God's Strength in Us Brings Joy Through Us

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  It will fill you with strength that’s super natural!

            Have you ever wanted to do something, but felt you just didn’t have the strength!?  When I was much younger, I wanted to learn to water ski, but every time I tried….I absolutely did not have the physical strength to hold on to the ropes.  That, along with not being a very good swimmer, was enough to make me give up!  I was convinced that water skiing was not in God’s plan for my life! 

I would marvel at how my husband seemed to have no trouble holding tight to those ropes and could easily glide across the top of the water, even jumping the wakes.  Could I have learned to do that if I had persevered?  As I reflect back on those memories, I realize that I gave up quickly because I was scared.  And because I gave up, I never learned to enjoy this sport.

            How often do we give up because we are afraid?  We think we’re too weak and unequipped and it’s just easier to give up!  When we throw in the towel, whether it’s physical, emotional or spiritual trials, we are forgetting where our true strength comes from!

In Isaiah 41:10, God reminds us: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

            Not sure that this scripture refers to water skiing, but I am sure that God wants us to put our trust in Him and never give up!

            There is peace and joy in knowing that God is always there upholding us with His righteous right hand.

Give God Your Firstfruits...Joyfully!

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Drink it first so that you’ll be prepared for what’s in store for you today!

            We never know what our day will bring!  It could be a day filled with challenges; it may be just a normal, hum-drum day; or it may be a day filled with unexpected JOY! 

            What’s the first thing you think about when you wake up?  Do your thoughts immediately turn to negative things or do you first of all thank God for another day to serve Him.  He wants our “firstfruits”!  The scripture in Proverbs 3: 9-10 says: 

Honor the LORD with your wealth,
   with the firstfruits of all your crops;
 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
   and your vats will brim over with new wine.

            Honoring the Lord with our “wealth” means much more than just our money and our material possessions!  It’s honoring Him with ALL that He’s blessed us with…our ability to think, our talents, our skills, our hearts’ desires.  The “first” of everything should be given back to Him.

  At the beginning of each new day, let’s take the first few minutes to honor and praise Him! When we get into the habit of doing that, our spiritual barns will be filled with JOY in the Lord and we will find ourselves “overflowing” into other’s lives with His love.  I like to think of the “new wine” that’s mentioned in that passage as the JOY JUICE of JESUS! 

     Let’s honor the Lord with our “firstfruits” and we may just find ourselves drinking some extra-delicious JOY JUICE!

Mmmm ...Mmmm Good! JOY JUICE!

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Some people like orange juice as a healthy part of their breakfast; some like grape juice; others prefer apple or a combination of flavors.  But no matter what our preference, let’s not forget that we need our Joy Juice for spiritual health!

            Some of the best tasting juice is squeezed fresh from the fruit and served immediately! When we allow God to lead us through the Garden of His Word and speak to our hearts, we can squeeze delicious Joy Juice from the scriptures that will be what we need to get us through the day!  Sure, we can drink in some good stuff that someone else has squeezed….like listening to good teaching and preaching, but there’s something extra special about our own personalized serving that God has prepared for each of us individually!

            In Paul’s letter to the Christians in the book of Colossians, he encouraged the church to grow and bear fruit.  He said in verses 10 -12:

            “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father…”

             Let’s ask God for a daily, personal serving of His Joy Juice.  It’s sure to strengthen us and help us to grow in our walk with Him.