Hits Close to Home

Devotional

Day 1: New Creation, New Values, New Joy

In Christ, you are not a polished version of the old; you are made new from the inside out. The old ways of chasing happiness don’t have to steer your life anymore, because a different kind of joy now defines you. This joy springs from belonging to Jesus, not from the rise and fall of circumstances. Let that identity settle your heart: you are His, and the life He gives includes a durable joy the world can’t provide or take away. Choose to live from that new center today, and let your desires, priorities, and reactions be shaped by it. Joy grows where the old self has finally let go. [05:10]

2 Corinthians 5:17
If a person is joined to Christ, they become someone new; what belonged to their former life is gone, and a fresh life from God begins to unfold.

Reflection: Which “old source of joy” still tugs at you, and what specific habit could you replace it with this week to enjoy Christ instead?

Day 2: Not at Home Here—Live as Joyful Exiles

This world isn’t your final address, so don’t get too comfortable in it. Let that perspective free you to live beautifully among your neighbors—with a joy that outlives trends, pressures, and the need to be right. An exemplary life is more than doing the right things; it is doing them with a Spirit-shaped attitude that invites questions rather than shuts people out. Your joy is a quiet explanation of what God is like. Live today with a traveler’s light touch and a full heart, showing where your true home is. Let your presence point people to the celebration to come. [07:31]

1 Peter 2:11–12
Dear friends, since this place isn’t your true home, resist desires that damage your soul. Live such good and winsome lives in your community that, even if people misunderstand you, your actions will overturn their suspicions and lead them to honor God when He visits.

Reflection: As you head into one specific gathering this week, what calm, joyful practice—tone, patience, or gratitude—could you prepare in advance to make your true home visible?

Day 3: Close to the Father, Joy Takes Root

Joy is not manufactured by willpower; it flows from being near the Father. Draw near in Scripture, prayer, and simple silence, and trust that He draws near to you—not just when you feel it, but because He promised. Even in valleys, His presence holds you deeper than any pit. Keep coming close: the small daily steps form a road where joy can actually travel. You may still grieve, but you won’t be alone; His nearness steadies your hope and nourishes your joy. Start where you are, and come closer today. [15:22]

James 4:8
Move toward God, and He will move toward you. Open your hands, turn from what dirties your life, and let your heart be made single and clean before Him.

Reflection: What ten-minute daily rhythm—Scripture, silence, or prayer—will you adopt this week to come nearer to God, and how will you guard that time from interruption?

Day 4: Strong and Courageous: Joy Overcomes Fear

Fear shrinks joy; courage, rooted in God’s presence, makes room for it. You don’t need to force outcomes or please every opinion—walk in love like Jesus, with grace and truth, and let the Father’s nearness steady your voice and steps. Joy flourishes when you remember who goes with you into each room, conversation, and uncertainty. Choose courage today, not brashness, but a settled willingness to show up with love. As fear loosens its grip, joy will breathe again. Step forward—He is with you. [21:40]

Joshua 1:9
I am commanding you: be brave and steadfast. Don’t be afraid or lose heart, because I, the Lord your God, am with you in every place you set your foot.

Reflection: Name the setting where fear usually quiets your faith; what one gentle, brave action will you take there this week to show love with courage?

Day 5: Practice Gratitude; Walk the Road to Joy

On this side of heaven, joy is cultivated with habits of gratitude, trust, and a refusal to let the world tell you who you are. Naming God’s gifts softens the heart and clears the fog so you can see His faithfulness again. Some nights hold tears, but morning always comes—and God can also plant joy in the middle of your mourning. Keep walking: thank Him, forgive where you can, and anchor your identity in Christ. Over time, these steps make a well-worn path where joy meets you again and again. Begin that path today. [22:48]

Psalm 30:5
God’s anger is brief, but His favor rests on His people for a lifetime. Tears may spend the night, but at dawn, joy arrives at the door.

Reflection: List three specific gifts from God you’ll thank Him for each evening this week; how does seeing them clearly reframe the one burden that feels heaviest right now?

Sermon Summary

Good morning, good morning—week of Joy! I opened with a family story from the ice rink: my girls wanted to skate “by themselves,” running in place like the Flintstones while refusing my help. The Spirit tapped my shoulder—relatable. We want movement and purpose, but we insist on doing it our way. That’s the great swap so many of us make: we reach for quick hits of happiness instead of the slow, sturdy gift of joy. Happiness is fragile; joy is rooted. And the root is the gospel—Jesus makes us new. New creation means new desires, new direction, new strength, and yes, new joy. The old sources no longer define us.

