Jesus began His teaching by urging His disciples to abide in Him like a branch does to a vine. Then He tells of the joy of obedience. He asks the disciples to remain in His love. They can do this by being obedient to His commands. A result of this obedience will be overflowing joy. …
Being joyful over God’s plan is realizing how fantastic it is because only God can rescue us from our sins. When man fell into sin in the Garden of Eden, it may have seemed that humanity was doomed, and nothing could have repaired their broken relationship. God planned to rescue his fallen children in His …
We see the joy of the unborn as Mary greets Elizabeth. Luke 1:41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. [1] Elizabeth was carrying John the Baptist, who would be the forerunner of Jesus. Mary was pregnant with Jesus. She knew about Elizabeth’s pregnancy …
As we journey through life, we discover that it is not all mountain tops, but it can be difficult at times and discouraging. It is easy to get discouraged, but the Lord gives us joy along our journey. When we are down, we need to be encouraged by others and the Lord. The Apostle Paul …
James gives us the solution for immature faith: trials and trouble. James 1:2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, …
Where do we find true joy in this lifetime? The world’s values tell us that true joy is found in the latest computer, home, beverage, or automobile. If that is true, what happens when those items become old, obsolete, or used up? Mary, the mother of Jesus, knew true joy. Luke 1: 47 How my spirit …
Paul demonstrated joy amid suffering in the letter to the Philippians. When Paul wrote this letter, he was in prison. Paul began his letter with a prayer of thanksgiving for the Philippians. Then, he mentions a reason for his thankfulness. Philippians 1: 7b You share with me the special favor of God, both in my …
Being joyful for what God has done uplifts us and helps us focus on the Lord, not ourselves. I remember visiting one of our homebound people years ago. Each time I saw him, he was thankful that the Lord would take him to heaven one day. In many ways, this believer focused on the Lord …
Where does true joy come from? This is a puzzle to most of the world. The Lord tells us that true joy comes from giving up our will for His. Sometimes it takes finding the world’s narrative is false before we realize the Lord has been correct all along. As I graduated from college, we …
The verse “The joy of the Lord is my strength” is a reminder to me when I am in a spiritual battle. In a conversation with a friend, he shared how the enemy is trying to discourage him in his spiritual walk. We reflected on the fact the enemy often tries to discourage people in …