But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.

Jeremiah 7:23-24

As you strive to achieve joy, do you ever feel that you’re taking two steps backward?

Me too. In Jeremiah, there’s a reminder to the Israelites to follow God first. If they did this, it would be well with them.

As the world turns through another election cycle and violence fills the news…as work seems to demand more and time with family seems fleeting…as sports and television capture every waking minute, the struggle to find some lasting sense of peace, bombards us…

When we don’t place God first, we lose out on joy. Joy is promised through our obedience to Him (John 15:9-11).

Friends, I understand we often struggle. We’re busy. Life just doesn’t stop. We grow older each day. Time escapes, and the cycle never really ends. Every day, ever week, it’s a continuous pattern.

But do we spend those days, making a lasting impact, or are we wasting them with meaningless activity? Today, turn off the news, the sports, the activities and rest in your Creator. He wants you, all of you, not your fleeting thoughts or minutes.

Joy escapes so many. Don’t let it escape you too. You can spend your life striving after joy and never find it, or you can rest in the Creator of the world.

In Him, find something worth living for…

Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Psalm 46:10