Daily
Devotional

A man who comes to our church is known for being joyful. He is not only a “morning person,” but also a “mid-day person,” an “evening person,” and a “night person.” His cheerful attitude is truly impressive. The year before last, his family went through a difficult time. His place of employment was closing and all employees were told they would need to find new jobs. For many months, he applied at various other places, but none worked out.  

Despite his lack of job security, this man’s joy never diminished—it was as strong as ever! He was still excited when he came to church, and still eager to tell anyone about the Gospel. Several times he testified that he was confident God would provide the needs of his family, and God did! His original job was extended for a short time, then for a little longer, and then even longer, until he was one of the last employees still working. After many months, he was hired at another place and began working there only a few days after his old job finally ended. This is part of a testimony he gave: “The Lord is good! He has blessed my wife and me. We have the opportunity now to be a one-income household, and that’s hard to do these days. But the Lord has blessed us to be able to do that. I’m so thankful that the Lord is my Savior, my Friend, my Guide. I don’t know what I would do without the Gospel, and I just don’t want anything else. I give Him all the glory.”

During difficult times, our joy needs to shine forth as never before. Joy is very important in the life of a Christian—our focus verse tells us the joy of the Lord is our strength! Without the true joy that comes from the Lord, we do not have strength. Without strength, the enemy of our souls can destroy us. That is the reason he attacks the joy in the life of a believer, but with God’s help we can resist those attacks.  

There is a difference between joy that comes as a result of outward circumstances and joy that comes from the internal knowledge that God loves us and will care for us. When we have a personal relationship with God and familiarize ourselves with the promises in His Word, it triggers an inward joy that manifests itself on the outside and is not to be deterred by circumstances.