Think about a moment that surprised you and made you feel immense joy. Opening the door to a surprise visit from a dear friend. Uncovering an old photo from an event years ago that makes you smile. Perhaps it was an unexpected win in a contest.
The joy felt in these examples required an investment. The building of a friendship, the planning of an event, and the preparation for the contest. Yet the joy is temporary. As Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 9:25, “Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable (NASB).”
The joy we receive from knowing God is eternal, but to experience it requires an investment. Jesus makes this point in Matthew 13:44, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field (NASB).”
How much are you willing to invest in the discovery of eternal joy in Jesus?
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. – Deuteronomy 6:5, NASB
