Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens - Joy

Joy

05/19/24 • 5 min

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READ: PSALMS 16:9-11; 94:17-19; JOHN 15:1-12

Rejoice, delight, jubilation, glee, ebullience, exhilaration...all of these words mean to have joy. Not only are there lists of words about joy, but there are also hundreds of Bible verses about joy. Yet, so often we overlook or even avoid the joy of the Lord. Instead, we should be asking, how can we receive this joy? How can we live in the blessing of joy?

In Romans 5, Paul tells us the reason for our joy. He says, “For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God” (verse 10-11, emphasis added).

As Christians, we have received freedom in Jesus Christ. By dying on the cross and rising from the grave, He set us free from sin! If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has set us free, why shouldn’t we praise Him? Why should we isolate ourselves from freedom and joy?

Psalm 47:1 says, “Shout to God with joyful praise!” It literally says to shout with joy! The Lord has given us this gift: to live in never-ending joy. Psalm 16:11 says, “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”

If you don’t know how to receive joy, I have one word to help you receive the fullness of God’s beautiful gift of joy: prayer. In Romans 12:12, Paul says, “Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.” Pray for joy; pray that the Lord will overwhelm you with His joy! The Lord Jesus is faithful to guide us into His gift of joy, help us live in His joy, and teach us that even in the valley, He will be there to overwhelm us with the joy of His loving presence. • Ana Johnson

• God Himself is joyful, and He invites us to share in His joy (Matthew 25:23; Hebrews 12:1-2). In fact, joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit, which means the Holy Spirit produces it in us (Galatians 5:22-23). Therefore, as Christians we can always choose to rejoice, remembering the Lord’s goodness even in the hardest circumstances (Acts 16:22-25; 2 Corinthians 11:23-28; Philippians 4:4-13). Have you ever experienced the joy of the Lord? What was it like?

“I [Jesus] have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” John 15:11 (NLT)

READ: PSALMS 16:9-11; 94:17-19; JOHN 15:1-12

“I [Jesus] have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” John 15:11 (NLT)

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Joy

READ: PSALMS 16:9-11; 94:17-19; JOHN 15:1-12

“I [Jesus] have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” John 15:11 (NLT)

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One God

READ: PSALM 115:1-13; MATTHEW 6:7-8, 19-34; 1 CORINTHIANS 8:4-6

There is no one like God. There is nothing that could replace Him. Yet, all throughout history, people have been trying to make other gods. Even the Israelites, God’s chosen people, made idols for themselves to worship. We have tried to replace God. But nothing we make could ever compare to Him. In Psalm 115, we read that idols can’t talk or hear or see. Other gods are fake and worthless. They don’t offer any help or guidance. They are not worthy of worship.

Many of us already know that about false gods. And we tend to think we could never get tricked into worshipping one, that we know who God is and would never abandon Him. Yet, it’s easy to forget that idols come in many forms. Yes, some idols are statues made of wood or metal. But in Matthew 6, Jesus warns us about having money as our god. He says, “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be...No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money” (verse 21, 24).

As we go through life, there are times we might feel dependent on money. We might fall in love with it because of all it can do for us. How easy it is to make money our god.

But there is no one like the one true God. In Matthew 6, Jesus says that He takes care of us. He loves us. He guides us. He is there all the time. He hears every prayer and listens to every thought. He knows us better than anyone and can anticipate what we need before we even ask.

There are countless false gods we could fall for, but there is only one real God. There is only one worthy of our love. • Bethany Acker

• Whenever we find ourselves chasing after an idol—whether it be money or any other created thing “instead of the Creator himself” (Romans 1:25)—God calls us to repent. We can confess our idolatry to Him, and we can rest in His sure forgiveness, because Jesus already took all our sins upon Himself on the cross, and His Spirit empowers us to turn away from sin. Because of His great love for us, we can love Him instead of loving money (1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 4:19).

• In our broken world, dealing with money is not easy. How does God call us to view money? How does His love free us from the love of money? (1 Timothy 6:5-19; Hebrews 13:5)

There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live. 1 Corinthians 8:6b (NLT)