Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, and the end of mirth may be grief. Proverbs 14:13 Many people have the opinion that God does not allow them any joy. They think He prohibits everything that makes life beautiful and pleasant. The fact is, however, that the Creator loves people and wants to make them supremely happy. For the first humans, He planted a garden that was well watered and fertile. The trees in it were lovely to look at and good for food. God also formed a wife for Adam, thereby giving them the joy of marriage. The pinnacle of the blessings they enjoyed at that time was an unclouded relationship with their Creator. But the happiness of the first humans was soon destroyed by their disobedience to God. Their communion with Him was broken. They had to leave this beautiful garden and toil for their daily bread. The sin of disobedience to God is also the main cause of unhappiness, misery, loneliness and distress in the world today. People try to cover up and drown out their dejection with mirth and laughter, but as soon as their friends have left, their two unwanted companions of sadness and loneliness reappear. Only through conscious repentance and personal faith in the Saviour, Jesus Christ, can our relationship with God be put right. As a result, true joy enters the heart, even if our external situation doesn’t change. Today’s reading: Nehemiah 10:1-39 · Proverbs 15:23-33 https://gbv-online.org/calendar/262/date/2025-02-17

Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, and the end of mirth may be grief. Proverbs 14:13 Many people have the opinion that God does not allow them any joy. They think He prohibits everything that makes life beautiful and pleasant. The fact is, however, that the Creator loves people and wants to make them supremely happy. For the first humans, He planted a garden that was well watered and fertile. The trees in it were lovely to look at and good for food. God also formed a wife for Adam, thereby giving them the joy of marriage. The pinnacle of the blessings they enjoyed at that time was an unclouded relationship with their Creator. But the happiness of the first humans was soon destroyed by their disobedience to God. Their communion with Him was broken. They had to leave this beautiful garden and toil for their daily bread. The sin of disobedience to God is also the main cause of unhappiness, misery, loneliness and distress in the world today. People try to cover up and drown out their dejection with mirth and laughter, but as soon as their friends have left, their two unwanted companions of sadness and loneliness reappear. Only through conscious repentance and personal faith in the Saviour, Jesus Christ, can our relationship with God be put right. As a result, true joy enters the heart, even if our external situation doesn’t change. Today’s reading: Nehemiah 10:1-39 · Proverbs 15:23-33 https://gbv-online.org/calendar/262/date/2025-02-17