“The trouble with many people is that they have got just enough religion to make them miserable. If there is not joy in religion, you have got a leak in your religion” (Billy Sunday).

Unfortunately, this is true for many people. Religion is an obligation, not a joy. Jesus identified the religious practice of the Pharisees as a matter of keeping the law externally, but there was emptiness within. They lacked joy.  He could say the same thing about some of us. When we go to pray, is there a sense of joy in being in the Lord’s presence or is there a heaviness in our hearts? George Bernanos once wrote: “Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.” When we are in God’s presence how can we not have a joyful heart! He is the I AM, our Creator, sustainer, redeemer, sanctifier, our anointer. Knowing this, Paul tells us to “Rejoice always in the Lord.” Start now by smiling as you recall God's love and presence in this moment.