Exceeding Abundant JOY

          Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  I pray that you have; and that we will receive JOYful answers to our prayers!

            When God answers our prayers with a “NO” or a “NOT NOW”…..why do we assume that he has not answered our prayer at all?  Do we truly trust Him to do what is BEST for us….or do we just want our own way?  Many times we pray asking for something that we perceive as a NEED in our life.  But God, in His infinite wisdom, knows that it is not what we need at all.

            Ephesians 3:20-21 says: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us… to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”   If we will allow God to take complete control of our lives and PRAY for HIS WILL….then, through His power, He can do immeasurably more…..“exceeding abundantly” more than all we ask or imagine!

         Dr. Wayne Barber explains it well:

When does God move in and do those things that are exceeding abundantly beyond what we ask or think?  When the Holy Spirit has empowered us, when Christ has indwelt us, when His love has mastered us and when His fullness has filled us.

            I am praying for exceeding abundant JOY in your life….and mine…so that Jesus may spill out into the lives of others!

PRAY For An Extra Measure of JOY

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  As you sit quietly during your prayer time, drink in the JOY of Jesus and bask in His love.

            Prayer is such an important part of developing a loving relationship with God.  Over and over again in His Word, He exhorts us to pray.  What are we to pray about?  EVERYTHING!!!!   All of us having probably been tempted to think: “Some things are not important enough to bother God.  He has more urgent things to attend to than my insignificant problem.” 

            Well, let’s all be reminded…If it’s important to you, it’s important to GOD!  AND NOTHING is too small or too big to bring to the Father in prayer! 

            The New Living Translation tells us in Philippians 4:6: “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” 

            Do I need to repeat the part of the verse that says PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING!?  Pray about:

• Your family
• Your relationships
• Your health
• Your job
• Your spiritual growth
• Your major and minor decisions
• Your problems…..large or small
• I’ve even found myself praying about parking spaces and the right pair of shoes!

And let’s not forget to ask God to use US as His instruments to deliver the JOY of the Lord to those we meet today and every day!

            Pray about everything…..Let’s ask God for an extra measure of JOY to share with others along our way!

Rest and EnJOY His JOY!

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Sit back, relax and enjoy a refreshing drink on this hot summer day!

School children (and their teachers) look forward to summer.  No more setting alarm clocks and racing to stay on schedule! It’s a different pace than the rest of the year!  Hopefully, there will be time for some R & R…..rest and relaxation!  Time for “chilling” with friends and family!  Maybe tackle a fun project or read a good book. Even God set aside a day for rest, you know!  Genesis 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (NIV)
 

Summer!  Time to make sweet, JOYful memories.  Whether we go out of town on a vacation or stay home for a “stay-cation”, we need to take some time to rest.  The Bible tells us repeatedly that rest is a good thing!

Hebrews 4:10: “for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.” (NIV)

Genesis 49:15 And he saw that rest was good (KJV)

Exodus 33:14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. (KJV)

            God created us to need rest!  He knows that if we keep pushing ourselves beyond what our bodies are capable of doing, then we are going to suffer physically, emotionally, mentally….and even spiritually.  So, pull away from the hurry and worry, the hustle and bustle….slow down and REST in Him. 

            EnJOY your summer by finding time to rest and cool off with the JOY JUICE of Jesus!

A JOYful 4th of July!!!

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Come on, let’s celebrate!

            The 4^th of July is here….good reason for celebration! Some of us are celebrating with family and friends! Others will celebrate quietly by staying home. But all of us should remember to celebrate! We are so blessed to live in the grand ole USA!  Though we often complain about the direction our country is headed, we still have so much for which to be thankful.  There are many freedoms that we enjoy in America that others across the world can only dream of!  And those freedoms don’t come without a price!  

            Let’s be reminded today to say a special prayer for all the soldiers who willingly have put their lives in harm’s way because of their love for our country.  Let’s pray for their families who bravely press on as their father, mother, husband, wife or other family member is away from home, protecting our country.  Our freedom is a treasure and we don’t want to take it for granted. 

