Give Thanks to the Lord...with a Joyful Heart!

           Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Drink it in and sing praises to God…that’s the sure way to find JOY in this New Year!

            Reading the Psalms is a great way to be uplifted and encouraged.  There is always a timely word.

            One consistent theme throughout the book of Psalms is praise and gratitude.  And whether we realize it or not, when we have a grateful heart, we’ll have much more joy!  Listen to the words of David in Psalm 105, verses 1-3: 

"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.  Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.  Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!"

            It doesn’t take much squeezing of that scripture to get a glass full of JOY JUICE!  And it’s because of the grateful heart of the writer!  David is praising God for his mighty deeds in bringing Israel to the Promised Land.  What an example that is for us.

            As we look back over this past year…and the many previous years…we can see God’s faithfulness, protection, provision and guidance in each of our lives.  Often we focus on the negatives instead of our blessings.  And there are times that we want to blame God when we are simply suffering the consequences of our own ungodly choices.

            In this New Year 2018, let’s find all the reasons to sing praises to our Heavenly Father.  And look forward to a joyful new year!

           

"Great Is Thy Faithfulness"

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  It’s a fresh batch….stirred up for the New Year!

            Isn’t it great how God’s Word never grows stale?  It contains fresh revelations for us day by day, and never gets outdated or goes out of style!  The Bible is not a book that is just a trend or a fad.  It’s proven truth that is timeless. 

            Many Christians believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, yet they don’t read it regularly.  Maybe it’s because of the busyness and pressures of our daily lives.  It could be that our faith is not important enough to us to make Bible study a priority.  Or it simply could be apathy.  If we’re honest with each other, I think we’d all have to admit that we often put other things before our relationship with Jesus.  So what can we do about that?  For starters, we can pray!

            Let’s ask God to give us a desire for learning more about His Word.  We want knowledge, but that alone isn’t enough.  We need to apply these biblical principles to our daily lives.  This New Year would be the perfect time to become more committed to growing spiritually.  Let’s find joy in studying and applying the truths found in scripture.

            Lamentations 3:22-23 says it well: 

“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail.
 They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.” 

            Indeed…  “Great is His faithfulness!”  He has proven His love over and over again.  And that should fill our hearts with joy as we begin this new year.

A New Year of Joy in Relationship with God

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  It’s a great way to start the New Year!

            Happy New Year! Not one of us knows what this year will bring.  Hopefully, we’ll have many happy times, filled with laughter and joy.  Odds are, we will experience some tough times, too.  Some “bumps in the road” and difficult times when we are stressed and stretched.

            Regardless of what the new year brings, we’ll get through the hard times much better if we’ll rely on the Lord and ask for His guidance.  If you’ve not already done so, a good New Year’s resolution would be to lean more heavily on God and less on yourself.  Listen to the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 119:33-37.

"Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.

Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.

Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.

Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.

Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word."

            Let’s determine to be diligent about making this our prayer throughout the new year. We might be amazed by the difference it will make in our lives. The closer we are to God, the sweeter that JOY becomes. 

            I'm praying that God will give you abundant joy in this new year, 2018, as you grow in relationship with Him.