Let the JOY of the LORD Be Your Strength

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Why should you drink it?  Because it’s full of spiritual nutrients…and will give you strength!

            We all know people who seem to have more than their share of trouble.  Some have buckled under the pressure, but others have come out stronger for having gone through them!  What makes the difference?  I firmly believe that faith in God is a deciding factor.

            God’s Word repeatedly promises that through Him and in Him we will find strength to meet the challenges that come our way.  But never does He promise that He will eliminate these difficulties from our lives.  If He gave us no rough roads to walk, no mountains to climb, and no battles to fight, we would not grow.  He does not leave us alone with our challenges;  instead He stands beside us, teaches us, and strengthens us.  

            Psalm 18:30-32 says it beautifully:  “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.  For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?  It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”

            If you find yourself today in the midst of one of those tough challenges, let God be your shield as you take refuge in Him. Allow Him to infuse you with His strength so that you can face each challenge boldly and find the JOY of the Lord as your strength.

           

GOD is our JOYful Source of Strength

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  It’s the best source of strength ever known to man!

            Of course when I say “JOY JUICE”, I’m referring to the joy found in relationship with God.  When we come to the point in our lives that we realize how limited we are and how limitless God is, then we are at the beginning of understanding how much we need Him. 

            The theme of Psalm 46 is about God’s strength.  My bible notes explain: "God is always there to help, providing refuge, security, and peace.  God’s power is complete and his ultimate victory is certain.  He will not fail to rescue those who love him."

            The very first verse in the Psalm 46 summarizes it well. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”  That’s a great verse to memorize, if we’ve not already do so. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”   If these words are in our heart, when the time of trouble comes we can recall them and be reminded that we don’t have to face the situation in our strength.  GOD is there!  He’s our refuge.  When we are weak…HE IS STRONG. 

            So on those days that you are not FEELing very strong, remember the wonderful truth that we don’t have to be strong, because we have a God who is!  And He is JOYfully ready to help us in our weakness.

             Commit these words to your heart: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”  Now, face the day with JOY!

JOYful Strength for the Race of Life

Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Drink in the JOY of the Lord and receive strength to make it through the day!

            Do you ever feel that you are in a race?  Some days there’s so much to do and we have only a limited amount of time to accomplish it all!  There are responsibilities on the job, chores at home, necessary tasks in raising children and looking after our families.  Then there are church and civic activities, weddings, funerals, birthday parties, yard work---and at times we really want to do something for sheer entertainment.  Most of us push really hard to pack it all into our day.  Even the strongest of people get tired!

            What a blessing it is to know that our God never grows weary!  His power and strength never diminish.  His strength is OUR source of strength.  For proof of that, let’s read in God’s inerrant Word from Isaiah 40: 28-31:

Do you not know?    Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint.

            Just reading that truth fills me with renewed strength, how about you? 

 Always remember that no matter what we’re facing in the days to come, we know that God will give us His strength to carry on!  What a JOYful promise!

Be Strengthened by Drinking the JOY JUICE of JESUS!

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  It will fill you with strength that’s super natural!

            Have you ever wanted to do something, but felt you just didn’t have the strength!?  When I was much younger, I wanted to learn to water ski, but every time I tried….I absolutely did not have the physical strength to hold on to the ropes.  That, along with not being a very good swimmer, was enough to make me give up!  I was convinced that water skiing was not in God’s plan for my life!  

I would marvel at how my husband seemed to have no trouble holding tight to those ropes and could easily glide across the top of the water, even jumping the wakes.  Could I have learned to do that if I had persevered?  As I reflect back on those memories, I realize that I gave up quickly because I was scared.  And because I gave up, I never learned to enjoy this sport.

            How often do we give up because we are afraid?  We think we’re too weak and unequipped and it’s just easier to give up!  When we throw in the towel, whether it’s physical, emotional or spiritual trials, we are forgetting where our true strength comes from!

In Isaiah 41:10, God reminds us: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

            Not sure that this scripture refers to water skiing, :)  but I am sure that God wants us to put our trust in Him and never give up!

            There is peace and joy in knowing that God is always there upholding us with His righteous right hand.

WAIT with JOY!

Have you had your JOY  JUICE today?  Please feel free to drink all you want….especially while you’re waiting.

            We’ve all heard and, hopefully, believe that God’s timing is perfect!  But when we’re waiting on an answer to OUR prayers, that’s sometimes hard to accept, isn’t it? We have our own timetable and our own plans.  We think we know what’s best.  When we have to WAIT, it’s difficult….especially when our hearts’ desire hangs in the balance!

            Let’s go back to the story of Elizabeth and remember how she had prayed and prayed for a baby.  But in her old age, she still was childless.  This had to have been  emotionally painful for her but…..she remained faithful to God.  And in HIS PERFECT TIMING, he blessed her and Zachariah with a son, John…the forerunner of Jesus! Things worked out even better than she could have ever planned.  You see, God’s timing was PERFECT because He had the best plan!  

            When we’ve prayed and prayed and it seems that God is not answering, let’s never quit praying. His timetable and methods do not have to conform to OURS!     As Ephesians 3:20 tells us, God’s plan is "...immeasurably more than all we could  ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…"

            So let’s trust in God’s timing and in His plan.  God doesn’t forget those who have been faithful to Him. Never give up on the JOY found in His perfect plan!

Take Time to be Holy...and JOYful!

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Take the time….even if you don’t think you’ve got it!  You will be JOYfully glad that you did!

            What kinds of things do you “take time” for?  It seems that our days are often filled with the urgent obligations of our job, family and various responsibilities.  Sometimes we have to make ourselves stop and “take time” for certain things. What do you “take time” for?  I’m going to confess that if my children…or especially my GRANDCHILDREN need or want me to do something, most likely I will “take the time” to do that!  Why?  Because I love them!

            There’s an old hymn that was written back in 1882 by William Longstaff that reminds us of what we should always be willing to “take time” to do.  The title of the song is "Take Time to Be Holy".  Look at the words of the first two verses: 

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

            We all need to take time to be holy by spending time with Jesus!  By taking the time to be with Him, we become more like Him.  And that, my friends, leads to JOY.

      

QUICK! Drink that JOY JUICE!

Have you had your JOY JUICE today? Go ahead and drink it before you run out of time!

            Do you ever feel that there is not enough time in the day to get everything done that you need to do?  Especially you working moms and dads that are trying to make a living AND raise a family...I’m sure there are days when you feel you need a few extra hours! 

What we need to remember is that God gives us all the same amount of time in a day…24 hours.  We need to seek His guidance to determine how to spend that time wisely.  Some of us ARE more active than others; some of us have more obligations and responsibilities.  But we all need wisdom in using our time wisely.

I like the New Living Translation of Psalm 39:4:

"LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered--how fleeting my life is.”

That makes me want to fill every waking moment with God’s best, doesn’t it  you?  We only have a short time to fulfill His purpose on this earth.  Let’s allow Him to work in our hearts and lives in such a powerful way that we commit to the mission of sharing Jesus with others at every opportunity!  Keep in mind that means different things for different people!  God’s specific plan for your life is not the same as mine….but we can all join together in an effort to share His love and joy with others and to glorify God.

It’s time…to drink and share the JOY JUICE of Jesus!  Don’t waste a single minute!