​For many, life seems dull at best, and at worst, filled with anxiety and turmoil. Our nation’s constitution guarantees the pursuit of happiness as a right, but it does not guarantee our ability to find it. It often appears people are in need of a JOY transfusion.    However, they may not know where to get one. I am persuaded that no method or program would attract unbelievers to the church like the message that real happiness can be pursued and gained in Jesus Christ, the Lord.
 
Here comes the irony: most nonbelievers do not associate the concept of joy with church or Christianity. I have asked myself do they have a reason to think that way. Haven’t we been to church services where the assembly looked like they had gathered to mourn a defeat rather than a victory?  Too many Christians look like they were baptized in freshly squeezed lemon juice. God intends Christians to live a joy-filled life. The Psalms are full of invitations to come before the Lord with a spirit of gladness (Psalm 100:1-2). Brothers and sisters, we must remember that real joy does not come from things, nor is it found in some package. Real joy only springs forth from a close relationship with the Savior, Jesus.

Clark Tatum

​     Volcanoes are interesting. They are mountains with a crust that are full of molten lava. Sometimes the crust is so strong and so thick that the molten lava is kept inside; but sometimes cracks form in the crust, and the molten lava will flow out. Now, if you will pardon the illustration, we are like volcanoes in that there is a certain crust to our lives. There’s conformity in our lives, but inside the crust of conformity is a molten mass called sin in all of us. If that is hard for us to understand, it is because we don't understand that sin is not initially action against people; it is initially an attitude and action towards God. Have your sins been forgiven? 
     There is in all of us a molten mass of disobedience to God. Now, the crust may be such in some of our lives that the lava rarely bursts out, but there will be times when it will. Sometimes a little religious crack will form in our thick religious crust, and guess what will come out? The lava of sin flows in all sorts of forms. There is the flow of pride; an unforgiving current; an unloving attitude; an independent attitude of disobedience toward God. Sin needs to be forgiven by God. You could have a list as long as your arms of socially acceptable lava flows, but the crust is not important; the lava is.  Matthew 12:34-37

Clark Tatum

​     We have all heard about the optimistic attitude that says something like when life hands you a lemon why not make lemonade? Think about your attitude because for the most part attitude is a habit. It is accurate to say your attitude has a lot to do with the way you view things. Did you hear about the optimist that fell from the top floor of a 12-story building? Someone yelled out at the 7th floor window and asked, “How is it going?” The man yelled back, “So far so good!”
     Seriously our attitude can make a difference. The optimist sees the donut the pessimists sees the hole. The optimist sees the glass half-full and the pessimist sees the glass half-empty. You can go through the Scripture and find attitudes of selfishness and fear and you can look around in life and find people who have this attitude of thinking that we call a bad attitude. On the other hand, you find good attitudes in both the Scripture and as you look around in life. We still find attitudes in people of faith that say like David of old, God and I can conquer this Giant. We all agree attitude is important. Are you letting the attitude of Jesus be seen in you? 

Clark Tatum

​A married couple was driving down the road. The wife turned to the husband and said, "What's happened with us?" "What do you mean?" the husband asked. She said, "We're not like we used to be."  "How did we used to be?" the husband asked. "We were closer. More connected. We held hands all the time. In fact, here's a perfect example right now. Remember when we'd get in the car, and we'd sit right next to each other, with me there in the middle." The husband turned to her and said, "Who moved?"
 
This story illustrates an important Biblical principle that we must always remember. If you are not as close to God as you used to be, you are the one who moved. He did not move. When Jesus calls us to follow Him it involves more than an occasional visit or a part-time activity. If you want to get back to where you used to be, you need to move in His direction. Along the same lines, if you want to be closer to God than you've ever been before, if you want to reach a new level in your relationship with Him, all you need to do is move in His direction. It may be helpful to be reminded that there are no problems that God cannot solve if you will place Jesus at the center of your life.

Clark Tatum

​     There is a story about a tribal chief that told his young grandson a parable about the human condition. "Son, there are two wolves inside each of us. One is good and one is bad. One fights for anger, greed, jealousy and rage. The other fights for kindness, joy, love and happiness. These two wolves fight it out every day, and it is up to you to determine which wolf will win." The young boy asked, "How do I determine this?" The old chief said, "Son, the wolf you feed is the wolf who wins the battle." In a nutshell, that is the key to experiencing ongoing Joy.
     Journey with Jesus and you will know joy. Do not make the mistake of searching for joy, because you will come up short. Seek Jesus and follow Him and real joy can be your reality. The book of Philippians has a lot to say about the subject of joy. There are two interesting details about Philippians. One, it is unquestionably Paul's most upbeat book; two, it was written during one of the most difficult times of his life. He was in prison, facing an uncertain future, possibly facing execution. And yet, Paul is brimming with joy and enthusiasm. Happiness, they say, is based on circumstances, on happenings, but joy is something deeper. The word joy is not based on circumstances, but rather upon a relationship to Jesus Christ. 

Clark Tatum