Rich in JOYful Relationships

          Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Let’s be thankful for our joyful relationships and be sure to share the JOY with our dear ones.

            Researchers have studied the age-old mystery of what makes people happy and content in life.  What consistently comes at the top of the charts is not success, nor good looks, or any of the enviable assets that you may think would be a priority.  Instead, the clear winner is “RELATIONSHIPS”.

            How do we build good relationships?  It is not really about technique.  Healthy, thriving relationships evolve out of BEING a good friend.  Our focus should be on who we are in a relationship rather than on what we do.

            This week, I’d like to share with you some of the “joy gems” I’ve learned through the years about special, cherished relationships.  Some of my dearest friends are those who are good listeners. Without the ability and willingness to genuinely listen, a good relationship can’t be built.  It takes time and effort.  A good listener doesn’t interrupt or jump to conclusions.  He listens to the message, the feelings that are being expressed and responds accordingly.  We should be like a mirror, reflecting the person’s message back to them so that they will understand that we understand.  And that we care!

            Are you a good listener?  Do you listen to your spouse, your children, your working colleagues?   If so, you are sure to be “rich” in relationships..and that is a blessing of JOY!

             

The Season to be Thankful and JOYful

          Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  To everything there is a season and THIS is the season to be THANKFUL and JOYful!

             In a little over a week we will celebrate Thanksgiving Day.  Truly this is the season to count our blessings of joy.  Ecclesiastes 3 never grows old. Let’s read just a short portion of that chapter, verses 1-4: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;"

            In the beautiful poetic style of Solomon, we are reminded that life continues to march on…through all kinds of inevitable situations.  Many are completely out of out control and our reactions vary from laughter to tears. Without God, people may see life as meaningless.  But by trusting Him through the difficult times, we can KNOW  that each new day is an opportunity to grow in relationship with Him…as well as bringing us closer to eternity with Him! That gives us a joyful hope and reassurance.

            As Solomon observed in that same chapter, God “has put eternity in our hearts”.  Nothing short of the promise of eternity can give true meaning to the challenges and transitions of this life.

             “To everything there is a season”…and this is the season for giving thanks and sharing the JOY of the Lord.

Bless Others with JOY

             Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Your faithful example will be a blessing to those who are looking to you as a role model.

            Whatever stage of life you are in, you are an influence on someone!  If you are a parent or a grandparent or a great grandparent, your children are looking to you for an example.  Many of you are brothers or sisters, aunts or uncles…and all of us are friends of young people who are modeling themselves after us---whether they even realize it or not.

            We need to live each moment of every day with the heart and mind-set that we should be a blessing to whoever is watching.  Need a little help in knowing how to do that?  How do we bless others?

• By praying for them!  Let them know that they can depend on you to pray with them and for them.  Pray for them even when they don’t seem to care if you are praying for them.
• Encourage them! A pat on the back and an uplifting word can make such a difference in a person’s attitude and choices.
• Explain to them that they are special and God has a wonderful plan for them.
• Show them, by your own example, the JOY of pursuing God’s best plan in life.
• Spend time with them, taking care to expose the truths of the Bible and demonstrating how to apply those truths! *

When we live out these very practical disciplines, we will discover the power of  blessing… both in our own lives and in the lives of our children and all those who are looking to us for guidance.  Ask God’s JOYful blessing on these dear ones who look to you as an example.

            Be a blessing to someone today by drinking your JOY JUICE and sharing God’s love.

*Claude Thomas is pastor of First Baptist Church in Euless, Texas. For more of Dr. Thomas' resources, visit LifePoints at www.discoverfirst.org
http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0,1703,A%3D153666&M%3D50018,00.html

Lift Your Voice in Praise and JOY

          Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Turn on some good praise music as you drink a healthy serving of your JOY JUICE today. Praise and JOY go together perfectly.

            All through the Bible we read about people lifting their voices in songs of praise to God.  Sometimes our hearts are so full of excitement and gratefulness for the wonderful blessings the Lord has poured on us that it’s easy to sing his praises. We feel like the Psalmist in Psalm 13:6 that wrote: "I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me." (NIV)

            But what about those times when we find ourselves in the valley of depression or despair?  It’s not nearly as easy to “sing to the Lord” and praise His name, is it?  That’s when our faith should kick in and instead of going with our “feelings” we should make intentional choices to obey the scriptures and continue to believe that God is in control.

 Rod Best explains it like this: When we make a conscious decision to praise God no matter what, even though we may be going through a night season in our lives, God brings His Joy and His Peace and we enter into that rest which is ours as children of God. Sometimes heaviness of spirit will rob us of God’s joy. We are to put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. (Isaiah 61:3) http://www.rodbest.com/devotional%2016.html

           

            Wow!  What a blessing to realize that our “garment of praise” is always the perfect accessory to our wardrobe of JOY.  Be sure to wear it everyday…and be blessed!

            It’s always perfectly okay if you spill some JOY JUICE on your “garment of praise” as you share His JOY with others.

Heavenly, JOYful Blessings

           Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  You’ll be blessed by drinking in a huge serving of His JOY!

            God continues to pour out His blessings on us, doesn’t He?  However, many times we miss them because we are consumed with our problems and distractions.  Often we’re so busy that we are oblivious to His goodness and graciousness.  Ephesians 1:3: says:  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (NIV)

            In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he explains the wonderful things that we have received through Christ.  He says that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing IN CHRIST.  Does this mean that we will never have tough times or problems?  NO!   But when we do go through the difficult times, we can face those challenges knowing that we have the blessing of God’s strength and wisdom and comfort.

            If we choose to depend on Him, we have to look beyond the mountain of crisis and let Him carry us through to the other side. The scary part is that we can’t see what’s on the other side…and we have to move forward in obedient faith.   Many times God requires us to defy human logic and reason.  But in Isaiah 55:8 He reminds us: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.

            Allow Jesus to carry your burdens and watch Him pour out His blessings of love, compassion and JOY.  Be blessed by trusting in Jesus (even when you don’t understand). And drink your JOY JUICE faithfully!

Slow Down and Sip your JOY JUICE!

            Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Too busy?  Well, bless your heart!  Slow down and enjoy a serving so that you’ll realize that you’re too blessed to be stressed!

            Our world is face-paced and I fear that many times we miss out on the blessings that God wants to pour out us.  We hit the ground running most mornings and don’t slow down long enough to give much thought to our relationship with God.  But that’s exactly what we need to be concerned with: simply “BEING STILL” before God and growing in our personal relationship with Him!   

Listen to Psalm 128:1-2 : “BLESSED are all who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.” When we fear, respect, love the Lord, we will choose to walk in His ways.  How do we know “His ways”?  But studying His Word, reading the Bible, and being obedient to His instruction. God should be the true head of our homes.  He will reward our devotion with inner peace and blessings beyond measure. 

The values outlined in God’s Word include love, service, honesty, integrity, prayer and of course, JOY!  Let’s determine to “walk in His ways” and joyfully anticipate eating the “fruit” of blessings that He promises will be ours!  That’s where genuine JOY JUICE is can be found!  

Slow down and sip your JOY JUICE so that you’ll be able to share the blessings of love and JOY with others.

Blessings of JOY

          Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Drinking it faithfully helps us to see our blessings more clearly.

            I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the word “blessing”.  Maybe it’s the season of the year with Thanksgiving approaching.  Maybe it’s that I’m another year older! But I have come to realize that God truly does enjoy blessing His children.  For years I didn’t think too much about that word “blessing”. It was a short canned prayer that we said before each meal; a habit…a good habit…but words recited without much thought. It was just ritual and routine.

            Often our prayer life does get stale and meaningless.  We throw up a “God is great, God is good; let us thank Him for our food” and we don’t stop to think about truly how blessed we are!  May I challenge you…and you can challenge me…to begin to be more sensitive to the many “blessings” that are ours.  To name a few:

• Family
• Good health
• Material comforts
• Our home
• Dear friends
• And most importantly, a God who loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us.

My prayer for each of you today is the scripture found in Numbers 6:24-25 NLT:
”May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you.”

             I'm feeling blessed that you, my friend, have joined me for another serving of  JOY JUICE! Let’s not take any of God’s blessings for granted. When we are grateful for His blessings, our hearts are filled with JOY!