THE JOY NO ONE CAN STEAL
There is a joy that does not depend on weather, headlines, health, or approval. It does not rise and fall with circumstances, nor does it disappear when life grows heavy. This joy is not manufactured by optimism or sustained by denial. It is born from a Person. It comes from Christ—and because it comes from Him, it cannot be taken away.
When we look at Jesus, we are not merely observing a teacher from history; we are beholding a living Lord who reshapes the inner life. The word of God tells us that when we turn our gaze toward Him, something deep begins to change. “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). The change is gradual, often quiet, but it is real. Our fears lose their grip. Our resentments loosen. Our hope grows roots.
Christ revolutionizes not only what we believe, but how we live. We begin to see the world differently because we see Him more clearly. Joy stops being tied to outcomes and starts being anchored in relationship. Jesus Himself spoke of this joy when He said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). This is not borrowed happiness; it is His own joy shared with us.
The world trains us to look inward—to measure life by comfort, success, or recognition. Christ turns our eyes outward and upward. He teaches us that life is not found in grasping, but in receiving; not in control, but in trust. As our perspective changes, so does our posture. Gratitude replaces anxiety. Patience tempers anger. Love begins to outgrow self-interest.
This joy cannot be stolen because it is not fragile. It is guarded by truth. Jesus said, “No one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28). If we belong to Him, then our joy rests where thieves cannot reach. Pain may visit. Loss may come. But joy remains—not as denial of sorrow, but as confidence beneath it.
To look at Christ is to be steadily reoriented. Our values realign. Our loves are reordered. We begin to live not merely reacting to the world, but responding from a deeper center. This is the quiet revolution of grace: a life increasingly shaped by joy that endures.
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Lord Jesus, turn our eyes toward You again. Shape our hearts as we behold Your glory. Give us the joy that comes from belonging to You—a joy no circumstance can remove. Amen.
BDD
