Finding Happiness in Our Relationship with God

 

Sometimes, we may struggle to find happiness in our relationship with God, and we don’t feel close to Him. When things get really tough, rather than finding joy in Him, we feel sad, confusing, or that we are being treated unfairly. God doesn’t want us to stay stuck in those feelings. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that it is impossible to please Him without faith. So, He doesn’t want our relationship with Him to be based on feelings, but on faith. He wants us to count on Him even when life is not perfect.

It’s okay to be honest with our Heavenly Father when we're feeling down. He already knows what’s in our hearts, and He wants us to talk to Him about it. In John 16:24 (NLT), Jesus says, “Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.” This means that when we pray and ask God for help, He hears us—and He answers in ways that show His love.

He gives us real happiness. It’s a joy that lasts, and it is not dependent on everything always going smoothly. Let’s face it, life can be rough sometimes. And even during those times that we are struggling to have faith, He has mercy on us.

For example, my sister had been going through a difficult time spiritually. She prayed and asked God to help her and He blessed her in a way that showed her His love. Something unexpected happened, and she got tickets to a concert she really wanted to go to. That concert gave her a moment of joy and reminded her that God cares about the things that make us smile. God doesn’t always answer prayers in the exact way we think, but He always knows what we need.

Learning about Him and wanting to expand your relationship with Him can bring you true joy. And this can bring you out of any bad place. Isaiah 12:2 (NLT) says, “See, God has come to save me. The Lord God is my strength and my song; He has given me victory.” This verse shows us that God is our strength. He gives us reasons to sing and smile, even during hard times.

In John 15:11 (NLT), Jesus told the disciples, “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” His teachings are true and they cause our joy to be full. This is the joy that God wants us to experience. No one but Him can do this for us. The more we learn about God and spend time with Him, the more joy we will find. Reading the Bible, praying, and worshiping help us feel God’s presence and love. And the closer we get to Him, the more we’ll see how much He cares about our happiness. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Finding Happiness in Our Relationship with God”, written for aheartforchristdevotions@blogspot.com by Kraiapril©2025. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!

Celebrating Jesus: His Sacrifice and Resurrection

 

Many celebrate Easter as wonderful day of our Lord and Savior’s resurrection. But many believers also call it “Resurrection Sunday”, marking that glorious show of God’s power when He rose His beloved Son, Jesus, from the grave. Candy, colorful eggs, or cute bunnies are some of the things that kids enjoy, but the resurrection of Christ is about something way more amazing. It’s about knowing what God did for us through the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ. It's something we should always keep close to our hearts.

Think about this: Jesus, the Son of God, gave up His life for us. He didn’t have to do this, but He chose to. That’s real love—like, the biggest kind of love there is. In John 15:13 (NLT), Jesus says, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” And that’s exactly what He did. And we’re the friends He’s talking about.

Jesus had His own will—He could’ve chosen a different path. But instead, He followed what God the Father wanted, even though it meant pain, suffering, and dying on the cross. In John 6:38 (KJV), our Lord and Savior said, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” He had free will just like us, but He always chose to do the Father’s Will. God sent Him to live on earth so that He could complete God’s mission. Because of this, we can be close to God and call Him “Abba Father”—which means “Daddy” or “Dad.” Isn’t that incredible?

But here’s the best part: the story didn’t end with the cross. Jesus didn’t stay in the grave. Three days later, He came back to life! That’s what Resurrection Sunday is all about—He beat death! Now, we get to live in freedom and hope because of what Jesus did. In Romans 6:4 (NLT), it says, “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.”

Because of Jesus, we don’t have to be stuck in sin or fear death. We have the chance to live forever with God. That’s a gift we could never earn, and we’ll never be able to fully repay. But we can show our love and thankfulness by living for Him every day.

So this Resurrection Sunday, let’s celebrate Jesus—not just because He died, but because He rose again! He’s alive, and He’s our Savior, our friend, and the greatest example of love we’ll ever know.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Celebrating Jesus: His Sacrifice and Resurrection”, written for aheartforchristdevotions@blogspot.com by Kraiapril©2025. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!