Go Into All the World....and Share His JOY!

          Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Don’t hide it from others…share it!

            We've talked this week about “hiding God’s Word in our hearts”, so that we will be prepared for whatever 2014 brings.  We know that God will always be there for us, but we want to “do our part”, as well.  So we’re aiming toward reading, studying and memorizing more scripture this year, right?

            We are reminded that God’s mercies are new every day; we can depend on His faithfulness.  But we must also remember that we are to obey his commands, and we can’t obey them if we don’t know them…thus the importance of  studying and meditating on the Scripture.   When we begin to focus on God, we’ll be able to “taste” and “see” that the Lord is soooo good to us.  This should fill our hearts with JOY and make us contagious Christians! 

            Mark 16:15 tells us that Jesus said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”  Who was Jesus talking to? First, he was speaking to his disciples.  He was giving instructions for them to tell everyone that HE had paid the penalty for their sin and that those who believe in him will be forgiven and live eternally with God. (from footnote in NIV Life Application Study Bible)

            But do you realize that the command is for US, too?  We, as believers, are disciples of Christ.  That means we should be sharing our faith with everyone who God brings across our path.  Many times we share using words; other times it’s our actions and our attitudes.  Showing love, forgiveness and mercy toward others is a good way to reflect the JOY of Jesus!

            May we each desire to “go into all the world” and share the JOY of Jesus!