            Let’s also pray for the leadership of our country...asking God to intervene and help our leaders to make wise decisions.  2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us clearly why we should pray:

            “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

            Join me in celebration of our country and our freedom; may we remember to pray diligently for God’s blessings and for God to rain down HIS JOY onto us.

Step Outside Your Comfort Zone and Find JOY

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  It’s good to drink whether you’re indoors or out in the summer heat!

            One tip I read about surviving summer was: “Don’t let the weather keep you inside all the time!”  Though summer temperatures sometimes reach into the high 90’s and even 100’s, we can still look for inexpensive ways to have fun and enjoy the outdoors.  Of course, we have to use good judgment in staying hydrated and wearing our sunscreen, and not choosing the hottest part of the day to do strenuous outdoor activities.

            It’s tempting just to stay inside in the air conditioning, isn’t it? But think of all the things we might miss out on!  Sometimes we have to step outside our “comfort zone” spiritually speaking, too.  Have you ever felt prompted by the Lord to do something, yet you were afraid….maybe of failing or of what others may think?  So you talk yourself into just doing what feels comfortable.  Many times we cheat ourselves right out of a blessing simply because we won’t step out on faith.

            Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failures, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory or defeat.”

Sometimes we’ve simply got to “Trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) Until we step out of our comfort zones, we may never know the abundant JOY that God intends for us. 

Today, I invite you to jump out of your comfort zone and dive into a refreshing pool of JOY JUICE!

Wear Your SONscreen and Drink Your JOY JUICE

          Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  To combat the summer heat, you need to make sure you keep plenty on hand!

            We’re talking this week about how to survive the hot summer days!  Of course, we want to stay hydrated by drinking of plenty of water.  And according to the American Academy of Dermatology, everyone….all skin types should wear sunscreen year round! More than 1 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the United States every year.  

            Just as we need to protect our physical bodies, we should be diligent in our spiritual lives to make sure we are using sunscreen….S-O-N-screen, that is.  The SON of God, Jesus, is ready for us to “put him on” every day (as Paul reminds us in Galatians 3:27).  We should slather on a generous portion to protect our minds from evil thoughts, to prevent our tongues from uttering burning words and our actions from causing pain to others.  The SONscreen of Jesus includes an attitude of humility, service and love.

            Even on those days when it appears that everything is “cool”, we should faithfully apply this SONscreen to every area of our lives.  It will prevent the cancers of bitterness, jealously, resentment and hatred.  Your life will have a healthy glow because of the JOY that will radiating from you because of your faithful application of the “Jesus” brand of SONscreen.

            Let’s remember to get into the habit of always wearing our SONscreen and drinking the JOY JUICE of Jesus!

Beware of Physical AND Spiritual Dehydration! Drink Your JOY JUICE!

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  It’s just the thing to help you survive the summer heat!

            Some time ago I read an article (from the Women of Faith website) on how to survive the hot summer days.  The writer gave tips that we all should consider…the first one being:

 Drink more water.  With the high temperatures of summer, we all should be aware of how important it is to stay hydrated!  

        Water is essential for good health.  Our arteries and veins depend on the water we drink, otherwise our blood would be too thick for our hearts to pump oxygen and nutrients throughout our body. Without water, our body could not rid itself of the toxic build-up of waste…our skin could not produce sweat and we’d become overheated. Without water, the balance of chemicals in our brain would be upset, altering our personality and our ability to think clearly. A person will die more quickly of dehydration than he will of starvation.

            That’s our PHYSICAL body we’re talking about….but what about our Spiritual condition?  When we are put through the heat of daily struggles, heartaches and challenges, if we don’t keep ourselves hydrated with the “Living Water”, then we’ll find ourselves in a deadly, spiritual draught. 

        In John 7: 37-38, Jesus said, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

            Drink plenty of the JOY JUICE of Jesus to make sure you stay hydrated with His love & JOY!