JOY!

Thursday, January 13, 2011 (7:30 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You. I get to come before You with thanksgiving in my heart. I get to enter Your courts with praise. I get to boldly sing ♫This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice for He has made me glad.♫

You HAVE made me glad Lord! You have made me glad. I DO rejoice for You have made me glad. And with that said Lord, will You talk to me today about joy?

Many years ago I came to understand ‘rejoice’ to mean ‘feel joy’. Even looking at a thesaurus this morning I read, ‘be joyful, be happy, be pleased, be glad…’ and that’s cool. But what I’m asking Lord, is what does true joy look like to You?

Reading in the Illustrated Bible Handbook of John’s first letter to an unnamed group of churches, it says that “John’s message is always Jesus: Jesus as God’s life-giving word”. In this particular “Invitation to Joy” John shared his knowledge that “fellowship with God is our only hope to know real joy.” Here I say “Amen!” I absolutely agree.

The subtitle (in the Handbook) of Paul’s letter to the Philippians is “The Sharing of Christian Joy”. Each chapter has an overview beginning with joy in the title. Chapter 1. “Joy in the Gospel”; 2. “Joy in Following Jesus”; 3. “Joy through Commitment”; 4. “Joy in the Lord”.

When Jesus told His disciples of what all to expect in His upcoming death and resurrection (John 16) He promised that after their initial heartbreak, their grief would turn to joy. Lord, You are so good to us.

The prophet Isaiah (25, 32-35) was able to point to the joy the people of Judah would experience after their sin and denial turned to healing and rebuilt lives. Lord, You have such tremendous promises for us. Give us the power and the strength to trust, believe and act on them.

Thank You for the initial “Thank You” this morning that led me to looking deeper into Your Word for messages of joy. Lord, I love You so very much. Let me be a source of joy for others. Teach me more of what that really looks like. As I enter Your gates and Your courts with thanksgiving and praise (Psalm 100:4) I DO ‘give thanks to You and bless Your name’. Thank You Lord for what all You have to teach me this day concerning joy. Make me a good learner. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(424 words ~ 9:25 a.m.)