109. THE JOY OF THE LORD How To Keep It.

What is “The Joy Of The Lord” It doesn’t mean you wont experience Pain, Sorrow, Misfortune or Tears, What it does mean is that God Himself will be with you as you go through these things, It’s only in recognising and accepting. His presence, eagerness and ability to help you through your problem; that you will get this insight. After all, He’s the only one who can truly know and understand your depth of sorrow and pain. Because He has not only been there himself, He has also been with you through all the circumstances leading up to this point. Therefore He alone can shower you with His Peace, His love and His Joy,Yes, even in those deep, dark times in life when you feel so isolated from every other human being on earth. He will “never leave you or forsake you.” Believe it, and pray it. The understanding, believing and accepting of that last statement is your very first step to obtaining and keeping ‘The Joy Of The Lord” that will last.’ “If The Lord Is For Me Who Can Be Against Me” His Joy comes from your knowledge of Him, not your circumstances, not your culture, or what everyone else is saying or doing, No! You will experience a peace beyond understanding, You will have a contentment you can’t explain, and deep down you will have the Joy of knowing a relationship with God that only those who have been through the fire with Jesus can experience. And those are the ones God counts worthy to carry the Cross with His Son. And if you allow it, that can be a Joy and Privilege you will cherish through your your entire life. The Joy of the Lord is another one of those gifts of God that must be cultivated. Yes, it’s like a muscle that needs exercising the more you develop it the stronger it becomes. Here are some exercises to help us to develop inner peace and Joy. Firstly, Show more gratitude, Paul tells us in (1Thessalonians 5:18) ‘Give thanks in all circumstances’ note, it doesn’t say be thankful for all circumstances, it says IN all circumstances. Frank Seyle, The Father of modern stress studies says “Gratitude produces more emotional energy than any other attitude.” So look for more ways to express gratitude. Call or email someone just to let them know you care about them. In (Psalm 28:7) we read ‘With my song I will Praise Him’ remember to express gratitude to God; Even though God is not dependent on us for anything, when He shows His affection for us by giving us a blessing, He really loves to receive our thanksgiving and praise Why? Because it shows Him we understand that the blessing wasn’t an accident, coincidental, good luck, just fortunate, or anything like that. But, that we acknowledge and appreciate from who that blessing came. Now, if your not naturally a joyful person, start singing praises to God and watch your attitude change. Secondly, Look for ways to give;- In (Acts 20:35) we read “It’s more blessed to give than to receive.” What else does the Bible reveal in this area? (2 Corinthians 9:7) says “God loves a cheerful giver” why? Because you are most like God when you give, and he doesn’t give grudgingly. Do you realise your giving actually determines how much you receive from God. The Bible says in (Malachi 3:10) when you give Him the first of your income, He will “Throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” Do you really understand it’s an impossibility to out-give God. As the old farmer once said, “I shovel it into God’s storehouse, and He shovels it into mine, but He has a bigger shovel.” The third way to increase your Joy level is by serving others: As long as we live with a sense of entitlement, believing that others should serve us, our Joy gauge will be reading empty. Jesus said in (Mark 8:35) “It’s in giving your life away in serving others that you will find abundant life.” In Ephesians 6:7-8) Paul reminds us “To serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lo not people, because you know that The Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do” The happiest people are typically too busy helping others to ask themselves “Am I happy” find a cause greater than self-interest and pour your life into it. If you do. your legacy will be greater than your life span. Finally, share your faith with someone. (Luke 15:10) tells us; “There is joy in the presence of God’s Angels even when one sinner repents” Your greatest joy in life will be the result of trusting in Christ as your Saviour. And your second greatest joy will come from introducing others to Him. Imagine sharing your faith with someone, they may not respond at the time, but you have still sewn the seed of God’s Word. Later, they commit their lives to Christ. Perhaps you didn’t know it. But imagine meeting them in Heaven and saying to you “I want to thank you for taking the time, I’m here because you cared enough to tell me about Jesus. When you think You are loosing or have lost your Joy, ask yourself this One question “When is the last time I shared my faith with someone or led them to Christ” That could answer a number of questions for you. Speak to those you meet about what Christ has done for you, How he ordered or changed circumstances to enable you to get out of sticky messes or problematic situations, How He removed people who were proving to be a stumbling block in your relationship with God. How He healed someone You were praying for. Or you got that Job, or flat, or car for the exact price you could afford and How everything in life has changed since you made the decision to give your life to Jesus. The experience of peace and joy you received that could only have come from Him. When you do those things, you will not only see your Joy return, but, you will experience the presence of The Holy Spirit and find yourself speaking God’s Word, because The Spirit will speak through you as Jesus said He would;-”Don’t worry about what you will say, on that day, because The Spirit will speak in your heart”. Thank you for reading these thoughts on Getting and Keeping “The Joy of The Lord” I can tell you from personal experience, JOY is one of the loveliest gifts God has made available to us. So keep it topped up in your heart, use it as often as you can and let it be your trademark as a Christian, telling the world you belong to Jesus Christ who died and rose again to bring you a New Life of Peace and Joy..So Be Happy!! God loves you!! God Bless. Phaline.