Emptiness
“Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness” (Proverbs 14:13).
“And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour…And, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit
under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11).
Do these verses describe your life? Empty! I hope not! But if they do, there is good news for you. The empty joy that comes through living for self and indulging in all the pleasures and activities of the world all the time can be exchanged for real, genuine, and lasting joy. This is by knowing Jesus and trusting Him as your Saviour. He is the healer of broken hearts and lives. When you know the Lord and live for Him, “Your joy no man taketh from you” (John 16:22). Later John wrote, “And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full” (1 John 1:4). Do you know this “fulness of joy”? (Psalm 16:11).
