Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
I want to share the recipe to a joyful life. If you're watching this, you probably want joy. We all go to great lengths to find joy. That's why we go from vacation to vacation. Some of us think that if we can just get more wisdom, we'll feel more joy in our lives. Maybe if we have better friends. We're always on the hunt for joy. Whatever it is that you're looking for to bring you joy, here's what I want to tell us: it will never be enough.
A Vibrant Relationship with Jesus
Here's why. Because the recipe to a joyful life is a vibrant relationship with Jesus. That's not cliché. That's truth. It's so interesting. In our text today, Jesus is around the Pharisees and they're trying to discredit Him. They're asking Him questions about the resurrection, and Jesus gives a great answer. They're trying to trap Him, and notice this question. They say in verse 35, "One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap Him with this question"—they're trying to trap Him here—"Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?"
There were 613 of them. That's a lot. You would think that Jesus would pick a bunch. This is what He says: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and your mind." He's like, I'm going to take the 613. I'm going to boil them down to this: Joy is found in loving God. Do you know what this does? It shows people that God is not after a checklist.
God Wants You, Not a Checklist
He's not after a checklist. Sometimes we think that because we do so much stuff for God, we're like, okay, God loves me because I gave to the church. I read my Bible, prayed, I shared the Gospel. I'm doing these things so I can earn the favor of God and the acceptance of God. No, no, no. The key is to love God with all your heart.
At the end of the day, the one thing that God wants from me is me. God's not after my behavior. Here's what happens: if God gets all of me, that's when I start to change. He starts transforming me from the inside out. If I love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength—here’s what I learned. I'm a better husband. I'm a better pastor. I'm a better friend. When God is at the center of my life, I love people well. I don't manipulate people. I always look to elevate people. Why? Because God's love is shed abroad in my heart, is being poured into my heart.
The Key to a Joyful Life
If we want a joyful life, we have to actually learn to take the attention off of ourselves and focus on loving God. That is the key to a joyful life.
