To radiate joy in Christ, that is the goal of our 2015 motto. Today District Apostle Leonard Kolb (USA) throws light on this multifaceted theme. He asks: How can we be joyful if we only think of ourselves?
District Apostle Leonard Kolb, 2nd from the right, Pentecost 2012 in Cologne/Germany (Foto: Oliver Rütten)
Sometimes it may be important for us to first be aware of the things that do not bring joy, simply so that we do not pursue them.
Many believe that if their wishes are satisfied, this will bring joy. But the Chief Apostle recently said we should search for wisdom, and then we become aware of what things actually make happiness and lasting joy. Wisdom causes us to understand we cannot buy joy and we cannot really be joyful if our neighbour is unhappy. If we only think of ourselves and don’t care about the next generation, how can we truly be joyful?
Wisdom shows us the right things to pursue, according to our heavenly Father’s will, which truly bring lasting joy. We can understand a lot has to do with our relationship with our heavenly Father and also with our connection with one another.
We can read of this of the first Christians as described in Acts 2: 42–47: vital, vibrant congregations brimming with bliss and excitement in the knowledge that Christ had died and resurrected for them. May this be a template for our pursuit of joy.