the Scriptures, and joy. By Arthur Pink. Psalm 19, verse 8. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. Joy is not a fleeting emotion stirred by circumstances. It is a deep, abiding gladness rooted in the knowledge of the true and living God. The one who truly profits from the Word is the one who finds in it the fountain of true joy. This is not the joy of the world, which is shallow, deceptive, and vanishing. It is the joy of heaven, the joy of communion with God, of sins forgiven, of a conscience cleansed, of a hope of being forever with Jesus. The Scriptures reveal the God of joy. He is a loving Father who delights to bless His children. Every line of his word is a channel through which this divine joy flows. The soul profits from the word when it begins to say with the psalmist, your statutes are my heritage forever. They are the joy of my heart. This joy does not spring from emotional experiences, but from understanding, believing, and embracing divine truth. The joy that the Word imparts is a holy joy, a joy that rests in God Himself. It is not based on what we possess or what we experience, but on who God is and what He has done for us in Christ. The promises of God kindle joy because they assure us of His love and faithfulness. The doctrines of grace ignite joy because they reveal the sovereign mercy that sought and saved us. Even the commands of Scripture become a source of joy to the heart that delights to obey. Yet this joy is often mingled with sorrow, for the more we are conformed to Christ through the Word, the more we will grieve over our sin. But even this godly sorrow leads to deeper joy, for it drives us again and again to the cross, where true gladness is found. The Word humbles us, but never crushes us. It convicts us, but always comforts us. It wounds us, but only to heal us. Are we profiting from the Word in this way? Is our joy increasingly independent of earthly things and more firmly fixed upon the Lord Jesus? Does the Word gladden our souls, even when trials abound? If our joy is weak, perhaps our contemplation of the Word is shallow. the soul that feeds richly upon Scripture will find that the joy of the Lord is its strength. Let us go often to the Word, not merely for instruction or duty, but to drink deeply of the joy that is found in knowing God through His Son. For this joy is not only our privilege, it is our portion in Christ. Your words were found, and I ate them, and your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart. Jeremiah chapter 15 verse 16