God is the source of our joy.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“You thrill me, LORD, with all you have done for me!
I sing for joy because of what you have done.”
Psalm 92:4 New Living Translation

I can’t stop smiling when I see this picture of my grandson, Eli. I took this picture at his birthday party. It was a beautiful July day in Loveland, Colorado. He swung his new golf clubs, cast his new fishing line, and enjoyed his candle adorned cupcake.

What fills your life with joy?

That is a hard question for me to answer.  I’ve had bought a new camera lens before I took this picture.  I did my research and found a lens that fit my budget and gave me a focal length that I didn’t have among my other lenses, but does it give me joy?

I’m happy, but the lens doesn’t cause joy to swell in my heart.

There is this illusion that joy is the same thing as happiness, and we can produce joy when we strive to be happy.

Yet, as I written before, the two words have different meanings. I am happy when things go well in my life and sad when they don’t. Joy, however, doesn’t depend on my circumstances. As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, joy and grace come from the same Greek root. Joy is connect to grace. Grace is connected to joy.

Joy is in God’s hands. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End of joy. Joy is ours when we celebrate birthdays and when we gather at cemeteries. Joy comes from a God who loves us so much that would not hold back his Son from a cross. His deepest grief is our source of joy.

It’s okay to be happy, to smile, to laugh, and better yet is to be filled with joy.

Joy is in the hands of God

Copyright Douglas P Brauner