Peter tells us this world is not our home, so don’t get cozy in it. Live exemplary lives “so that” people are won to God. Joy is not a decorative extra; it’s a compelling apologetic. Nobody is captivated by a “right” but joyless Christian. Joy signals that our home address is with the Father. That was my main point: true joy is only found when we’re at home with the Father. Isaiah says, “He will save you.” Faith and hope open the door to joy; they tether us when bills are due, relationships fray, and grief is real. Joy doesn’t erase tears; it gives them a future. “The ransomed… crowned with unending joy.” That promise won’t always feel near, but proximity to God brings it near—draw near to Him, and He draws near to you.

Corrie Ten Boom wrote, “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still.” Joy is usually not a circumstance problem; it’s a throne problem—who or what is sitting on your heart’s seat? In the holiday swirl, fear and people-pleasing crowd in. Jesus calls us to love, not to fear. “Be strong and courageous.” Courage makes room for joy. Psalm 30 says there is joy in the morning—and in the mourning. I lived that in 2021. We moved home empty and scared, my health crashed, and I felt purposeless. God gave us Ava—her name means “life”—and she became joy in my morning. That’s how God works: He meets us in the valley and anchors us in Himself.

Practically, joy on this side of heaven grows where gratitude is practiced, forgiveness is chosen, and identity is guarded. Take time this week to name God’s gifts, ask Him what’s blocking your next step into joy, draw near, and keep drawing. There’s a road to joy. Walk it. God has joy for you in this season.

Key Takeaways

1. Joy outlasts happiness’s quick rush Happiness spikes and vanishes because it’s tethered to circumstances. Joy endures because it’s anchored in God’s character and promises, not in our outcomes. When we chase happiness, we grow more restless; when we pursue joy, we grow more whole. Choose the root over the rush. [03:26]
2. New identity reshapes what delights us In Christ we are new, and new creation comes with new appetites. Old wells no longer satisfy because our hearts have been re-homed in God. Let your practices catch up to your identity: seek what aligns with who you now are. Joy grows where identity is obeyed. [04:47]
3. Draw near: proximity births resilient joy Joy is relational before it is emotional—closeness to God stabilizes the soul. Draw near in Scripture, prayer, worship, and honest community, and you will find Him drawing near to you. Over time, that nearness weathers grief without surrendering hope. Proximity is the practice that makes joy durable. [15:22]
4. Be strong and courageous to rejoice Fear shrinks the heart and crowds out joy. Courage in the Lord is not bluster; it’s quiet trust that God goes with us into hard rooms and uncertain weeks. As courage rises, we stop living by others’ opinions and live by God’s presence. Courage makes space for joy to breathe. [21:10]
5. Practice gratitude; train your perspective Gratitude is how we teach our eyes to see God’s nearness in ordinary days. Naming gifts reorders our inner world and dethrones anxiety. Gratitude doesn’t deny pain; it refuses to let pain be the only narrator. It’s a daily rehearsal of truth that prepares the heart for joy. [26:45]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:34] - Opening Prayer for Joy
[01:12] - Ice Skating and Self-Reliance
[02:56] - Happiness vs. Lasting Joy
[04:47] - New Creation, New Joy
[05:39] - Not Cozy in This World
[07:56] - Joy as Our Apologetic
[10:33] - Joy at Home with the Father
[11:00] - Faith and Hope Precede Joy
[13:07] - Unending Joy Promised
[15:22] - Draw Near and Be Met
[17:57] - Joy, Grief, and Holiday Pressures
[20:16] - Be Strong and Courageous
[22:48] - Joy in the (M)ourning
[26:45] - Practice Gratitude; Communion Invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- 1 Peter 2:11–12

Observation questions
- In 1 Peter 2:11–12, what identity does Peter give to believers, and what does he tell them not to do?
- What “so that” purpose does Peter give for living exemplary lives? How does that connect to people being “won over”?
- In the ice rink story, what were the girls doing that looked like movement but wasn’t actually getting them anywhere? [01:47]
- What specific contrast was made between happiness and joy, and why does one last while the other fades? [03:26]

Interpretation questions
- If “this world is not your home,” how should that shape the way a believer responds to both good and bad news happening around them? [07:31]
- Why is joy a more compelling witness than doing the right things with a grumpy spirit? What does that reveal about the heart behind obedience? [08:18]
- How do faith and hope function as prerequisites to joy when life is painful or uncertain? What happens to joy when faith or hope go missing? [12:09]
- What does it mean that many joy problems are “throne problems”? How can someone discern what is sitting on the seat of their heart? [17:22]

