February 16, 2012
The Truth About Joy
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
Psalms 48:1-2
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Psalm 51:10-12
Quote of the Day
“Ideology, politics and journalism, which luxuriate in failure, are impotent n the face of hope and joy. – P.J. O’Rourke
Today’s Thoughts and Insights
Joy, like laughter can be infectious: especially Godly joy.
Sadly, though so many seem to have lost their joy: rather they have given it away.
The Bible promises Christians that God’s joy is ours and that it will be our strength. So then, if God has given it to us and it is ours – if we no longer have it then we must have given it away.
See, I contend that nobody or nothing can take your joy away unless you allow them to do so.
When God gives a gift, He doesn’t ask for it back. Hence, since He has given us His joy, if we are not joyous and joyful – then we have allowed something or someone to take our joy away.
Everything does not have to be going perfectly for us to have God’s joy. His joy comes from knowing He loves us more than we can understand: it comes from knowing that no matter how bad things may seem around us – nothing can befall us that He will not get us through: His joy comes in the knowledge that this world is not our final home – we are just passing through on our way to a world where everything is perfect and we will live with God for all eternity.
Joy, in Christ, is knowing we have life and we have life more abundantly: It comes from the assurance we have that no weapon formed against us can prosper and that all the evil words that may be spoken against us are nothing more than vibrations in the wind and stacked up against who we are in Christ – they mean nothing.
If you have lost or given up or rather given away your joy by allowing others to get you down or by permitting the enemy to deceive and rob you – isn’t it time that you, like David, reclaimed and called out to be returned to God’s full joy for you?
Today’s Prayer
Father, you are the glory and the lifter of my hands. In you I have hope, peace and joy and for this I am both thankful and grateful. My I be a good steward of the joy You have given me and may I cherish it and not give it away or allow it to be taken from me.
“To get the full value of joy you must have somebody to divide it with.”
- Mark Twain
“Word of God speak, pour down like rain…”
- from ‘Word of God Speak’ by Mercy Me
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