The Kingdom of Joy

The Kingdom of Joy

What are the things, the experiences, the possessions, the aspirations, that you value most? Come on, what are they? Now, let me ask you - and please be brutally honest with yourself here - do they actually fulfil you? Are they delivering what you'd hoped they would … or not? Francis of Assisi was born into incredible wealth and privilege - luxury, fine clothes, banquets, influence. But after being wounded in battle, during his long recovery, he began questioning the emptiness of luxury and privilege. He found himself drawn instead to prayer, solitude and, of all things, serving lepers — people his old life would have despised. Following a profound encounter with Christ, he renounced his inheritance and instead chose a life of radical poverty, preaching, and service to the poor. As much as we may aspire to wealth, comfort, and influence … deep down we know that no matter how pleasurable they appear, they can never satisfy the deepest longings of our soul. Writes the Apostle Paul to the church in Rome: Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. That was about some disputes in the early church, but it also carries with it this universal truth: that life was never about the things of this world. They're impostors at best, cruel plunders at worst. Francis exchanged the fleeting pleasures of this world for the deeper reality of God's kingdom — righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit. God's kingdom - His reign in our lives when we willingly give ourselves over to Him - isn't that of a despotic dictator. No, the kingdom of God is a kingdom of joy. Joy, pure joy, is the defining mark of life under God's reign That's His Word. Fresh … for you … today.

The Joy Exchange

Joy - deep, abiding joy - is simply the most wondrous thing. Not happiness. Happiness ebbs and flows depending on your circumstances. Joy, on the other hand, sticks with you through all your ups and downs. With all my heart, I know that God wants you to live in His deep, abiding joy … for every minute of every day for the rest of your life. And that joy isn't something you conjure up on your own; it's transferred into the deepest recesses of your being by Jesus Himself. If you've ever enjoyed cool air from an air conditioner on a sweltering hot day, you've benefited from the physics of heat exchange. Hot and cool fluids run through separate channels; heat passes through a thin wall so the hot side is cooled, and the cool side becomes refreshingly cold. That's how Jesus describes His joy transfer to His fearful followers on the night before His crucifixion: John 15:11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. (NRSV) He doesn't merely cheer us on from a distance — He transfers His own joy into us. His joy flows into our weary hearts, filling us with what He Himself carries, so that our joy too may be complete. Do you see the transfer, the exchange that He's describing? … my joy … in you … so that your joy … may be complete. But like a heat exchange, the joy exchange depends on proximity, on being close to Jesus, on abiding in Him, on listening to Him, on obeying Him. That's how the joy exchange happens - through closeness and intimacy. May Jesus' joy in you … be complete. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Let Joy Carry Your Burdens

The burdens of life can, at times, be rather heavy. And the longer you carry them, the heavier they become; sapping you of your strength; robbing you of your joy. Is that really how you want to live? Humans have been using camels as beasts of burden for nearly three thousand years. There's a reason for that. A camel can carry around 450 kilograms or a thousand pounds across the desert — not because it's simply "strong," but because God designed it with special tendon-and-joint engineering that locks its legs when it kneels. So the weight of the load doesn't press directly on its muscles; rather, it's transferred through its skeletal frame. So the camel doesn't strain under its burden the way we would — its structure does the work. Hold that thought as we dive into this powerful Scripture, where God speaks to His people Israel through the prophet: Nehemiah 8:10 Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." (NIV) They were struggling under multiple heavy loads, those people. Sound familiar? Now, picture that camel's strength. In the same way, "the joy of the Lord is your strength." Your strength amidst hardship isn't about gritting your teeth and pushing harder. It's about God's joy "re-engineering" how the weight falls on you. Instead of the burden crushing your spirit, His joy in you carries it, locking you into His strength, not your own. God's joy doesn't just lift your heart—it carries your load, for the joy of the LORD is your strength. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Joy Starts Here

Life's journey has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster at midnight. Take a wrong turn … and you'll go hurtling off the rails. On average, we make around 500 conscious decisions a day. So in an average human lifetime, we'll make over 13 million conscious decisions. Let's assume that 95% of those are inconsequential, and although they can have a cumulative effect (I'm sure you'll agree that 10,000 decisions to eat junk food will have an impact) let's set them aside for a moment and go with the 5% – the 650,000 moderate to important decisions you'll make in your life. Now let's optimistically assume that you get 95% of them right and just 5% wrong – that's still 32,500 moderate to important mistakes, more than enough to ruin a life, which goes a long way to explaining why so many people experience so little joy. King David had more life-and-death twists and turns than we'll ever experience. Yet this is what he said to God: Psalm 16:11 You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (NRSV) Imagine that you draw so close to God, on such intimate speaking terms with Him that He shows you the path to take in each decision, at every twist and turn. What would that mean for you? David knew the answer: fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. God's joy begins in His Presence—it's complete, it's eternal, and it doesn't depend on your circumstances. Go on, draw close to Him and let Him fill you with His joy! That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.

Desire Without Discipline

You know what they say: an overnight success generally takes around twenty years. I know, I know. We wish it weren't true, and yet we know that it is! In 1994, a complete nobody by the name of Jeff Bezos began with a small online bookstore in his garage, armed with a dream far bigger than he had any right to dream. While others looked for quick profits, he kept his eyes fixed on the horizon. He reinvested profits when critics demanded dividends; he experimented when others played it safe. Slowly, that garage-born dream stretched its reach across the globe. Amazon has become not just a retailer, but a marketplace, a Cloud pioneer, and a household name—all because one man valued endurance over easy victories. Refusing to let impatience steer his course, Bezos said, "Short-term wins are easy, short-term thinking is dangerous." Proverbs 13:4 Lazy people always want things but never get them. Those who work hard get plenty. Without meaning to shoot down your dreams, let's assume that you're unlikely to found another Amazon … although, I guess, who knows, right? But God created you, uniquely, to do something; to achieve something that will make this world a better place. And whilst hard work doesn't always guarantee the level of success we had in mind, let me tell you, laziness almost certainly guarantees failure. By all means, dream big dreams, as big as you like. But remember, dreams without discipline stay just that, dreams; it's hard work and diligence that turn them into reality. Lazy people always want things but never get them. Those who work hard get plenty. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.