Application questions
- What is currently competing for the throne of your heart (approval, fear, control, success, comfort)? Name one competitor and one concrete step to dethrone it this week. [17:22]
- Make a simple “draw near” plan for the next 7 days. When, where, and how will you practice Scripture, prayer, worship, or honest community so you can meet with God? Be specific. [15:22]
- Identify one conversation, room, or task you’re entering this week that stirs anxiety. What would it look like to step into it “strong and courageous,” trusting that God goes with you? [21:10]
- Practice gratitude: name three gifts from God you can thank Him for today, and pick a 10–30 minute block this week to list more. How might this re-train your perspective toward joy? [26:45]
- Where are you still drinking from “old wells” that used to define you? What one practice could better match your new-creation identity (habits, media, relationships, rhythms)? [04:47]
- If you are grieving, how can you hold both grief and joy together this week? What is one step to honor the loss and one step to receive God’s joy in the mourning? [22:48]
- “So that” someone might be won over—what is one practical, observable way your household could live this week (tone, hospitality, patience, service) that points neighbors toward God? [10:16]

Sermon Clips

We think of that as, hey, do the right thing.And it means that, but I think it means a little bit more.How many of you guys have met somebody that does all the right things?They're just pretty grumpy.They're just pretty grumpy.We'll go on.I'll say this again.Again, our joy as Christians, as followers of Christ,is one of the best apologetics we have to offer.An apologetic is something that explains our faith, that captivates people, and wants them to have what we have.And if I do all the right things, and I'm exhausted, and I'm tired, and I'm a jerk,who wants that?Who wants what I have if I'm a jerk? [00:08:00] (48 seconds) #JoyAsApologetic

So this is all a concept right now.I get that.We're just kind of filtering through.So now we got the foundation.We can have joy if we build on the foundation that Jesus has laid in his death and resurrection.So how do we live this new life?And how does it shape our joy?The main idea I want us to get today is that joy, true joy, is only found when we're at home with the Father. [00:10:28] (27 seconds) #JoyAtHomeWithFather

If I have one thing to say, though, it's this.So when you're living like heaven is your home and claiming the story of God over your life, joy is attainable in every season.And it's not just possible, it's probable, even for the person that thinks that joy can't be real for them in this room, which I know there is.I'm not saying joy is probable, like you're not going to wake up with a smile on your face every day, anything like that.You're going to contribute to God's purposes for your life, which will ultimately be fulfilling and joyful for your life. [00:22:10] (37 seconds) #HeavenAsHome

A week into moving back home, I found out I had this thyroid issue.I'd lost like 50 pounds in a month, which is not even an exaggeration.I was a skeleton.So I felt like I had no purpose.I had this health issue.And we had a six-week-old baby.It was Ava.Ava was my joy in the morning.And it's so funny looking back at her name.Her name means life.There was times where I just didn't, going back to bed, like, honestly, I just didn't care if I woke up. [00:24:48] (38 seconds) #JoyInSmallThings

Like, I mean, I had three kids.But, like, Hannah can figure it out.I was just empty.I wasn't fulfilling the purpose that I knew that God had for me.It seemed like at that moment, right?Seeing back, I see what God was doing.But in that moment, it was the emptiest I had ever been.But God knew that was coming, which is why he gave us Ava.And if you know, have you seen my kids, as Ava stands out, because she's blonde hair, blue eyes.Like, she's just such a gift in that way of, like, it was undeniable. [00:25:26] (42 seconds) #GiftInDarkness

I want to encourage you that this, that there's a road to joy.It doesn't just happen overnight unless God just wills it like that, which sometimes he does.But it forms us as we practice gratitude, trust Jesus, and refuse to let the world tell us who we are.We are strangers and exiles to this world that scripture says.Strangers and exiles, we are supposed to be living by a different hope.What this world says is joy is not joy.We are strangers who live by a different hope.May we become people shaped by joy.A joy that only God can give.Not a momentary joy, but a lifelong joy that points people to Jesus. [00:28:29] (63 seconds) #RoadToJoyFaith

But let this be a start of something today, of a work that God wants to do in your heart.Remind yourself that you are, we don't belong in this world.We're not of this world.And we were bought with a price that only the Son of God could have paid.And he did not pay that price for you to be grumpy.He did not pay that price for you not to live out all that he paid for.I don't want to waste a penny. [00:29:51] (35 seconds) #BoughtForJoy

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