Depend on Joy in the Lord

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Let’s determine to choose the joy of the Lord before our day even begins!

            How do we make wise choices?   We can learn a lot by looking at the life of Job.   The day came when Satan was allowed to test Job to the core.  You remember the story…he lost EVERYTHING….His children, his servants, his herds, his properties, his health---everything that he cherished was taken from him.

            What was Job’s reaction?  Did he shake his fist in God’s face?  Did he question why God would allow these tragedies to come into his life?  Job 1:20-22 tells us exactly what he did…

“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.  And he said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there.  The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.’

            In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong."

In the face of utter calamity and loss, Job’s heart was prepared to worship God NO MATTER WHAT.  He had made up his mind ahead of time to remain faithful. Back when he had his good health, when he was raising his children and watching his blessings increase, back before the testing came—he made up his mind how he would respond to God. (Jentezen Franklin quote from The Fasting Edge)

            Let’s make up our minds to allow God complete control and to praise Him in all circumstances.  We may not always be happy but we can always depend on JOY in the Lord.