July 1, 2014

  • Such Joy!

    Joy 3

    Sunshine makes me happy. Ben and Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream makes me especially happy. But I can't be happy every minute. I would weigh 300 pounds! :-) Happiness comes and goes. Some mornings you wake up and you feel good. Some mornings... not so much. That's life.

    But joy! That is another thing entirely. My joy does not come from possessions, weather, food or circumstances. My joy is a result of knowing Father God, and that can never be taken away from me. It is a constant in my life.

    The dictionary defines happiness as: "the result of a pleasurable or satisfying experience." Yep. But I see joy as something deeper; something more lasting.

    I suppose, all things considered, I was not a "terrible person" before I gave my life to God. I never killed anyone. I didn't vulgar language, and I had never been in jail. But, inside I felt sick, dirty and confused. Inside I felt lost and afraid. All of that changed when Jesus took over. All the guilt left. All the sin-sick confusion and shame were gone. Oh! The JOY was incredible!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h89-3_kIRDA Keith Green wrote a song that describes it well. The song is called Your Love Broke Through.

    Like a foolish dreamer trying to build a highway to the sky
    All my hopes would come tumbling down, and I never knew just why
    Until today, when you pulled away the clouds
    That hung like curtains on my eyes
    Well I've been blind all these wasted years, and I thought I was so wise
    But then you took me by surprise

    Like waking up from the longest dream, how real it seemed
    Until your love broke through
    I've been lost in a fantasy, that blinded me
    Until your love broke through

    All my life I've been searching for that crazy missing part
    And with one touch, you just rolled away the stone that held my heart
    And now I see that the answer was as easy as just asking you in
    And I am so sure I could never doubt Your gentle touch again
    It's like the power of the wind

    Even when things are not going well, I can feel that deep joy singing in my spirit. Sure, I cry sometimes. Circumstances in life can be painful and frustrating, but in the midst of it all, there is an abiding joy. When you read through II Corinthians 4, you hear a bit of what the early disciples of Jesus endured. Many were beaten, stoned, hunted down and tortured for their faith. But they considered it a small price to pay for knowing Jesus.

    (2 Cor 4:8-9 AMP) We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.(V 16-17) That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

    I have never had to suffer what these men and women of God suffered for their faith. I find it uplifting and incredibly wonderful that they were sustained through all their trials by hope and joy. It gives me peace to know this same joy is mine for every situation I must face.

    (1 Peter 1:8 AMP) You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.

Comments (8)

  • What a blessing to have the joy in our hearts! :-)

  • My life flows on in endless song;
    Above earth's lamentation,
    I hear the sweet, tho' far-off hymn
    That hails a new creation;
    Thro' all the tumult and the strife
    I hear the music ringing;
    It finds an echo in my soul—
    How can I keep from singing?

    An old hymn that sums it up for me - that joy that bubbles up in song... no matter what.

  • Amen to your post, and to the 2 comments above!

  • I want to do a lesson in our prayer group about Joy so this will come in handy.

    Let me go read and study it now,

  • "Sunshine makes me happy. "
    Me too! :-)

    "Ben and Jerry’s Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream makes me especially happy. But I can’t be happy every minute. I would weigh 300 pounds! :-) "

    That made me laugh! :-D

    "Happiness comes and goes. Some mornings you wake up and you feel good. Some mornings… not so much. That’s life. "

    This I just needed to hear. :-)

    Hope you are having a blessed day, and yes the joy of our Lord is always available to us.

  • Love this post of joy and I love 2 Corinthians. Joy is so much better than happiness, but I have had lots of happiness. The flip side of happiness is sadness---like losing a dog.

    blessings, Pastor Mae,

    frank

  • Yay for this happy, joyous post. I too love God, sunshine, and peanut butter icecream. :D

  • Sunshine makes me happy
    When there is no sunshine I have Lorilily's smile.
    When I am away from her there is my imaginary friend, Gus. Of course he is the one who keeps getting me into trouble. Sigh.
    Maybe I should spend more time with God and less with Gus.

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