Be Passionate about the JOY of JESUS!

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  I’m referring to the joy of Jesus!

            Continually I read about “joy in the Lord”.  It is a passion of mine to learn more and more about true, genuine joy.  Wouldn’t it be such a “reward” to leave a legacy of joy for our children and their children after them…to pass along to each new generation?

            In order do that, we must grasp the joy that Jesus, himself possessed. Oswald Chambers explains:  

“The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father— the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do— “…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2).  Jesus prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His.” (John 15:11)

            How do we apply this truth?  We have to be totally committed to our relationship with God.  We can’t be “Sunday Christians” and live carelessly the rest of the week.  Of course, God does not expect perfection.  That’s why He sent Jesus.  But we can aim toward being more like Christ every day.  Let’s pray for a sensitive spirit, a tender heart, mercy toward others and an attitude of gratitude toward God.  When we become one with Christ, then we will begin to grasp a deeper understanding of true joy.

            Be a blessing by focusing on the joy of Jesus! Let’s pray that His joy may manifest itself in our hearts---more and more each day!