Be Treated with God's Joy

Have you had your Joy Juice today?  It’s a great day to “treat” everyone with a generous serving of joy in the Lord!  But remember that genuine “Joy Juice” has to be squeezed from God’s Word!

              There are many ways that people choose to look at this day.  Some let their children dress up and go from house to house trick-or-treating.  Others have a “Trunk or Treat” event at their church.  Many prefer to simply have a Fall Festival to celebrate the refreshing season.  No matter how you choose to spend your day, may I suggest that you first thank God for opportunities all along your way to share the love and joy of Jesus?  Isn’t that what Christians should do EVERY day?

            Though we all have different ideas and different ways of looking at things… the Bible tells us that there is only ONE WAY to get to heaven.  If someone tries to tell us that there is a variety of ways to heaven, we need to stand firm in our belief that JESUS is the one and only way.  If non-believers accuse us of being narrow-minded, we need to stand firm. We know that Jesus told us this, Himself!  We are merely relating His message.  Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” (John 14:6, NASB)

             There may be many ways to do most things…..but JESUS is the only way to heaven! Rejoice that you know Him. And treat others to the joy of that truth, as well!

Fall in Love with God and His Word

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  The joy of the Lord comes freely to those who meditate consistently on the Word of God.

            Is Godly meditation only for preachers and spiritual leaders?  No! It’s for all of us… so that we might be able to grow in our relationship with God. Listen to the words of Psalm 119:97-100:

“Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.  Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.  I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.”

            The writer of this Psalm was in love with God and His Word! He was passionate about mediating on God’s Word all day; he desired the wisdom and insight he would gain by soaking it in and learning all he could regarding God’s statutes and precepts.  Are we that passionate about reading the Bible? Or do we let most everything else take priority?  Do we wait until we can find the time or do we MAKE the time to read His Word?

            The majority of us rush through the day with all kinds of obligations, responsibilities and a flurry of activity only to realize we never spent time with God. Let’s ask Him to make us hungry to study His Word.  May we develop such a love for Him that our appetite is ravenous and we can’t get enough of the “Bread of Life”!  When our love for Him grows, our JOY in HIM will overflow. 

            Start now by opening The Book that brings indescribable joy in the Lord!

Meditate on God's Message of Joy

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  How often do we get quiet enough to reflect on the joy found in the pages of God’s Word?

            In order to really listen to God, we must be quiet and meditate on His Word. He will not shout above the noise. Let’s put all the clutter and commotion. Focus on Him—turn off the turmoil and uproar of our busy worlds and tune in to God.  The Bible teaches us that King David was an expert in listening to God.  In the book of Psalms we find that David wrote many of those passages while he was quietly waiting and reflecting upon God.  “As a ‘man after God’s own heart’, David first had to know the mind and heart of God. To a large extent, David accomplished that through the persistent practice of Godly meditation.” (Charles Stanley, How to Listen to God.)

 
            According to J.I. Packer, “meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes & promises of God”.

That pretty much covers it, don’t you think?  Unless we choose to meditate on the things of God and truly allow God to speak to our innermost being, then we will allow the noise of the world to drown out His message to us. When we are meditating on God’s Word, living it out in obedience in our daily lives, then we will experience His genuine JOY!

            May we retreat to our quiet place and meditate on God’s personal message of joy.