Face the Future Boldly and Joyfully

           Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Let’s face the future boldly and joyfully!

            There is one thing that we all have in common…our future is uncertain.  And though we don’t know what the days ahead may hold, we can be assured that God is willing to walk with us each step of the way, to strengthen us when we grow weary, to give us comfort when we are sad, and to fill us with JOY in His presence.  Do we trust Him with our future?

            Often we miss the mark of our purpose here on earth because we listen to too many sources other than God.  Our purpose is to glorify God, to share His love and joy and to prepare for eternity! Is that your focus?  Those who have made the greatest impact on our world are those who were most focused. The apostle Paul is a great example of that. He single-handedly spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.  His secret….a focused life! (Rick Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Life) As he tells us in Philippians 3:13-14 “I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

            Whether you are a recent graduate with an uncertain future looming ahead of you or whether you are at a stage of life in which you are striving to “finish the race well”, each of us should stay focused on God’s purpose for our lives.  That is the key to building an eternal legacy….a Legacy of Joy!

             Let’s pray for our friends and loved ones as we all seek God’s joyful purpose.

"In the Presence of His Glory with Exceeding Joy"

           Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  God has a purpose for us drinking it faithfully, so that we can be ready to share it with others!

            This time of year, high school and college graduates are faced with important decisions.  They hear advice from many sources and though, it is important to seek Godly counsel from those who love them, they must make their own decisions.   Listening to too many people and trying to please them all is a sure way to frustration.  That is why a personal relationship with the Lord is so important.  HE should be our supreme source of wisdom; HE will never lead us astray; HE always has our best interest at heart; HE knows His purpose for each of us.

            Jude 1:24-25 reminds us of why we can trust Him:

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power,
Both now and forever. Amen.”

            The bottom line is---life without God has no purpose!  And without purpose, life has no meaning. That’s not very “joyful”, is it?  I have come to realize as I grow older, that "the greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose". (Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life)  When we are in the center of God’s will, achieving His purpose, we will experience a joy-filled life.  

            May we seek the wise counsel of God “in the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”

           

Enjoy the Journey!

           Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  It was God’s plan from the beginning of time that we “taste and see” that the Lord is good!

            Psalm 138:8 (ESV) says: “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.”  Many graduation ceremonies have taken place over the past few weeks and others are to come.  The graduates are pondering their future and making some very important decisions that will affect their lives.  We need to be in prayer for them to “hear” God’s leading and to have the desire to be in God’s will for their lives.

            What an awesome truth that God has a plan for every single person!  Rick Warren writes that “God’s purpose takes into account human error and even sin.”  And  “long before we were conceived by our parents, we were conceived in the mind of God.” 

            With that truth tucked into our heart, we should experience a deeper knowledge of God’s love.   You see, He didn’t NEED to create us. He WANTED to make us in order to express His love. Never feel that you were an accident….God is all powerful and it is only because He chose to create you that you are here.  Not only did He create you, He made you for a purpose.

            As the poem by Russell Kelfer says:

You are who you are for a reason,

You’ve been formed by the Master’s rod.

You are who you are, beloved,

Because there is a God.

            Let's accept His love; seek His plan…and enjoy the journey along the way.

A Joyful Future is Ours with Christ

             Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  God has a purpose for us drinking in the JOY of the Lord.

            During graduation season, young people everywhere are wondering about their future.  Though they can’t see what’s ahead, many of them are hopeful and optimistic that great things are to come.  Some are apprehensive and question what their purpose is and what career path they should choose.  Still others are content to just drift along with no goals or plans.

            Regardless of our age or stage of life, we need to realize that God does have a plan and a purpose for each of our lives.  He is our source of wisdom. To discover our purpose, it is imperative that we look to God’s Word rather than the world’s way to wisdom.

            Ephesians 1:11-12 in the Message Bible says it plainly: “It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.”

            Do you know your purpose?  Seek God’s wisdom by studying His word, by listening as you pray and striving to build your life on eternal truths. Trust that

• Through relationship with Jesus you can discover your identity and purpose.
• Before you even existed, He had your purpose planned.
• Your individual purpose is a part of a much larger plan…God’s plan that He has designed for eternity!

            What JOY is ours when we accept those truths and face each day, expectantly!

             Look forward to a joyful future with Christ as your guide!

Graduate from the School of JOY!

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  It’s a great way to celebrate Graduation!

            Many of us probably have been invited to a graduation ceremony recently.  Maybe your child or grandchild, niece or nephew, friend or family member  completed high school, college or even pre-K or Kindergarten. Whatever the accomplishment, we are proud of our loved ones!   

               Any of you remember the song sung by the Beach Boys years ago called, “Graduation Day”?  One verse goes like this:

           

There’s a time for joy,
A time for tears;
A time we’ll treasure through the years.
We’ll remember always…
Graduation Day.

            Indeed, when one reaches the milestone of graduation, it is a time for joy! That  long-awaited day has finally come. It is a bittersweet time for tears because of the precious memories shared and the parting of friends.  Those wonderful memories are truly a “treasure” for a lifetime.  Graduation day is a definite “change-point” in our lives.

            If you were asked to give some advice to a graduate, what words of wisdom would you share?  I know what I’d have to say: Drink the JOY JUICE of JESUS faithfully.  After all, the most important relationship we can ever have is with JESUS. When we put Him first, all the other things fall into place.  That’s not to say our lives will be perfect….all of us face challenges.  But if we depend on Jesus to guide us, comfort us and fill us with His wisdom, then our life’s journey will be much more joyful!

            May we each pursue to a deeper level of relationship with Jesus and graduate with “honors” from the School of JOY.

             

Choose Godly, Wise and JOYful Friends!

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  May I suggest that you go to a Godly friend and borrow some of theirs when you find yourself running short!

            It is essential to have good friends! Especially those who build us up, tell us what we need to hear and draw us closer to God.  We need accountability; we need wise counsel; we need each other! That’s the way God planned it.  He didn’t intend for us to walk through life alone.  Of course, we are never truly alone because GOD is always there for us.  But He created relationships and wants us to have friends along this journey.  It’s through our friends that He often speaks.

            Do you have Godly friends who believe in Jesus, who are continually studying the Word of God to become more like Jesus and who are praying faithfully as they follow Jesus?  That’s the kind of friend we all need. We can trust their counsel as God uses them to speak to us.

            Charles Stanley writes: “Good counseling always includes a balance of admonition, reproof, discipline, approval, and encouragement.  If a counselor only addresses the negative all the time, run from that person.  If a counselor only agrees with you or applauds you at all times, run from that person as well.  Neither person is going to help you consistently over time because progress toward health and wholeness requires that we make changes, turning from bad habits and embracing good habits in our thinking and behaving.”

              Proverbs 12:15 says: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.” (NAS)

            May we seek the counsel of the Godly people in our lives and listen for God’s voice as He speaks through them.

Wisdom That Leads to JOY

           Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Be diligent in working toward becoming all that God created you to be and not only will you find joy, but also wisdom!

            God’s Word says in Proverbs 6:6, “Go to the ant, you sluggard!  Consider her ways and be wise.”  What does this mean? Let’s pull out our investigative tools and look closely at that simply little verse.  Go to the ant---we can observe one of God’s tiniest creations and learn much. From the ant’s example we can see:

• Cooperation
• Perseverance
• Diligence in working
• Sacrifice
• Strength in working together
• Unity in purpose

(taken from The Essesials for Walking in Wisdom by Charles Stanley)

The term “sluggard” is used in this verse….A sluggard is a lazy person. The ant is just the opposite: an example of diligence & planning and serves as a rebuke to a sluggard (the lazy person who lacks self control).

God does not like for us to be lazy. The ant teaches great lessons on the subject of work.

·        The ant works without another ant over him and, yet, gets his work done and done well.

·         The ant prepares ahead and is never short of food. Indeed, we should “consider her ways and be wise”.   

·        We should not have to be driven to work, but should do our work…simply because it needs to be done. As Colossians 3:23 teaches:  “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

            When we are committed to living out each day for the Lord, then we will experience His genuine joy…in our work AND in our play!