True Joy = A Cheerful Heart

                 Have you had your Joy Juice today?  True joy leads to a cheerful heart!  

                We are all familiar with the verse in Proverbs 17:22 that tells us:  “A cheerful

 heart is good medicine”.  And truly, we’d all be a lot healthier if we would take this life-changing medication! The Bible teaches about ‘a cheerful heart’ repeatedly.

    Coach Pat Street points out:

·         A cheerful heart is a heart at peace. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we have sweet peace in Him. 

·         A cheerful heart is a heart of praise. “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs” - Psalm 100:1-2

·         A cheerful heart is a heart of prayer. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

·         A cheerful heart is a heart of obedience. Jesus says in John 14:15: “If you love Me, you will obey my commandments”

·         A cheerful heart is a heart of purpose. “. . . let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” –Hebrews 12:1

·         A cheerful heart is a heart of power. “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” –Philippians 4:13 

           Let’s ask God for a cheerful heart…one that overflows with peace, praise, prayer, obedience, purpose and power. 

A Continual Feast of Joy

                 Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Be sure to have plenty on hand for the feast we’ll be attending.

                You are cordially invited to attend my feast! And I hope I’m invited to yours.  Look at Proverbs 15:15.  This passage tells us: “ …the cheerful heart has a continual feast.” This doesn’t have anything to do with food; but it has everything to do with our continually seeking that JOY of the Lord. 

                When we wake up each morning, we have a choice.  We can choose to start worrying about all that we have to do and what might happen; or we can put our trust in God and ask Him to carry us through our day.  If we choose to rest in Him, then we will be continually filled with His Joy.

                Our attitude affects our whole personality.  We can’t always choose what happens to us, but we can choose our attitude toward each situation.  The secret to a cheerful heart is filling our minds with thoughts that are true, pure and lovely...thoughts that dwell on the good things in life (as Philippians 4:8 teaches).  This was Paul’s secret as he faced trials; and it can be ours as we face the struggles of daily living.   

                Let’s be determined to choose JOY! I’m looking forward to attending your feast…and can’t wait to see you at mine!

                 

Simple, Fulfilling Joy

                Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Let’s open the eyes of our heart to see joy in even the ordinary things.

                 Children are masters at finding JOY!  When our grandchildren come to visit, my husband and I are reminded of how special the simple pleasures of life can be.  Through their eyes we see wonder in simple things …..like picking wild flowers, watching the busy ants as they work, chasing butterflies!  We find ourselves joining in the spontaneous laughter that adults usually think is silly and …childish!  These little bundles of energy are pretty good at pointing out the joy in ordinary things .  And their joy is contagious!  Simple joy….that’s the best kind! Don't you agree? 

We need to slow down and realize that it’s against the backdrop of “ordinary” that God’s work becomes “extraordinary”.  When we see God’s touch on everything, we will experience His JOY in a much deeper, more meaningful way.  

In John 10:10, Jesus said: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”  Abundant life, friend, is God’s plan for us.  Let's accept each new day as the gift He intends it to be, and find JOY beyond measure….in even the small, simple things of our ordinary day.

               Drink in the joy of Jesus and look at life with a new perspective.  Your ordinary day may just turn into an extraordinarily JOYful one!