The world offers “[brief] pleasures” (HEB. 11:25), but Jesus offers to give us full and lasting joy (JOHN 15:11). Pleasure, or fun, depends on what we’re doing and who we’re with. But joy is a way of life that we can have even on bad days—because it relies on Jesus, not us.

Fun is always changing, but joy lasts forever! The good times we have are often followed by boring or unhappy days. To keep having fun, we must go from one thing to another to stop the ‘buzz’ running out. Joy is just the opposite. It is a gift God gives us.

Pleasure and fun are built on looking out for ourselves, but joy is based on loving God and looking out for His people. The more we try to make ourselves feel good, the emptier we end up.

Joy, however, is based on giving ourselves to God and His ways. As we learn what it means to focus on others’ needs, we find greater satisfaction in God Himself, who meets our every need and gives us lasting joy.

By: Henry Bosch

To Pray About . . .

Lord, because of You, I can rejoice always, even in the mundane, boring and uneventful days.