Joy

Just a quick thought.

Joy. Such a little word, but it's such a great thing. I looked up joy in the dictionary. Joy is the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying. What could be more exceptionally good or satisfying than God. I looked up joy in a Bible index, and the word is sprinkled throughout the Old and New Testaments. God gave joy, people worshipped with joy and took joy in the blessings of God. But it all came from one place-God.

I don't have to go very far to be reminded of what joy looks like. My son, Jackson, is as joyful as they come. This verse:

"A twinkle in the eye means joy in the heart. . ."Proverbs 15:30

reminds me so much of him. He always has a twinkle in his eye. Take a look at this and tell me you don't see joy-

The devil works round the clock to steal our joy. He works very hard, but uses the simplest of tactics. It could simply be a person cutting you off on your way to work or someone at work could say something that ruffles your feathers. The devil knows what he's doing. He knows what gets under our skin. And he uses it relentlessly.

So the next time you feel your joy slipping away, take a second. Stop and tell the devil and yourself that he cannot get you down. Smile, laugh, do whatever you have to.

God gave us joy-it's up to us to hold on to it.