The Joy of Jesus

           Have you had your Joy Juice today?  I’m talking about the real stuff…not some artificial substitute!

We know that we will NOT always feel joyful. Sometimes we can’t even “fake it til we make it”.  If we equate joy with being happy all the time, then we will lose that feeling when our circumstances are hard and less than desirable.

            On the other hand, if our understanding of “joy” is built on the truth of scripture, that God never changes and He never breaks His promises, then we can trust in the joy of relationship with Him.

             True, genuine, authentic joy comes from putting our trust totally in God.  As David said in Psalm 3:3,  “But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.”   Do you, like David, see that He is the shield about you, to protect you in the midst of life’s hardships?  Do you recognize His glory in every part of your day?  Do you sense His loving hand of comfort and His ability to sustain you when you are weak?  If your answers to these questions are yes, then you know what genuine joy is all about.

            If you are not sure, then open the Word of God, begin to search the scriptures for truth and ask the Lord to open the eyes of your heart.  Jesus wants you to have joy…He says so in John 15:11: “ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

           Drink in the genuine Joy Juice of Jesus and walk step by step in faith.

JOY

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?     Joy… the word itself has a cheerful ring to it. 

     I think it’s pretty safe to assume that most of us desire to have “joy” in our lives….but what kind do you desire? 

• The kind of “joy” that comes from being happy?
• The kind of excitement you feel when you get something new?
• The kind of satisfaction in job well done?
• The kind of feeling you get from a special friendship?

While all of these are good things, they can change in minute’s time.  They are temporary.  Let’s talk about genuine joy…joy that lasts….joy that will be with us through the valleys, as well as the mountain top experiences.

            One dictionary gives this definition of joy: “The emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.” Hmmmm….that describes chocolate in my book!  I prefer the definition that I found by Patti M. Hummel: “Joy is setting the soul upon the top of a pinnacle; it is the cream of the sincere milk of the Word (of God).  Spiritual joy is a sweet and delightful passion, arising from the apprehension and feeling of some good, whereby the soul is supported under present troubles and fenced against future fear.”  WOW!  I wish I’d written that!

            This definition lines up perfectly with the scripture in Nehemiah 8:10 when we are reminded that “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”  

            Focus on the real meaning of joy…and find genuine joy in your relationship with Jesus!

           

The Secret to a Heart of Joy......

           Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Even if you are fasting, you can drink in the wholesome joy of the Lord!

            Some people fast to prepare for medical tests.  Others fast to lose weight or for health reasons.  But what about the spiritual aspect of fasting?  It’s really not a popular subject because it’s something we’d rather not do!  BUT we can’t take part of what  Jesus teaches in scripture and not the rest. 

            Look at verses 16-18 of Matthew 6.  Jesus does not say IF you fast…He says; WHEN…. 

 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting.  Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,  (clean up, comb your hair, brush your teeth, look your best)  so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

           During Jesus’ lifetime, fasting from food was an opportunity for displaying one’s piety; many would go about disheveled and visibly hungry to show others how “spiritual” there were.  Of course, there are other types of fasting, as well, but for today’s discussion, we are focusing on food.

            Our fasting is to be so secretive that we appear clean and joyful. If we are going on about our business with a smile on our face and not complaining about being hungry, who, but God, will know we are fasting?!  And He is the only One who needs to know.

.          I’ve got a secret!  And SO DO YOU!  The secret to a heart of JOY is in our LOVE relationship with The Lord.

"The Secret of Praying is Praying in Secret"

           Have you had your Joy Juice today?  I pray that you have…even if you want to drink it in secret!

            The Bible is filled with wisdom for us to apply in our daily lives.  It’s a continual spiritual learning process. And it takes a lot of prayer and commitment.   

           Matthew 6:5-6 teaches:

⁵ “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others.  Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
 
                  Dr. Leonard Ravenhill once said, “The secret of praying is praying in secret.”  In this passage from Matthew 6, Jesus teaches about the issue of sincerity. God wants us to be real, authentic in our walk with him…and that includes our prayer life!

