Our Joy!
Psalms chapter 100.
Shout with joy before the Lord, O earth! Obey Him gladly; come before Him , singing with joy. Try to realize what this means---the Lord is God! He made us---we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Go through His open gates with great thanksgiving; enter His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and bless His name. For the Lord is always good. He is always loving and kind, and His faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation.
What is joy? It is the heart felt love you feel. It is the laughter and satisfaction you have in the midst of trials. It is the everlasting love of knowing God is with you. It is life with Jesus and the love of belonging.
I like the above Scripture and what it says to realize that the Lord is God! He made us---we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. In your job you face challenges and opinions. At home the chores need to be done and attitudes can lead to frustration. My life before I came to God was spent in very little maintenance and lots on me. I worked and spent my free time in a haze doing only small amounts here and there.
But God changed all that. Who would have thought that there was more to life than day to day breathing. He showed me His love and that led me to showing others His love. I had renewed energy and thoughts of creativity. People would look to me for involvement. I was having a good time and the bible became a part of my daily interests.
If someone asked for help or if there was a task to be done, why not do it? There's no point in standing around gossiping or judging, get to work and enjoy whatever you are doing knowing that God is right there with you. Life can go by in a blur. Don't miss out on family and friends. Enjoy the life you have been given and you will see that others will enjoy it with you also.
Leviticus chapter 19 verses 16-18 says, "Don't gossip. Don't falsely accuse your neighbor of some crime, for I am Jehovah. Don't hate your brother. Rebuke anyone who sins; don't let him get away with it, or you will be equally guilty. Don't seek vengeance. Don't bear a grudge; but always love your neighbor as yourself, for I am Jehovah." When we are wronged, we are to forgive, just as God forgave our wandering and forgetful minds. He gave life back to Jesus, so that all people can come to Him through His Son and know what it means to be reborn.
The joy of living is in what God gives us and Jesus is God's gift to us. In 1 Kings chapter 18, Elijah (God's Prophet), questioned the people about wavering between two opinions. "If the Lord is God, follow Him! But if Baal is God, then follow him." The people did their best to get a reaction from Baal, but none came for he is an idol. Then Elijah called upon God and God proved Himself and all the people declared "Jehovah is God! Jehovah is God!"
Our worries and concerns can easily distract us from God, leaving us vulnerable to mistakes and accusations. Colossians chapter 2 verses 13-15 say, "You were dead in sins, and your sinful desires were not yet cut away. Then God gave you a share in the very life of Christ, for He forgave all your sins, and blotted out the charges proved against you, the list of His commandments which you had not obeyed. He took this list of sins and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ's cross. In this way God took away Satan's power to accuse you of sin, and God openly displayed to the whole world Christ's triumph at the cross where your sins were all taken away"
Our lives may be a mess, but God is forgiving and filled with love for you. By living life with Jesus you reflect the love God has for you. So, bring it on! No matter the troubles or the sorrows, you are not alone anymore. You walk in the presence of God, with Jesus, filled with His Holy Spirit.
Romans chapter 5 verses 1-6 says; "So now, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith in His promises, we can have real peace with Him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. For because of our faith, He has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials for we know that they are good for us---they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady. Then, when that happens, we are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. When we were utterly helpless with no way to escape, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners who had no use for Him."
Wow, what a promise and gift. The only way to know if this is real is to test God and see for yourself how wonderful Jesus really is. The joy you will receive will be your assurance, as you trust in Him with all of who you are. No more hidden secrets or confusing thoughts. You talk to Him about everything, just as Jesus did and now does with you.
Than You Father for Jesus. Thank You for Your love and saving grace. Your mercies have given us a new home to live in. 😊
Ecclesiastes chapter 2 verses 20-26.
So I turned in despair from hard work as the answer to my search for satisfaction. For though I spend my life searching for wisdom, knowledge and skill, I must leave all of it to someone who hasn't done a days work in his life; he inherits all my efforts, free of charge. This is not only foolish, but unfair. So what does a man get for all his hard work? Days full of sorrow and grief, and restless, bitter nights. It is all utterly ridiculous. So I decided that there was nothing better for a man to do than to enjoy his food and drink, and his job. Then I realized that even this pleasure is from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy apart from Him? For God gives those who please Him wisdom, knowledge and joy; but if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away from him and gives it to those who please Him. So here, too, we see an example of foolishly chasing the wind.
Isaiah chapter 43 verses 25 and 26.
The Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says; "I, yes, I alone am He who blots away your sins for My own sake and will never think of them again. Oh remind Me of this promise of forgiveness, for we must talk about your sins. Plead your case for My forgiving you."
Ephesians chapter 5 verses 15-17.
So be careful how you act; these are difficult days. Do not be fools; be wise; make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good. Do not act thoughtlessly, but try to find out and do whatever the Lord wants you to.
Romans chapter 14 verses 8 and 9.
Living or dying we follow the Lord. Either way we are His. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose, so that He can be our Lord both while we live and when we die.
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