Have you had your JOY JUICE today? Your friends are looking at your example. Demonstrate how life-changing it can be to faithfully drink in the JOY of the Lord!
Life-changing…that’s what faith in Jesus is! When we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we can stop dwelling on all that’s wrong and simply trust God! We can choose JOY! Angela Thomas calls this “radical joy”.
She writes: “Choosing joy is a radical decision to honor God by experiencing the depths of God’s promises to us. It’s desiring Him above all else, rejoicing in His character, and living joyfully, according to His Word. Radical joy is sin-destroying, world-changing, wound-healing, other-centered, and mission-minded.”
Now, if all of that is true…why would anyone NOT choose joy??? Could it be…
- Because some days are a struggle and we don’t FEEL joyful. OR
- Unexpected heartaches come and we are consumed with despair. OR MAYBE
- Someone spouts off hurtful words which pierce our heart to the core.
Life is a challenge but 1 Thessalonians 5:16 commands us to “Be joyful always.” Always means always, not sometimes or often or when we feel like it. HOW can we “be joyful always”. By obeying the commandment found in Romans 12:2:
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
May it be our sincere desire to be transformed into a sold-out Christian, willing to be used by God as a JOYful influence.
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