Fuel Up with JOY!

             Have you had your Joy Juice today? You’re not “feeling it”! Well, the good news is that joy is not an emotion.

            Does that catch you by surprise?  When we’re happy, we “feel” that emotion.  Just like we do when we’re sad.  Emotions come and go.  But joy is an attitude that “comes and grows” teaches David Jeremiah!

            “Joy comes when Christ comes to live within your heart.  We can’t have the joy of Christ until we have the Christ of joy.” Psalm 35:9 says it beautifully: “And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord; it shall rejoice in His salvation.”

            C.S. Lewis described joy like this:

“A car is made to run on petrol (gasoline), and it would not run properly on anything else.  Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself.  He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on.  There is no other.  That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way…God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there.  There is no such thing!”

            Are you trying to run on something besides the joy of Jesus?  What fuels your spiritual machine? Accept the salvation that God has to freely offer and find the attitude of continual joy.

              Fuel up and travel with joy.

Fly Your Joy Flag!!!

         Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Fly your “JOY FLAG” where all can see!

            David Jeremiah tells the story of  “a headmaster at a boarding school in London.  One of his students once remarked that he thought the headmaster went to heaven every night because every morning when he saw him, he had such a wonderful smile on his face.  That student figured the only place you could get that kind of joy was by checking in to heaven at the end of every day. 

            One day the headmaster was asked why he was so filled with joy and his response was truly a life-beyond-amazing statement. He said: ‘Joy is the flag that is flown from the castle of your heart when the King is in residence.” (From David Jeremiah’s book A Life Beyond Amazing)

            

            What kind of flag are you flying today?  Is it the flag of discouragement or criticism?  Maybe it’s the flag of pessimism or negativity.  Those flags are dark and not attractive at all.  Let’s find the bright and cheerful flag of joy by making sure “THE KING” is at home in our hearts. “Since our joy is in Jesus and Jesus never changes, the joy of Jesus never changes either. Christian joy is continuous, never-ending, constant joy. It is not hinged on happenings; it is perfected in a person.” (David Jeremiah)

             “Joy is the flag that is flown from the castle of your heart when the King is in residence.”

Rejoice in the Savior...ALWAYS!

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Be a shining example of joy that radiates!

            Bruce Larson is a favorite source that I like to quote regarding the subject of genuine joy! He wrote: “ ‘Joy is the surest sign of the presence of God.’” The bottom line for you and me is simply this: grimness is not a Christian virtue.  There are no sad saints.  If God really is the center of one’s life and being, joy is inevitable.  If we have no joy, we have missed the heart of the Good News and our bodies as much as our souls will suffer the consequences.”

            Take a quick glance in the mirror.  Do you see a joyful person staring back at you? Or is there a guy or gal with a frown on his/face?  When joy lives in our heart, our “default” expression should be a smile. We may not always feel happy…life throws curve balls sometimes.  God doesn’t expect us to be a phony.  But in the deepest parts of our soul, there can always be joy because we know the Good News of Jesus.

            Rob Morgan puts it this way:  “We may not be able to rejoice in our load, but we can rejoice in our Lord.  We may find no joy in our situation, but we can rejoice in our Savior.

·         To rejoice in the Lord means we rejoice in our unassailable, unchanging relationship with the sovereign Lord and in His qualities, gifts, promises and attributes.”

     Jesus is our example.  He experienced and expressed joy in life.  We can radiate with joy because we know the Good News of Jesus!