Fruitful Thursdays : Working For Joy

I've been yearning for joy.

I've been meditating on joy.

I've been praying for joy.

"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures in your right hand." Psalm 16:11

That is not an empty promise.

God wants me to have joy.

Knock the wind out of you, bring tears to your eyes joy-maybe not every second of every day, but he wants us to experience it.

Now this post is about joy, so I don't want to be a downer, but I feel God talking to me. And I'm finding that, like most things in life, anything worth having takes work.

I can't just yearn and meditate and pray for joy. I need to work for it. I need to seek it out, search every dark corner and drag it out!

"In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:10

My particular brand of joylessness has been caused by worry, self absorption, pride...in other words...sin.

So in order to find my joy I need to do the work, I need to repent!

I need to yearn for righteousness.

I need to meditate on my blessings.

I need to pray for forgiveness.

I'm working for my joy.