on in the world. I can experience joy in my
(04:38):
life because it's a choice, it's a lifestyle, it's something
I choose to walk in. And I want you to
be safe, be strong, and be blessed in knowing that
Jesus Christ said that he came that his joy might
(04:59):
re ain in you, and that your joy might be full.
So go out today and find joy, not in things,
not in people, but in Jesus. Have a great day.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Burden
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.