Joyfully Persevere!

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Persevere and drink it in….. regardless of your circumstances! 

Perseverance means to keep trying, keep moving forward, keep pushing no matter how much we want to quit! No one likes to be called a quitter! Many of us were taught by our parents that if you start something, you finish it! In Galatians 6:9 God says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up." God wants us to persevere! 

The Bible tells about a man named Nehemiah. God gave him a big job to do. The wall around the city of Jerusalem had been broken down by enemies and Nehemiah was in charge of rebuilding it.  As Nehemiah began the work, many problems came along. He faced fear and discouragement, but he persevered until the wall was finished!

We all experience times of discouragement.  It’s mighty tempting sometimes to simply throw in the towel, give up, quit!  Do you ever feel sorry for yourself and think it's just too hard to be a Christian?  It’s then that we need to remember that God has wonderful plans for you and me. He wants us to trust Him as we persevere to accomplish His purpose through us. 

Let’s surround ourselves with cheerleaders! The Godly, Christian kind that encourage us to keep on serving the Lord…even when we are tired or discouraged. Satan wants us to give up.  That’s one of the ways he steals our joy!  Don't be a quitter. Keep on keeping on! 

            As James tells us in Chapter 1, verse 4: “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything!”

An Humble, Tender Heart Leads to Joy in Jesus

             Have you had your Joy Juice today? Drinking it faithfully helps to tenderize our hearts!

            We are often encouraged to be strong and stand up for what we think is right.  Can we do that and still have a tender heart toward God and others! I sure think so!

            Let’s consider our Battle for Tenderness. 1 Peter 5:6 tells us to: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”  What does that have to do with tenderness? When we humble ourselves before GOD and let Him be the authority in our lives, then He will give us a tender heart toward Him…and ultimately toward those we interact with over the course of our days.

            “We are to stand strong against the lies of the enemy, but in the presence of God, our knees should buckle,” writes Susie Larson. That is the sign of a heart tenderized by Him and for Him.

            Martin Luther wisely said: “God created the world out of nothing, and as long as we are nothing, He can make something out of us!” You see, without God we ARE nothing! Yet, with Him….anything is possible. “Sometimes our greatest battle is with ourselves….against our own stubborn willfulness and hardness of heart!” (Susie Larson)  God tells us in Isaiah 66:2 that He “will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word.” 

            May we allow God to give us tender hearts as He covers us with His brand of joy.

Stand for Joy

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Stand strong and drink in the joy of the Lord boldly!

            1 Peter 5:8-9 gives this warning: “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.  He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.”

            It seems that battles come in all forms….the battle to forgive, the battle to receive, and the battle to stand strong in the face of a variety of attacks from our enemy. In her book The Uncommon Woman , Susie Larson explains what it means to STAND. “The fight to stand is the fight to say NO to insecurity, fear, defeat and discouragement.  At some point we have to stop in our tracks, stomp our feet, and say, ‘I won’t take this anymore! I refuse to believe I am nothing, because Jesus says I am something! Though the enemy tells me I’ll surely fail, God says He will not fail me!’ This is the kind of tough stance we need to take as Christians.

            Though we will never be perfect, God loves us perfectly! And He will guide us and go with us every step of the way…if we invite Him. Just as we must choose to forgive and choose to receive…..we must choose to stand strong in our faith and against the schemes of the devil.  His aim is to destroy us…but we have a strong Defender.

             STAND tall; STAND strong; STAND on the joy of the Lord as your strength!