Abide in a Joyful Journey with Jesus

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Drink it in, like a cool refreshing glass of lemonade on a hot summer day.

            Choosing to “abide in Christ” is certainly refreshing to our spiritual souls! That personal relationship that comes from knowing Him as a true friend, a confidant, the giver of blessings and Father of unconditional love…..that kind of love relationship can never be compared to any other.

            1 John 2:28 talks to us as God’s children: “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.” 

            To give perspective to this verse, let’s think back to our childhood when we knowingly did something wrong and dreaded to “face the music” when daddy came home. We were hesitant to face our parents because we were ashamed of the choice we had made.  Many of us might have been fearful of the consequences.

            The Life Application Study Bible footnote explains it like this: “The visible proof of being a Christian is right behavior. Many people do good deeds but don’t have faith in Jesus. Others claim to have faith but rarely produce good deeds.  A deficit in either faith or right behavior will be a cause for shame when Christ returns.”

            Abiding in Him will open the path to a joyful journey with Jesus on earth AND throughout eternity.