Good morning people who give your attention to Emmanuel.

Psalms 16:11 NIV You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

May this verse be the testimony and truth of our lives.

The path of life cannot be intellectually acquired. We cannot study our way into it, or receive it through osmosis.

The path of life must be made known to us by the Spirit of God through divine revelation. It is so absolutely true that we desperately and fully need God for life itself!

Joy is found in God’s presence. It is distinctive from happiness, which itself is contingent on circumstances. True joy is centered in our awareness of God being present. Please hear this today.

Even through a dark valley, we can walk in the joy of the Lord which is our strength. I frequently think about the words of the apostle Paul as he writes to the church in Phillipi from a horribly offensive prison cell:

Philippians 4:4 NIV Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

God was with Paul in prison, and it was this revelation that caused Paul to rejoice in the Lord always. Emmanuel, God with us, was a living truth in Paul’s life, and this was the source of Paul’s joy.

May we be more aware of the presentness of God today than the presentness of circumstances.