The Joy Stealer Vs. The Joy Giver

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”  John 10:10

Apparently there are a lot of folks who have yet to be convinced that life in Christ is infinitely better than a life lived for selfish desires.  Those who have not given their lives to Christ have no protection against the master thief, Satan, who delights in stealing one’s joy and peace of mind.  The devil does not have the ability to take a life directly, but the absence of the Holy Spirit within one’s soul makes one vulnerable to Satan’s influence which leads to selfishness and pride, the harbingers of misery.

How many people have been killed or injured because of others who drove under the influence of alcohol?  A person who has had too much to drink gets behind the wheel of a car because he or she is full of pride, convinced that he or she is invincible.  How many homes have been broken because of selfishness?  There are multitudes of examples of hardships, troubles, strife, and misery because Satan has had full reign in the lives of people who refuse to acknowledge their sin and repent.  The devil loves for folks to be miserable and to convince them that their problems are always someone else’s fault.  He is a master at playing the “blame game”.  He even convinced Eve that God was withholding a special privilege from her and Adam, and we all know how that ended up.

Jesus came to bring life joy, peace, and righteousness to a world sorely in need of His touch.  He came to bring an abundant life, one where there’s no need to worry about the future, one where He will meet each individual’s needs.  The Christian life is not perfect.  There are plenty of “bumps in the road” on life’s highway, but with Christ we will arrive safely to our destination.  Someone said “Your worst day with Jesus is better than your best day without Him”.  Personally speaking, I can’t imagine living one second without the protection, provision, comfort, and love of Jesus Christ.