How To Find Joy In Life.

Can you find joy in your life? There is hope from a truth found in the Bible. 

We all want to have a good life full of happiness and well-being. We often look for joy in things, it might be a new gadget, car, or clothes, a better marriage, job, hobby, or set of friends. We are tempted to think that status in a job or community will give joy, but soon these things prove weak, watery, and empty of joy.

THE SEARCH FOR JOY GOES DEEP
Our world tells us thousands of times every day that a thing or experience will give us joy. We see advertisements all day long; and discover it to be a lie, but we fall for it over and over. Many have ruined their lives chasing joy.

The ancient poet declares that he found joy and it is recorded in the Bible.

“You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound." Psalm 4:7 NIV.

WHO
The line quoted above is from a prayer-like poem and it is addressed to God. This poet had a relationship with God that gave him more joy than those around him.

FULL
This verse says that God can fill the heart with joy; not just give a taste of joy, but that God is able to fill us completely. There is no corner overlooked or space vacant of joy. This fullness suggests that the joy God gives affects all areas of our lives.

GREATER
Greater is a comparison that says one thing is better in size or worth. The joy the Lord gives is certainly that. He gives greater joy not just your average having a good time joy but greater than what the rest of the world knows.

WINE AND GRAIN
The wine and grain suggest the gladness of society and the of gathering wealth and goods. The joy the psalmist had is a joy that is beyond anything our circle of friends or family can give, and it is greater than the wealth, success, or a good harvest.

HE FOUND JOY
He found joy, he didn't say he was hoping to find it someday or he was looking for it. His statement is that he has it. His search was over because it ended in God, the source of true joy. Our hearts were made for God as His dwelling place, and were designed to find fulfillment in Him. We need to make our focus on finding our joy in God.

May you find your joy in Him today and always.

To learn more about how to have a relationship with God follow this link: Click Here.

(c) Adron Dozat 3/3/13

How to Find Happiness

We all want happiness but few know where to find it, or where it is not found.

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:1-2, NIV.

BACKGROUND
The first word of God's holy hymn book, the book of Psalms, is the word, "Blessed." What a great start and a powerful message! We all want a blessing, so, we should head the teaching of this scripture.

WALK
Recognize the influence people have on us. We should not, "walk in the counsel of the wicked. To walk is the idea of daily going down the road of life side by side. Counsel is advice or direction; it is the practical application of one person's ideas in the life of another person. Let's not take their advice or follow their patterns.

STAND
To "stand in the way," makes one think of identifying with a group, being part of a community: to stand requires a decision. Also, the "in the way," is to associate with people. We all want to belong but we are better off alone than with the wrong people.

SIT
To sit is to become comfortable, resting, and relaxing. Let's not get comfortable with people who are bad for us. To sit in their seat is to take their place, or to become a "mocker" too. We must not take their attitudes to heart and copy them. How surprising to find the word "mockers" in this list. What is wrong with a few jokes? Words are powerful; so we should be aware of, and cautious around persons who ridicule God, His Word, and His people.

These verses do not teach avoiding people like a hermit, and Jesus taught we are in the world but not of the world, (see john 17:16).

FILL YOUR SPIRIT WITH THE POSITIVE
The great "but" of this verse is that we should "delight in God's law," The Bible.   Who of us does that? To delight in God's law is to...

• Spend time with it.
• Read it every day.
• Share it whenever possible.
• Treasure it.
• Meditate on it.
• Memorize it.
• Obey it.
• Put it in the decisions we do.

We should meditate on it "day and night." We should begin and end our day with God's Word and be wrapped up in it all through the day.

The Psalm promises for those who do these things; "He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."  verse 3.

If you want to learn more about finding eternal happiness see my other post, follow this link: Click Here.

(c)Adron Dozat

Empty Life and How To Cope. Psalm 81:10

What can you do when your life is so empty that emptiness is so huge that it has filled your whole world until you are forever under its shadow?

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it." Psalm 81:10 NIV.

To ancient people He was the "Lord your God," and God is saying to us today "I am the the Lord your God". Our attitude should be, "The Lord is my Lord, not just the Lord of the universe, but the Lord of me."  It is easy to see God as the Lord of the universe but hard to realize Him as our Lord. We must make Him our personal Lord, and choose God as our personal God. We must reject other gods, be they gods of wealth, success, romance, fulfillment or other ends.

WHO BELONGS TO WHO

Empty Life and How to Cope

God declares ownership, He is the one who brought them (Israel) out of Egypt, so He is their God by virtue of deliverance, He has the right to claim them. We, who are born again were delivered from the kingdom of sin through the death of his Son on the cross. He bought and earned our allegiance.

COMPARED TO GOD
When challenged by the desperate needs of today remember what God has done in times past. He did great miracles to free Israel from Egypt and he is the same today. Consider the wonderful redemption that we have in Christ; he overcame sin, judgment, death, the grave, defeated Satan, and redeemed mankind all in the same hour- after that what can be is too big for Him? If God can rescue us from hell then a broken marriage is nothing to Him, or a bankruptcy, a job loss, or the deep grief of bereavement. He is able to rescue. No problem is bigger than what he already has done for us in Christ.

A PROMISE
All that is good and all blessing starts with God, He only waits for an expression of faith. He says as a promise, "open wide your mouth and I will fill it." The picture of this promise is a demonstration of your faith to Him and those around you by an expression of being ready to receive. The promise uses a metaphor of the open mouth, we don't sit around with our mouths open but we say to God we believe Him to fill up our need. We find some practical expression that we trust Him to fill our need.

"I" NOT ME
We think that we must fulfill some duty or work for the blessing but God through this verse says, "I will fill it," He is the one who does the filling- not us. No matter how deep your hunger or how empty your resources the Lord our God can fill your need.

To find out more about becoming born again see my other blog, follow this link: click here.

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(c) Adron Dozat 8/3/12