Focus: Exuding Joy!

Text: Ps.16:11

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

For anything worth looking for, there is always a place to find it. Joy is not a commodity you can find in any supermarket, in the marketplaces of the world, or in the places of entertainment. God is joy's only source and sole supplier. Any joy you can buy with money is fake. Real joy is found in the presence of God, and not just real joy, but the fullness of joy.

Joy is not the absence of lack, pain or problems, but the manifest presence of God in your life. Knowing assuredly that God is indisputably present and at work in your life makes possible the flow of joy.

At the right hand of God you will discover lasting pleasures. Pleasure here speaks of the delightful, the sweet, the pleasant. God is really fun to be with. You cannot find bitterness with God. His presence is sheer joy. A bitter and joyless Christian is an aberration. God wants you to be joyful. Christ in you is the presence of joy.

How do you get this joy? It is important to know that the way to finding joy is by encountering God. You cannot get to joy without first getting to God. It is where God is that joy is found. In His presence there is fullness of joy, but outside of His presence there is no iota of joy. And here is another point to know: to see things in the far away sky, you need the telescope, and to see tiny objects or creeping things in the ground, you need a microscope. The instrument you use determines what you see. It is not possible to see heavenly objects with a microscope, nor is it possible to see tiny earthly objects with a telescope. You cannot exchange one for the other. Similarly, there is a way to seek God and find Him. Seeking God in all the wrong ways leads to finding the wrong gods, and the wrong gods can neither reflect, represent, nor replace the true God. 

Inarguably, Jesus Christ is the way to God. There is no other way. Finding God is finding joy. Joy is one of the treasures you can surely find in the presence of God.

You radiate joy by practicing the presence of God. Learn to stay in His presence! Enjoy being in His presence! God delights in seeing you exuding His joy. Real joy, openly displayed, is very contagious. One way to make manifest the presence of God in your life is by exuding His joy. Joy and pleasures are divine effects of God's presence in your life. You experience and exude joy by practicing the presence of God. 

Let me close with the words of Ole Hallesby, who said, "Jesus is moved to happiness every time He sees that you appreciate what He has done for you. Grip His pierced hand and say to Him, "I thank Thee, Savior, because Thou hast died for me." Thank Him likewise for all the other blessings He has showered upon you from day to day. It brings joy to Jesus." Don't stop at getting or having God's joy; go further by doing things that make God joyful! Amen!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter