FRET NOT.....Choose JOY!

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  If not, don’t fret about it!  Just drink it now!

            When I was a young teacher, I recall feeling overwhelmed during pre-planning time! There were bulletin boards to prepare, forms to complete and meetings to attend.  I wanted my classroom to be cheerful and inviting for my new students, but I didn’t know how I was going to get everything done in time. 

I was venting to a “seasoned” teacher about ALL I had to do to get ready for my class.  I’ll never forget her words of wisdom.  After listening to me chatter and complain, she calmly said two words…with a smile:      

                                     “FRET NOT”. 

            I knew that those words were somewhere in the Bible, but I didn’t have a clue where! Her eyes sparkled and she calmly added: “The Lord has everything under control.”  A peace washed over me and I knew that this wise lady was exactly right!  God did have everything under control. There was truly no reason to fret! I needed an attitude adjustment!

            Isn’t that what we often do when we get overwhelmed with our busy schedules?    Let’s remember those two simple words “FRET NOT”; take a deep breathe and put the situation in God’s hands.  This also is true when our attitude goes south regarding other people! 

            In Psalm 37:1 the Lord tells us to: “Fret not thyself…” And in Philippians 4:6 Paul exhorts us to “Be anxious for nothing.”

            Let's remind and encourage one another to FRET NOT....and let the JOY of the Lord be our strength.

Dress for JOY

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Drink in the JOY of the Lord as you dress and ready yourself for the day!

            How do some people keep a positive attitude, even when it seems everything around them is falling apart? And why do others who seemingly have everything going for them, choose to gripe and complain?  I think it has a lot to do with how they are “dressed”….spiritually.

  What's in YOUR closet?        

Let’s look at the wardrobe in Colossians 3:12 that we are to wear as Christians.

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.”

Do you have all these things in your spiritual closet?  This verse tells us that we’re to put on our:

·        Coat of Compassion and have love in our hearts for other people.  Put others before ourselves.

·        Then we are to slip on the Kid gloves of Kindness so that we can handle each situation with sensitivity and the love of Christ.

·         Next, we should place the Hat of Humility upon our heads as we treat others the way we would want to be treated.

·         Moccasins of Meekness should fit nicely upon our feet as we strive to carry the Good News to all those who will listen.

·         And lastly, but not of least importance, we are to make sure our Pants of Patience are just the right size.  If they’re too tight, we’ll soon lose that joyful attitude!

             If your closet is not filled with the appropriate wardrobe, take Jesus along as your shopping partner and let Him show you how to be clothed in JOY!

JOYful Thinking....NOT Stinkin' Thinkin'

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Drinking it faithfully really helps your attitude.

            Motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, uses the phrase “stinkin’ thinkin’”.  Ever had it?  I sure have!  And I’m pretty sure that everyone reading this devotional has!  My interpretation of “stinkin thinkin” is having a rotten attitude! It’s focusing on the negative…borrowing trouble…as my grandma used to say.  Grumbling, griping, complaining about everything.

            Each of us needs to listen to our own conversations and determine if our words are more often positive or negative.  Sure, we’re going to have days that are tougher than others, but if we’re always moping and whining,  maybe we’ve fallen into the Valley of Stinkin' Thinkin’! And when we’re in the valley a long time, it’s hard to climb out.   Hard….but not impossible!

           HOW DO I GET OUT OF THE VALLEY?

            You’ll need three tools to help you climb out of the valley:

1.      Trust in God to throw you a strong rope of hope and allow Him to pull you out.

2.      Pray daily for Him to use His net of protection to keep you from falling back into the depths of negativity.

3.      Use the lamp of His Word to light your path.

Now, repeat after me Philippians 4:8:

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things!”

            I’ll bet you a bottle of JOY JUICE that if you’re drinking in the JOY of the Lord faithfully, you’ll visit the Valley of Stinkin’ Thinkin’ a lot less often!

A JOYful Attitude!

Have you had your Joy Juice today?  It’s all in the attitude!!! So drink it joyfully!

            I’ve been observing people over the years—and do you know what I’ve discovered?  Those who are totally committed to Christ are the ones with the most joyful attitudes. There’s no “poor pitiful me” thinking but a grateful spirit and joyful praise for the Lord.

             Just a few days ago, one of my friends shared with me the testimony of her sister-in-law, “Tina”. (Name has been changed.) Tina is in the advanced stages of bone cancer.  She is in much pain and spends lots of time in the hospital.  My friend shared:

“Through it all Tina is being amazing.  She woke up the day after surgery,  saw the sunrise reflecting off the building across the street, then spied some flowers her neighbor had picked from her own back yard.  She started to cry and said, ‘Oh, God!  Why are you always so good to me?’

“This from a 2-time cancer patient whose husband cheated on her with a friend, divorced and financially ruined her. She then fell down the stairs & wasn’t found for a day--suffered a brain and shoulder injury that left her unable to work—lost her beautiful home to live in a house the size of a postage stamp!”

            This precious Christian woman has every reason to be bitter, but…she personifies the scripture in Nehemiah 8:10….THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH!

            May I encourage you today to examine your attitude...as I examine mine!  And let’s drink in the Joy Juice of Jesus!

Never Give Up....on JOY!

 

Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Drink it so that you’ll persevere and not be tempted to give up!

            Think for a moment about your prayer life.  Is there a certain request you’ve brought before the Lord many, many times and He’s not yet answered in the way you think He should?  Some people pray about the same thing for years:

• The salvation of a loved one
• Healing from an addiction.
• A Godly spouse
• A better job.

 Our human nature is to become discouraged when our prayers aren’t answered in a timely fashion. We begin to think, “Why bother? God’s not listening. I might as well just quit praying.”

            May I remind you, again, of poor Sarah in Genesis?  She waited 90 years for a baby! When God told her that it was “time”—she literally laughed out loud! Though she believed God could do anything, she doubted that he could do it through her 90-year old body!

            We tend to limit God, don’t we?  We know He is all powerful, but we often doubt that He can accomplish things through US!  We should pour out our lives…every area…100%...inside and out. We should hold nothing back from Him.  Let’s give Him our hopes and dreams, our words and actions, our plans and desires.  Then TRUST HIM to carry out His plan in us and through us.

            As Proverbs 3:5 says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

           Never give up on drinking your Joy Juice.  And trust God as you share His joy with others!

Waiting....with JOY

Have you had your Joy Juice today?  It’s just what you need to help you cope while you’re waiting.

            None of us really like to wait…do we?  Especially when it’s something that we really want and have  prayed for fervently.  Sometimes we get tired of waiting and realize that God must need our help! That’s when we get ourselves into trouble.

            Remember Sarah in the Bible? 

• God had promised her and Abraham a child. 
• But she was past the usual child-bearing age, so she began to plan how she could help God. 
• She took matters into her own hands. 
• If you don’t recall the details of the story, go to Genesis and read what Sarah did…and how she lived to regret not waiting on God.

             How often do WE take matters into our own hands?

• Instead of trusting God totally---trusting His perfect timing and trusting His perfect answer---it seems that we often take control and....
• Make a real mess out of things!

            Proverbs 19:21 reminds us that “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”  So as we pray for our heart’s desires to come to fruition, let’s always pray first for God’s will and purpose to be fulfilled in us and through us.  We can trust Him to always know what is best; and His best WILL bring great JOY!

             While you’re waiting, drink a steady portion of the Joy Juice of Jesus so that you’ll be able to wait patiently!

Practice Makes JOYfully Perfect!

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  It will help you to remember to PRACTICE!

             School children have to practice their ABC’s, counting, multiplication tables and writing skills.  Musicians have to practice their instruments and athletes practice their sport.  The only way to improve our skills is to PRACTICE! 

            The Dove Award winning artist, Cheri Keaggy, who sings the introduction for my JOY JUICE radio program, practices more than just her music! There’s a song that Cheri has written that expresses exactly WHY she can sing about the JOY of the Lord, regardless of the circumstances of her life.  The song entitled “Restored” says that we all have times of testing in our lives…there will be times when we feel as if we are “living against the grindstone”.  But it’s at these times especially that we need to PRACTICE JOY!

            Here are some of the beautiful lyrics Cheri has written: “I’ve been living against the grindstone, where nothing is sure but the Lord. For He gives me the treasures of darkness, where faith’s greatest riches are stored. And in ways that are quite unexpected, I have learned a most humbling truth….That a faith that has never been tested is just growth that is long overdue. So I’m PRACTICING JOY, choosing it daily, putting it on like a favorite cologne. And when life breaks me down, it won’t even faze me. Some call me crazy, but I’m just in love with the Lord."

            Yes, if we truly love the Lord, everything takes on a new perspective.  Let’s PRACTICE JOY regardless of our circumstances!

If interested in purchasing Cheri’s  BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US CD which includes the song 'Restored’ (The Grindstone Song) visit www.cherikeaggy.com.