Psalm 27:4 struck a cord in my heart, stirring my spirit by the power of God’s Spirit:

“One thing I ask from the Lord,

    this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

    all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the Lord

    and to seek him in his temple.”

I want to enjoy God. 

I want deeper fellowship with my Creator.

I want to know our merciful God as much as I can on this side of eternity.

I should have more outward joy each day because of the amazing gift of eternal life I have through Jesus Christ.

God gives us joy!  John 15:11: “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Eternal life is a gift for all who understand their sinful state. They understand we need Jesus as our Savior. The heart of God’s loving gift of salvation offers forgiveness for ALL our sins when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. That acceptance is revealed through our commitment to God. 

Joy comes when we accept God’s offer of salvation. He works in us to make changes so that we become more like His Son, Jesus. 

Jesus completely obeyed His Father.

Jesus willingly gave His life to pay the penalty for our sins.

Jesus’s lifestyle revealed His Father, as indicated in John 14:9:

“Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

Hebrews 12:1-3 teaches me that Jesus had joy as He was going to the cross to pay the debt for our sin: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” If Jesus could have joy in such horrific circumstances, I also can have joy in painful trials.

1 Peter 1:8 speaks of inexpressible joy: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”

I want glorious joy! I want everyone to know that no matter what I have to endure now, my joy is secured for me through Jesus! Eternal life brings with it glorious joy!

I confess that when I am too focused on worldly matters, and too focused on myself, I lose sight of that joy. 

But God is so patient with me. He reminds me of the amazing gift I have and gives me reason to rejoice!

Why can I rejoice when life is hard? I can rejoice because the trials of this life are limited, and soon I will have limitless time with Jesus, praising and exalting Him. That truth helps my joy to resurface and counteracts the negativity in my heart.

I want the negativity gone. It is hard because my old sinful self was centered on the wrong things. But God is changing that, and I am very grateful! As 2 Corinthians 5:17 states: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

The more I cooperate with God in His restructuring of my life, the more my joy surfaces. This means I spend time with Him, alone…in His Word and talking and listening to Him. This means I serve others before serving myself. This means I increasingly reject the way of sin. It is not easy! But God makes it possible!

What do you want out of life? Do you want joy or negativity to rule your days? Do you want to experience God in new and deeper ways? You can have a relationship with God that leads to deep fellowship and joy! 

You can join me in following Jesus, and experience His restructuring of your life so that joy surfaces, no matter the challenges!

I would enjoy talking with you about how to have joy and intimacy with Jesus. Please email me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2026 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.