May 12 - Joy in Affliction

In today’s episode, Pastor Cory Barnes shares a devotion from 1 Thessalonians 1, reflecting on how the believers in Thessalonica received the gospel with joy even while enduring affliction and persecution. This message reminds listeners that biblical joy is not the absence of hardship, but the presence of God in the middle of it. While life in a fallen world brings pressure, challenges, and sorrow, the Holy Spirit produces a joy that sustains believers through every season. Pastor Cory encourages listeners to evaluate whether they are staying close enough to God to experience the peace and joy He freely offers. As we draw near to the Lord, He faithfully strengthens us, comforts us, and fills us with the kind of joy that cannot be shaken by circumstances.Today’s Reading:May 12 – Isaiah 5–8; 1 Thessalonians 1