Times are tough. In a store the other day, two young men in their 20’s were discussing jobs. It seems neither of them had a job and they had looked many places without any success. It was brought home to me the seriousness of our economy. There doesn’t seem to be much to be joyful about right now.

And yet, we allow the circumstances of the moment to rob us of our joy. The longer I stay on this earth the more I realize things do not matter. Things are temporary, but we have convinced ourselves that we just can’t get by without having some new, sometimes expensive, possession. If we can’t have it then we feel that we just can’t be happy.

Years ago we did not have electricity in our area. People got by without TV’s, microwave ovens, personal computers, and anything that uses electricity. Carpenters used hammers—not those that are powered by electricity. When they sawed a board they did not get the skill saw out. If they had it would not have run...actually there were none. Mechanics used their own strength and not that powered by air compressors. Even washing the clothes and dishes is different today than then.

Do I want to go back to those days? No. I have gotten used to living the way I do. But do we have to have those things? How many things could we give up today and still be happy? Do we allow circumstances to determine our joy? Do we allow people to rob us of our joy? Do we allow things (or the lack of them) to rob us of our joy?

For the Christian, none of these things matter. As Christians we put our trust and confidence in the One who gave Himself for us. No one can take away our salvation. We may be persecuted for our beliefs, belittled by those who do not trust the Bible, or try to be drawn away by the offerings of this world. But no one, no thing, no circumstance, should ever keep us from our God.

The one promise of the Bible I love is found in Philippians 4:19, "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (NASB) God has promised to meet our needs, not our desires or greed. So, whatever happens in life, we must put our trust in God who supplies all.