               We are to come before the Lord with a pure heart – a heart that says, “Lord, I’m coming before you with the intention of drawing closer to You in an intimate, personal way.”  When we move with a pure heart, God will move, because our God is a motion-sensitive God.
 
                What’s the prerequisite?  Transparency.   As you go into your time of prayer, confess your heart, your feelings, your thoughts. It is a beautiful thing to experience that intimate place of joy with God.

                Pray in secret and experience authentic joy.

Give in Secret and Experience True Joy

                    Have you had your Joy Juice today?  God continues to stir up fresh batches just for you! 

We are talking this week about “secrets”.  God knows our secrets and loves us through them all….even the hard ones. Let’s go to the book of Matthew, Chapter 6 and read about some secrets to a heart of joy. The first four verses say:

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others.  Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

            In most cases, it’s not our human nature to be “givers”.  And when we do, we want everyone to know! We want recognition! THAT is why we need to give God control of that area of our lives (as well as all areas). When God’s in control, we will learn to give cheerfully and generously for the right reasons…out of our love for Him.

          Look for opportunities to share the love and joy of Jesus…but let’s remember: “Do not tooteth thine own horn!”  Instead, give in secret and experience true joy.

Give Your Secrets to God and Find Peace & Joy

           Have you had your Joy Juice today?  The secret ingredient to the recipe of “joy” is the love of The Lord! 

            Jeremiah 23:24: “Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?" declares the LORD. "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" 

            Sometimes we make unwise choices and later, we realize what foolish mistakes we’ve made. We want to put them in the past and leave them there, but it seems they keep haunting us. Secrets from our past…… We may be able to hide them from other people, but as the scripture tells us, we can never hide from God.  He knows all…and continues to love us.  Yes, some of our choices grieve Him, that’s true.  He desires for us to be repentant and seek forgiveness so that our lives will be free from the guilt and burdens of the past.  When we give those “secrets” to God, He will replace them with a joyful peace.   

            Let me remind you of something: God knows all of our secrets, our good secrets, our embarrassing secrets, our tiny secrets, our big secrets, our silly secrets, our sinful secrets….YET HE STILL LOVE US!  Let’s confess those secrets to the Lord.  He already knows them, but He wants to make sure that YOU & I know that we need forgiveness and his strength to be able to release them to Him….and  focus on His will and plan for the rest of our life.

            It’s no secret that God loves you! Accept His love & forgiveness and be bathed in His fresh joy.

I've Got a Secret...and It's Joyfully Amazing!

             Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Can you keep a secret?  I’ve got one to share with you!

             Some of you may remember the television game show entitled, “I've Got a Secret!”   The show was produced by Mark Goodson & Bill Todman for CBC ; it  premiered in June of 1952…(the year I was born! That was a loooong time ago!)

               The object of the game was for celebrity panelists to determine a contestant's "secret"---something that was unusual, amazing, embarrassing, or humorous about that person.  It provided much entertainment, because there is something intriguing about finding out a secret! Benjamin Franklin once said, "Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead.”

            Today…..I’ve Got a Secret…but it not embarrassing---far from it!  It is JOYFULLY AMAZING! It can be found in the archives of the greatest Book of all times (the Bible).  I’m not going to make you guess the secret!  I cannot wait to share with you!  The secret is about secrets…..God knows the secrets of our heart and loves us unconditionally!
 
Psalm 44:20-21 says:

 If we had forgotten the name of our God
    or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
 would not God have discovered it,
    since he knows the secrets of the heart?

             Though these words were written long ago….they are meant for us today.  God is the same yesterday, today and forever! His Word NEVER changes. That means, He knows the secrets of your heart and mine.  He knows and He cares!  

              Listen as God whispers His “love secrets” straight into your heart and be filled with joy.