The joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10 NIV

Joy is a symptom of the heart. They say love is a decision we make and I believe that. We can't live by feelings of passionate love in our marriages year in and year out. So, yes, it is a decision we make. But joy isn't something we decide to have.

It's like when a baby laughs and her whole face carries the joke, as if she doesn't know what else to do with her smile. It has to erupt through her face because her heart is laughing.

That kind of joy doesn't come easily. It's not as simple as a choice. It is part of me.

It comes with the hard work spent devoting a heart in submission to God. It comes with the discipline of waking up each morning and handing over a selfish life to a God who desires selflessness. Joy like this is a symptom, an overflowing of a heart that walks in close intimacy with a Creator.

I have to be honest and say that I don't have that kind of joy everyday. But I remember what it feels like. I remember what the smile tastes like on my lips and I remember what made my heart leap.

I can choose joy for right now, but to have it in a lasting way I must mend my heart.

Joy comes from...
A heart that is solid.
A heart that is directed toward heaven and not earth.
A heart that seeks the best from each day.
Joy can be a choice. But the best joy is the symptom of a heart that's full of it.


This kind of "joy" remains in your heart even when the doctor tells you about the tumor on your brain. Or forgets to tell that it is a type III anaplastic meningioma with properties of carcinoma. It certainly is God that puts it in your heart and it is up to us to keep our hearts so full of HIM that it remains there!


So, today I choose to keep my heart full of thoughts of God and the Word. My body is tired and His Word says: The JOY of the Lord is my STRENGTH. I ask the Lord to infuse my entire body with His joy and strength, because when I try to walk in my own strength I get tired real quick!

Have a great day....