King David faithfully declared that the Lord is the answer. In prayer, he tells the Lord, "You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever (Psalm 16:11, NLT).”
Jesus will show you the way of life. Get your Bible and read the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, noticing how Jesus lived his life. After you read them, read them again. Read them over and over again. Jesus came into our world to show us the way of life.
There is joy in the presence of Jesus. There is nothing like spending time with him in prayer, allowing him to renew and refresh our joy. Find you a quiet place today where you can be alone with him. He will revive you as you wait silently in his presence, meditating on him, his life, and his teachings.
Jesus gives eternal life to those who follow him. The ups and downs of life cannot steal this from you. Nothing can steal this from you. When the cares of life come hurling at you, threatening your sanity and stealing your joy, remind yourself that your current troubles and difficulties are temporary. Living with Jesus is eternal. For all eternity we will enjoy the pleasures of living with him. He takes care of us.
As you follow Christ, you can rest assured that he will give you direction when you don’t know where to turn, he will bless you with his presence even when others shun you, and you can look forward to living with him forever. This is all certain with everything around us uncertain.
Following Christ makes us steady in the imbalanced world we live in. Follow Jesus and you will successfully navigate the ups and downs that come on your journey.