July 07, 2025
Daily Devotion:
"The Beauty of Joy and Grace"
1 Peter 5:10
New Living Translation
10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and hewill place you on a firm foundation.
Some people actually resist joy because they struggle with the feeling that they don't deserve it. They've made some terrible mistakes in life and failed in some major ways. The lives of those around them were affected, and not in a good way. When the choir sings their favorite worship song, or they look into the face of a brand new grandchild, their heart floods with joy-and they think, I don't deserve this feeling!
Can you relate? If so, you might as well know: You're right. You don't deserve to experience something as pure and lovely as joy. No one does. Neither do we deserve the love of God, the prospect of heaven-or the warmth of a shearling blanket or the taste of a good cup of coffee, for that matter ... except for grace. The work of Jesus on the cross opened the door to peace, rest, beauty-and joy. Because of Him, joy isours for the taking. Don't turn Him down. Don't resist grace and what it's accomplished.
