Joy, Happiness & Delight

 
Oh, the joys of those who do not
    follow the advice of the wicked,
    or stand around with sinners,
    or join in with mockers.
But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do.  PSALM 1:1-3

Joy... something deeper than a momentary emotion.  Merriam-Webster defines joy as the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.  I think of contentedness, happiness, and love.

... think about the opposite... the result in the absence of joy.  Webster notes: calamity, ill-being, misery, sadness, unhappiness, wretchedness.  I know people who live at both ends of this spectrum.  

We have the ability to make choices every day.

Choices for how we spend time and the people we spend it with.  

The Lord is constantly pointing us in directions that create a healthy environment for our well-being and for the well-being of the people around us.  The Lord calls us to "delight" in the law of the Lord, His Word, meditating on it day and night.

To meditate on God's Word is to ponder it...read it and consider how it applies. It aligns our perspective with the goodness the Lord has for His people and His creation.  It comes from our position of abiding with the Lord - taking in what He will teach us.

Day by day it changes us, and the outflow of our lives begins to bless the lives of the people with whom we come in contact.  The prophet Ezekiel uses imagery of a river that flows from the temple of God, he writes:

Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.  EZEKIEL 47:12

Imagine your life as having nurturing and healing properties
for the people you meet...what a blessing you will be!