Focus

Experience silence in the midst of your busy day. Take some time to relax into a time to be with God.

Read

Reflect

For the past two days, we have thought about hope and peace. Both hope and peace are products of external factors. True hope comes from hoping in the right thing. A Christian puts their hope in  Jesus Christ because he has overcome the world. Our hope is not wishful thinking. Peace isn’t the mere absence of conflict in our lives, but in Jesus Christ we have peace through the conflicts of life. Joy is no different. Joy, like hope and peace, comes to us as a blessing from God.

We can not conjure up peace from ourselves or from any worldly source. There simply isn’t anything in us that we are a cause of great joy for ourselves. There is nothing in this world that can produce deep joy because everything in this world is passing away. C.S. Lewis wrote, “If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them. They are not a sort of prize which God could, if He chose, just hand out to anyone.”

I think Lewis is right, our source of hope, peace, and joy is God. Like a vine that receives sustenance from a branch, as we abide in Christ, we are nourished with hope, peace, and joy.

Pray

Lord, direct our minds and hearts back to You when we get distracted. When we feel like we are overburdened and joy escapes us, remind us of Your presence and love. Give us joy today.

Amen.

Go with God!