Where Joy Resides

Wednesday July 16, 2025

Good morning, Lord

Father in Heaven, I seek You first-the knowledge of Your kingdom and Your righteousness. Fill my consciousness constantly and complete Your joy in me as I take up my cross and follow...In Jesus' name…

Memory verse:Jeremiah 15:19 ESV

Therefore thus says the Lord: “If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them.” 

Verse of the day:James 1:21

21 “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

Readings: Psalm 16-17 Acts 20:1-16

Where Joy Resides

Matthew 18, verse 1 reads “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

“Let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.” Luke 22:26

Matthew 18:4-Jesus says, “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

The greatest what? The greatest will be the greatest number, perhaps, because Jesus said unless we become like this child(Matthew 18:3) we will never enter the kingdom of Heaven.

‘We’ will be the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. We all will be the same in Heaven-the greatest.

John Piper, in his book, “All That Jesus Commanded” puts it like this,

“Of course, Jesus is not calling us to be as unproductive or as immature as children. That’s not the point of the comparison. The point is that we not love being stronger or more intelligent or richer than others—that our joy does not reside in a feeling of superiority. The point is that we not begrudge the absence of recognition if the world does not value what Jesus calls us to do. We must not fret over being thought lowly and even foolish by worldly standards. Instead we must “believe” in Jesus the way a child believes. We must find our security and meaning and joy in Jesus and all that our heavenly Father is for us in him.”(end quote)

Our joy resides in Jesus-if and when we know real joy it will only be in Christ and that happens when we become a child before Him.

I will never forget the joy I felt when my first born, for the first time, ran toward me in the hall with arms wide shouting “Daddy!”. God’s joy is perfect when we spread our arms and shout ‘Abba(daddy)’(Mark 14:36,Romans 8:15,Galatians 4:6). When our hearts are full of love for Him(Matthew 22:37), we become as little children in joy before Him.

Yes, this is for us all. We must drop our predilection for the world’s praise-when we drop our need to be something great in this world or the need to just to be remembered-when we drop the emptiness in worldly needs and become a child before God-

Our joy resides in Him.

Tell God you want to be in this place as a child.

...because He loves us...He will do it…

Father in Heaven,

Abba, Father, I want Your name to be above all in my heart as I search for Your kingdom and righteousness. Give me today Your vision for me as a child. Forgive me for my need for the world’s praise and lead me away from it.

God of all true joy,

In the name of Christ Jesus,

Amen