April 26, 2023 ABOUNDING IN JOY
Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
James 1:2 “Count it all joy, My brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.”
Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
The joy that the above scriptures are referring too does not come from our own efforts to be joyful. And this joy abides even in the midst of difficulties; the roots of this joy run deeper than the trials we encounter. Let us not misunderstand; joy is not always expressed in laughter; there are times that we are burdened and in need of the comfort that God gives. The joy that is constant in all circumstances comes from God. However, God does not automatically zap all of His people with joy; experiencing joy is a by-product of believing God, loving Him, knowing Him in a personal way, and seeking Him first. If we are pursuing our ways and living according to our own preferences, we will not know the joy of the Lord. One primary reason that this joy is not dependent on circumstances is that God is a God of hope. Even though we may be experiencing trials, we know that God is working in the trials, that He has a purpose in it, and that He will bring us through the trial; even though we do not fully understand the ‘why’ of the difficulty and even though we cannot see how any good will come out of it, we can have hope in God-that He is in control. The very idea of hope is that we hope for what we cannot see. Because God is faithful, because He loves us, because He is all-wise and all-powerful, and because the Holy Spirit is at work in us, we have every reason to put all hope in God. Again; Jesus said we would have trials in life; sometimes things go wrong for us; sometimes we do not feel like laughing-but that does not change who God is. No one likes trials, but according to James 1:2, we can rejoice in the trial because we know that it is producing something good. So, the key point for us is whether our joy is tied to how we interpret what’s taking place around us in the the here and now, or is our joy rooted in our God who loves us. Jesus desires that His joy be in us and that our joy may be full; it is indeed the joy of the Lord that we need.
Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forever.”
Blessings, Buddy
Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
James 1:2 “Count it all joy, My brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.”
Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”
The joy that the above scriptures are referring too does not come from our own efforts to be joyful. And this joy abides even in the midst of difficulties; the roots of this joy run deeper than the trials we encounter. Let us not misunderstand; joy is not always expressed in laughter; there are times that we are burdened and in need of the comfort that God gives. The joy that is constant in all circumstances comes from God. However, God does not automatically zap all of His people with joy; experiencing joy is a by-product of believing God, loving Him, knowing Him in a personal way, and seeking Him first. If we are pursuing our ways and living according to our own preferences, we will not know the joy of the Lord. One primary reason that this joy is not dependent on circumstances is that God is a God of hope. Even though we may be experiencing trials, we know that God is working in the trials, that He has a purpose in it, and that He will bring us through the trial; even though we do not fully understand the ‘why’ of the difficulty and even though we cannot see how any good will come out of it, we can have hope in God-that He is in control. The very idea of hope is that we hope for what we cannot see. Because God is faithful, because He loves us, because He is all-wise and all-powerful, and because the Holy Spirit is at work in us, we have every reason to put all hope in God. Again; Jesus said we would have trials in life; sometimes things go wrong for us; sometimes we do not feel like laughing-but that does not change who God is. No one likes trials, but according to James 1:2, we can rejoice in the trial because we know that it is producing something good. So, the key point for us is whether our joy is tied to how we interpret what’s taking place around us in the the here and now, or is our joy rooted in our God who loves us. Jesus desires that His joy be in us and that our joy may be full; it is indeed the joy of the Lord that we need.
Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forever.”
Blessings, Buddy
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