Success is appealing, but why can we still feel so behind when we’ve gone so far? Joy gets stripped away from us when our heart is set on anything else but Jesus. We were made to glorify Him and a heart after Jesus is one that will keep us in joy.

I started a youtube channel and you would think I’d be all excited and full of joy, but quite the opposite happened.

I was frustrated, concerned, and anxious about how I would bring people to the channel and increase the number of subscribers. I opened my heart for God to examine it during my alone time with him because I definitely was not at peace.

It was then when he revealed to me that my motives were wrong. I lost the focus on simply loving Jesus and sharing Him to the world because I was so set on seeing my ministry grow. I overcomplicated my life by adding goals that I felt had to happen. Once I shifted my focus back to Jesus, I found peace and joy again.

My pursuit was no longer in the numbers but keeping my heart pure for Jesus. When we seek after selfish gain instead of Jesus, we will always find ourselves in a place of unrest.

True joy stems from a heart that is simply after Jesus.

Not after success.
Not after fame.
Not after riches.

But Jesus.

I was doing the works for the kingdom of God, but I found my desire to see my ministry grow supersede Jesus himself. We can be doing things for Jesus but miss Jesus himself. I never want to find myself doing anything but with the motive of loving Jesus and glorifying Him.

As we set our hearts on Jesus, the fruit of our lives will yield automatically. Luke 8:8 says, “Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” The good soil in this verse is referring to a heart that is receptive to the word which is Jesus. Luke 8:15 says, “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”

God is more concerned about the condition of our heart than the fruit of our works. It’s easy for us to focus on the fruit of our works, but we must focus on our hearts. When we have a pure heart, the fruit of our works will come automatically. God knows the condition of our hearts and will allow us to go through hardships and testings to purify our motives.

We will find ourselves dissatisfied with life as we pursue our own selfish gains. We were created to glorify Jesus and not ourselves. Isaiah 43:7 says, “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” God is our creator and He created us for His glory.

Living the most satisfied life comes by living out who God created us to be.

It’s no wonder that celebrities and people who we can say hit the mark end up being depressed. Why have they lost joy in the pursuit of their dreams? Because they missed out on the greatest source of fulfillment which is Jesus. When we move from a place of glorifying God to glorifying ourselves, we will lose joy.

Nothing can steal our joy when our hearts are set on Jesus. Jesus says in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have lie, and have it to the full.” The enemy will use our own selfish desires to destroy us, but Jesus is here to guide us along a fulfilling life. He leads us beside still waters, He refreshes our soul, and He guides us along the right paths for His name sake (Psalm 23:2-3).

What’s the condition of your heart? Have you been seeking after your own selfish ambitions or Jesus? God is calling us to shift our gaze back to Him. As we gaze on His beauty, the worries of this world will dim and His love will shine brightly.

Will you devote your heart to seeking Jesus? 1 Chronicles 22:19 says, “Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord..” Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what you need to do to set your heart back on Him. When we seek first God, everything else in our lives will come together (Matthew 6:33). So remember, set your heart after Jesus.

Prayer: “Jesus, I want my heart’s pursuit to be you.”

Watch the latest video “Joy In Surrender” bit.ly/2NxWae4