5-Day Devotional To A Life Of Unwavering HopeSample

 Sometimes being a joyful person amid this crazy world seems impossible. Well then, let the impossible commence. Because one of the secrets to being defiantly joyful is that it has absolutely nothing to do with the circumstances going on in your life or your world. Defiant joy does not depend on feeling happy.

Defiant joy is solely based on the victory of Jesus Christ and all that He has won for you. It rests on the fact that you are completely and utterly loved and cared for. In Christ, your life is inextinguishable. Undefeatable. Victorious. Worry, fear, panic, and dread do not get to hold your heart hostage in their viselike grip. Your heart is safely held in the hands of your faithful God who promises that a life of unending joy is your inheritance. It is coming. Jesus led the way. And though the way often includes disappointment, pain, betrayal, and sorrow, none of them get to have the final say.

Only God has the final say over your life. Your future is secure. Your Father is faithful. His promises are true. The unseen world is a far more reliable anchor than the seen one. Your trustworthy God holds you and all you love. You can choose to be immensely and deeply grateful for that, always. And gratitude is the breeding ground of joy. . . .

Sometimes I have wondered, "How can God be such a joyful person in the face of all the heartbreak in the world?" The answer is because He sees the great restoration as if it were already here.

All around us, gentle invitations of truth and grace call to us, if we will have the ears to hear. Today I do hear, and I am reminded of the promise of the restoration of all things. Death has lost its sting. The grave holds no victory. My visible world may scream loss, but the victory cannot and will not be held back. And because of that, because life wins and has won already, because of all Jesus has won for us, I—like you—can be defiantly joyful. I will choose it. Join me.