HAPPINESS AND JOY

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

Psalms 16:11

King James Version

Joy comes by being in the presence of Jesus but we make our own happiness.  Pastor Ira F. Stanphill wrote one of my favorite hymns “Happiness is the Lord”.  The words in this hymn are so true.  “Happiness is to know the Saviour Living a life within His favour Having a change in my behaviour, Happiness in the Lord.”

For many years I was very unhappy because I didn’t forgive people when they hurt me.  I allowed resentment, unforgiveness, bitterness and hatred to remain in my heart, all the things that hurt Jesus and break His heart.  Again, being in the presence of Jesus gives us fulness of joy that we can’t get from the world but we make our own happiness.

What about you?  Are you hurting Jesus and breaking His heart because you refuse to forgive the ones who have hurt you?  Think where we would be if Jesus hadn’t forgiven us when we crucified Him and beat Him beyond recognition.  We would be on our way to hell for all eternity.  If Jesus could forgive us for what we did to Him, we need to forgive the ones who hurt us.

Remember, none of us are perfect.  There was only one perfect person who ever lived or ever will live and His Name is Jesus.  May God have mercy on us if we are hurting His beloved Son and breaking His heart because we refuse to forgive the ones who hurt us.  How dare you and I ask our Heavenly Father to forgive us if we aren’t willing to forgive those who hurt us.  One day every one of us will stand before a Holy God and give an account of the things in our heart.

Joanne Lowe

November 3, 2019