Joy in Jesus - All Our Daily Bread Daily Devotionals for 2025

Bible in a Year : Joshua 4-6, Luke 1:1-20

Your grief will turn to joy . . . and no one will take away your joy.
John 16:20, 22

Today's Scripture & Insight : John 16:16-24

“I have the right to be happy,” said a teenager as she spoke before a legislature. Yet she could have been anyone, anywhere, speaking for everybody. It’s our human cry. One self-help guru even said, “God wants you to be happy.”

Is that true? It’s not wrong to pursue happiness. That desirable state of mind, however, ebbs and flows with our moment-by-moment circumstances, and the fulfilment of one person’s desires can crush the happiness of another.

Jesus points us to something better. He knew He was about to be nailed to a Roman cross where He would bear the weight of the world’s sin. Yet His concern was for His disciples. He told them, “You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.” But He also said, “Your grief will turn to joy” (John 16:20). Then He promised, “No one will take away your joy” (v. 22).

This kind of joy is more than a good feeling based on desirable things happening to us. It grows out of doing the will of our Father in heaven. Jesus also said, “Seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

Happiness can slip away with the next unpleasant circumstance. The joy that comes from following Jesus can thrive despite those circumstances.

By: Tim Gustafson

Reflect & Pray
How does chasing what you want ultimately leave you unhappy? What’s the difference between happiness and joy?

Dear Father, please teach me to find lasting joy in Jesus.