February 14, 2023 JOY
Romans 15:13, 14:17 “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.” “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”
1 Peter 1:8, 30:11 “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” “You have turned my mourning into dancing, you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ”We hear a lot about how the current supply chain issues is affecting the availability of certain goods and services. (God has no supply chain issues; there is never a shortage in the kingdom of God!) Not related to this current supply chain problem, there certainly seems to be a shortage of joy. Yet, joy is one of the hallmarks of being a part of the kingdom of God; search the scriptures and you will be surprised how many joy verses you find. The joy we have as believers-the joy that is built into the kingdom of God-is not in any way dependent on circumstances. It’s true that we can and do celebrate with joy on those occasions when something great and good happens; but our joy is not to be dependent on ‘good things’ happening. The joy I am referring to is not self-manufactured; the joy of the Lord comes from Him; it is a by-product of knowing Him personally. If we are primarily focused on ourselves; if we are depending on our commitment and our best efforts to gain what we desire; if we do not know our true identity as sons and daughters of God; then we will not know and experience the joy of the Lord. Our posture is to be that of always seeking to know God in greater ways; of choosing to obey His word and to walk in His ways; of dying to ourselves; having our hope totally in God; and to be discovering who He says we are. Sometimes I find myself simply coasting through life, not really experiencing the joy of the Lord; but the Spirit is faithful to draw me back to the place where I experience the joy that only God can give. The word for us today is for us not just to live, or to survive, but to adjust our thinking, and be in tune with the work of the Spirit in us who is always drawing us to God; as we draw close to Him, we will experience His joy.
Psalm 16:8-9 “I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells securely.”
Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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