Joy: August 12, 2009

TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY AUGUST 12, 2009

JOY

Defined by Webster:

An emotion of sudden pleasure; exultant satisfaction; keen delight; joyful.

GODS WORD

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5.

“These things that I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:11.

WORDS BY KEN AND DOTTIE

Joy as spoken of in the Bible is not based on the happiness that the world considers happiness. Joy does not come to a person because he has wealth, possessions, fame or status. People work hard to obtain these things in order to find happiness, but as Solomon, who had everything, tells us in Ecclesiastes 1:2, that it is all meaningless.

Webster’s closest definition of JOY as used in the Bible is “exultant satisfaction.” Only those who know the Lord understand the true meaning of JOY. Those who have accepted Christ as their Savior have peace in their heart because they know their sins have been forgiven and that God loves them. Jesus explains what He means when He says “MY JOY” in John 15:11 (above). In the previous two verses He says: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Fathers commands and remain in His Love.” This is the “JOY’ we pray you have in your life.

In the scripture, Matthew 25:21 where Jesus told the parable of the “Talents”, He talked about the joy that the master had in his heart when one of his servants responded as he had hoped. He said: “Well done good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the Joy of the Lord.” The servant’s faithfulness and the success he obtained because of his faithfulness brought joy to his master and allowed the servant to share in the master’s happiness.

The apostle Paul lists the fruits of the Spirit that are evidenced in the lives of Christians through the work of the Holy Spirit in us. These are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. [Galatians 5:22-23]. Only those who have united themselves with Christ can understand the true meaning of joy. James reminds us in James 1:2 that when we face the trials in our day to day life we are to “count it all joy.” He does not mean we are to be happy about our trials, but we are to face our trials with an attitude of joy because of what it can produce in our life for Christ’s glory. Joy is a vital need for our everyday living.

What we learn from the scripture is that we as believers can have a spirit of joy that is not based on the positive or negative circumstances of our life. When we have the “JOY OF THE LORD’ in our life we will find it easier to face the difficulties of life.

The bottom line that we learn from these scriptures and from what we have learned in real life is that we are to face every moment of every day with a spirit of Joy! When we do this the negatives in life seem to go away fast and the positives of life seem to stay with us. We all need to remember to put Christ first place in all of our lives and call upon Him for every situation that arises every moment of every day.

We have several close friends that are facing serious health problems. Each one has been through many tests, consultations, treatments and medicines and you often wonder how much they can humanly take. But the one thing that is true in all their lives is that they are living each day with a spirit of joy. They have done all that they can from a medical perspective and they continue to respond to their doctors care. They have put everything into God’s hands. They pray for healing daily as do scores of their friends. They understand the meaning of Psalm 30:5 where it says that weeping and suffering lasts only for a while, but for the believer there is joy coming. They are living their lives full of joy and hope. They are all ready to meet their Lord but each one also realizes that they still have a mission here on this earth. That mission is to share their faith, their attitude and their joy with everyone they touch daily. Do you live a life of joy? If not, we encourage you to ask God today to give you a life of joy.

TODAYS FAMILY PRAYER

Give me joy in my life throughout today. Help me to realize that whatever happens to me today that according to the words of James, I am to count it all joy. Give me wisdom to make decisions that honor you and give me your joy in my heart so that my joy may be full.