Get the appJosh McDowell's Youth DevotionsSample
MORE GLADNESS THAN ANYONE ELSE.
What would it take to make you happy? See if any of the following that apply:
A new bike or car
Popularity
One or two good friends
No more school
Fame as a rock star
Good looks
My own room
A boyfriend/girlfriend
A nice house
A million dollars
A trip to Disney World
A pet python
It would be nice, wouldn't it? After all, who wouldn't want a million dollars? Who doesn't want to get out of school? Who doesn't want to look like some model or movie star?
But you know what? Chances are, if you're not happy now, you probably won't be happy when school lets out either. If you're not satisfied with life now, you probably wouldn't be satisfied with a million dollars.
Oh, things could get better, that's for sure. Things can always get better. But the path to happiness and satisfaction doesn't involve riches or fame; believe it or not, it involves right choices.
David, the psalmist, wrote, "You love what is good and hate what is wrong. Therefore God, your God, has given you more gladness than anyone else" (Psalm 45:7, TLB). That ancient songwriter said that loving what is good and hating what is wrong brings gladness into your life. God gives gladness happiness to those who love what's good and hate what's wrong.
That doesn't mean you'll never have a rotten day. It doesn't mean you'll never have to sit at home while others are out partying. But it does mean that over the long run (and sometimes even sooner), making right choices will tend to bring more happiness and satisfaction into your life than making wrong choices. It might not be a million dollars, but it's worth a whole lot more.
REFLECT: Do you agree that those who love what is good are usually happier than those who make wrong choices? Why or why not?
PRAY: Have you given God a chance to give you gladness as a result of right choices? If not, ask him to teach you to "love what is good and hate what is wrong" and to show you in the coming days and weeks how your right choices open the way to greater happiness and satisfaction in your life.
What would it take to make you happy? See if any of the following that apply:
A new bike or car
Popularity
One or two good friends
No more school
Fame as a rock star
Good looks
My own room
A boyfriend/girlfriend
A nice house
A million dollars
A trip to Disney World
A pet python
It would be nice, wouldn't it? After all, who wouldn't want a million dollars? Who doesn't want to get out of school? Who doesn't want to look like some model or movie star?
But you know what? Chances are, if you're not happy now, you probably won't be happy when school lets out either. If you're not satisfied with life now, you probably wouldn't be satisfied with a million dollars.
Oh, things could get better, that's for sure. Things can always get better. But the path to happiness and satisfaction doesn't involve riches or fame; believe it or not, it involves right choices.
David, the psalmist, wrote, "You love what is good and hate what is wrong. Therefore God, your God, has given you more gladness than anyone else" (Psalm 45:7, TLB). That ancient songwriter said that loving what is good and hating what is wrong brings gladness into your life. God gives gladness happiness to those who love what's good and hate what's wrong.
That doesn't mean you'll never have a rotten day. It doesn't mean you'll never have to sit at home while others are out partying. But it does mean that over the long run (and sometimes even sooner), making right choices will tend to bring more happiness and satisfaction into your life than making wrong choices. It might not be a million dollars, but it's worth a whole lot more.
REFLECT: Do you agree that those who love what is good are usually happier than those who make wrong choices? Why or why not?
PRAY: Have you given God a chance to give you gladness as a result of right choices? If not, ask him to teach you to "love what is good and hate what is wrong" and to show you in the coming days and weeks how your right choices open the way to greater happiness and satisfaction in your life.
Scripture
About this Plan
Written for teenagers to use in their daily quiet time readings, this plan will make them laugh or cry. Some are fiction, some are stranger than fiction, but each will help you discover how to make right choices in the everyday ups and downs of life. Josh McDowell's Youth Devotions is a daily adventure in making right choices.
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© 2011 Josh McDowell Ministry. All rights reserved. No part of these Materials may be changed in any way or reproduced in any form without written permission from Josh McDowell Ministry, 2001 W Plano Pkwy, Ste. 2400, Plano, TX 75075. www.josh.org. +1 972 907 1000. Used by Permission.
