“More joy in His service,” (“More Holiness Give Me”, Phillip Paul Bliss). If the devil's ambition and purpose is to make all men and women miserable like unto himself, then surely Jesus Christ's mission is the exact opposite - to make all of God's children joyful like unto Himself. And the best way that we can share in the joy that Jesus Christ experiences is to lose ourselves in His service. To Jesus Christ, there is nothing more pleasant or satisfying or meaningful than helping out someone who is struggling. What could be more joyful than helping someone pick themselves back up, shake off the dust, and take one step closer to becoming the perfect and fully realized version of themselves that God always intended for them to grow into? I know that there is joy in the service of Christ and if we are ever feeling like our life is utterly lacking in joy or beauty or truth, then we must take a long hard look at our life and search out how it is that we are spending the time, talents and energy with which the Lord has blessed us, and maybe we're miserable because we keep trying to stuff our candle under a bushel instead of letting it shine forth and bring joy into the hearts of others. Joy that we have attempted to hoard to ourselves will gutter and die, leaving us cold and empty and more miserable than ever. But the joy that reflects back to us from the smiles and tear-stained eyes of those we have served will warm and fill us forever.
