A note of Joy

As I was doing my devotion this morning, God revealed to me certain things in the book of Ecclesiastes. Many may regard Ecclesiastes book is a gloomy and pessimism because of the findings based on the writer’s limited view of those things “under the sun,” the visible things of life.  Today God revealed a different perspective in this book; joy is a gift of God.

There is nothing in possessions whether in material goods, in money; there are no earthly materials that can enable us to have joy forever.  However, it is possible to obtain a kind of “joy” all your life if you take it from the hand of God. This gift of joy will be given to those who please Him [Ecclesiastes 2:24~26]. How to please God? Faith! It is faith that pleases Him, belief that He is there and that everything comes from His hands. God intends us to have joy, gladness, happiness and His program to bring it about including the opposites; pain, sorrow, bereavement, and disappointment – all these things are gifts of God. When we see life in those terms, any and every element of life can have its measure of joy- even you’re in sorrow, pain, and grief.

Sometimes we do have a problem where we have such a shallow concept of things; we want everything to be smooth and pleasant. Most of the struggle of life comes from us, wanting to be God ourselves, wanting to take charge of our lives. When things don’t go along the way we want, we sulk and pout and get angry with Him. We threw away their faith and say, “What’s the use? I tried it, but it doesn’t work.” If you attempt to live a life without recognition of God, ultimately you will find yourself empty, dissatisfied and restless that life is miserable and meaningless.

In conclusion, I would encourage everyone to continue to trust in the Lord with all your heart and not lean on our own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him. Sometimes God send hardships in our lives so that we might be taught. Let’s continue to pursue faith and believing that He has made everything beautiful in its time; for whatever He do, no one can able to fathom what God has done from the beginning to the end. Lastly, the secret of joy and life is the presence of God himself!