Simplify and Joy-i-fy!

                Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Simply take the time to spend with Jesus and you’ll find your personal serving of joy.

                In his book, Blessings Out of Buffetings , Alan Repath wrote: “In these days there is scarcely anything that is simple; everything is so complicated. What am I to believe? What is right? What is wrong? In every area of life the old simplicities have vanished from us until even this word SIMPLE has changed, and I don’t think people like being called simple anymore because it has an association that is unpleasant.” 

                Let’s ponder that statement for a minute. If someone described you as a “simple” person, would  you consider it a compliment or an insult?  Before you answer, let’s think back over the last several weeks, when we heard eulogies, news reports and documentaries on the life of Billy Graham.  Often the word “simple” was used to describe his life.  He was a “simple” man that was content with little material wealth & possessions and valued his God and his family. He preached “simple” messages around a “simple” truth: “God sent Jesus to die for you and me, and we need to accept Him as our Savior.” He never insisted on anything other than spreading the “simple” message of God’s love.

                Great men and women of God should be “simple”; their lives should be uncluttered and “determined to know Him more”.  (Philippians 3:10)

                Let’s choose to simplify and “joy-i-fy!

Don't "Fritter Away" Your Joy

                Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Don’t lose your joy by being caught up in too many details.

                Henry Thoreau made quite a statement when he said, “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify! Simplify!”  The words “frittered away” imply frustration.  But “simplify” whispers “peace”. How often are our lives so cluttered with unimportant things, that we find ourselves on the treadmill of life, running at a fast pace, but truly not going anywhere?  

  Some of what we ‘busy’ ourselves with doesn’t add one ounce of worth to our days. We all have responsibilities that we must fulfill.  But there many details in our lives that truly cause us to “fritter away” our joy.  Most of us could benefit from simplifying our lives…clearing away the clutter!  Even our spiritual lives may have become complicated. 

Chuck Swindoll writes, “The message of Christianity is quickly becoming a system of enlightened thinking instead of a simple call to turn from sin and pursue a relationship with God. The desire for greater theological knowledge (as good as it is) has replaced the simple call to know Him intimately. The simple message that Jesus proclaimed doesn’t require a giant theological intellect in order to receive it and implement it.”

May our “determined purpose” be to know God more…..That’s the way to simplify in the best sense of the word. 

Clear away the clutter and focus on joy in relationship with Jesus.

               

Clear the Clutter and Concentrate on Joy

                 Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Clear your mind and concentrate on joy.

                The joy of relationship with Jesus is truly a special kind of joy.  It’s the purest form...sweet to the taste, glowing to the eyes and filled with a special ingredient called “God’s love”.  

                Chuck Swindoll writes about five sources of mind-clutter that keep us from truly finding the joy that Jesus wants us to experience. (So, You Want to Be Like Christ?)

1.       First, most of us today say ‘yes’ to too many things.  

2.       Second, most of us do not plan time for leisure and rejuvenation.  We don’t have to plan a trip, but we do need plan to rest and refresh our minds. 

3.       Third, most of us rarely experience the joy of accomplishment.  That’s not to say we don’t accomplish anything....it’s that we don’t savor a job well done or take the time to enjoy the fruits of our labor. (Proverbs 13:19 tells us that “A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul.”)    

 

4.       Fourth, most people living in wealthy countries owe more than they can hope to repay. (nuff said!)

5.       Fifth, most of us fool ourselves into thinking that with our modern technology, we have simplified our lives.  Truth be told, we have complicated them!

Do you recognize any of those sources of clutter in your life?  Let’s clear away the unnecessary and open our minds & hearts toward genuine joy in the Lord.