Joyful People

Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. ~ Proverbs 3:13

How do you define joy?  Is joy an emotion, or an it be a state of mind?  Joy can come in the rare form of crazy laughter; having your children thank you for all your hard work; having a date night with the love of your life, or simply in the form of a hug after a messed up and ugly week.  Joy can come in all kinds of forms, but how about everlasting joy?  According to God's word, joy comes from wisdom and understanding.  What is wisdom?  Wisdom is good sense/judgment (Merriam-Webster) along with the ability to discern.  People are generally joyful when they have the ability, or foresight to make good choices and decisions based on sound judgment and common sense.  In other words, joyful are the people who can live in peace with their decisions instead of utter chaos that indecisiveness, confusion and inconsistency can breed on an unsettled mind.  When I can go to bed at night knowing that I know for sure that I made good decisions based on sound biblical principals, I can sleep soundly, but when I make decisions for my life based on the world's beliefs, I usually end up awake and disheartened.  It is crucial that we spend time trusting God and looking for his wisdom.  And don't ever look to someone else on this earth to make you happy; if you're looking for a spouse, your children, a friend to make you happy, you will ultimately be discouraged and disappointed.  You can only find true joy from Jesus; your Creator; the rest of us are just as human as you are and can't be expected to fulfill other's needs all the time.  Real wisdom comes in seeking your happiness, contentment and fulfillment from Jesus Christ. Period. That is the only way to have joy that can thrive uninterrupted no matter the circumstances you are facing.  Fools listen to the world and often live in a self-induced hell on earth while they look for wisdom in all the wrong places, or from all the wrong people leaving them joyless and hopeless.  Let's help show what real joy looks like as we lean on Jesus and ask him for the understanding of all things that only He can give.  Need some joy today?  Ask God to fill you up! ~