Wagon Draggin? Fill it with JOY!

      Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Too busy to slow down and drink it in?  NO ONE should be too busy to gulp down a nice serving of God’s JOY….It’s guaranteed to fill you with renewed strength and energy!

            Take a private survey today and keep a mental tally of how many people look weary or speak of being tired.  It seems that a large portion of the people we come into contact with throughout our day indicate that their “wagon is draggin’’!  And you may be one of them! :)

            Sometimes we are physically drained because of how much we try to pack into our day! Other times we don’t take care of ourselves and don’t eat right or get enough sleep.  Emotional stress causes us to feel tired, too.  But have you ever considered that fatigue may be brought on by the way we choose to live our lives---how we think, talk, and act toward others?

            Joyce Meyer says that "the Holy Spirit will not energize us to be mean, hateful, selfish or self-centered.  He will give us strength and energy to do the things God has called us to do and to be kind, loving, diligent and focused in the process."

            So when you begin to feel draggy and you need some “pep in your step”, turn to the Philippians 4:13 and proclaim, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

            Drink your special serving of JOY in the Lord and be strengthened with His power!

Here's the JOY Booster Just for YOU!

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?   It’s a powerful energizer!  Just try it and see!

            It seems everywhere we turn these days, we see or hear advertisements proclaiming that THIS IS THE PRODUCT we’ve all been waiting for!  It will give you renewed energy and make you feel years younger.  The market is huge because so many people DO desire to feel better and stronger. 

            Though there are good supplements and energy drinks that may truly give you a physical boost, I’d like for us to talk about a JOY-booster that will energize you spiritually.  And it’s FREELY yours.  Look at Isaiah 40:28-29:

 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

            Now, THAT, my friend, is the remedy we ALL need! POWER that comes from our everlasting Creator!  He knows when, what, where, and how to fill us when HIS STRENGTH! But He will not force it on us!  We have to be willing to drink in that serving of JOY JUICE that He has made especially for us!

            Being filled with the JOY of JESUS actually DOES give us physical energy, too.  When you begin to feel weary and tired; when you feel that you cannot possibly go on, ask the Holy Spirit to give you His strength.  And just as He promises in scripture, “He WILL give strength to weary (you & me) and give us power where we are weak.”

            Experience the JOY-boost of being filled with His strength as you go about your busy day!

God's Power = Double JOY

          Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Please drink in a generous serving so that you’ll be filled with the strength and power of God.

            I recently read an article written many years ago by a Godly minister named Arthur W. Pink.  This evangelist and Bible scholar was writing about the power of God.  He said, “We cannot have a right conception of God unless we think of Him as all-powerful, as well as all-wise.”  Do you truly believe---whole-heartedly---that God is “all-powerful” and that you can trust in His wisdom for your life?  Until we come to this point in our spiritual journey, we will not be able to experience full, abundant JOY.

         Arthur Pink explained that “the power of God is that ability and strength whereby He can bring to pass whatsoever He pleases, whatsoever His infinite wisdom may direct, and whatsoever the infinite purity of His will may resolve”. 

            Psalm 62:11 says: "God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this, that power belongeth unto God".  If God speaks ONCE…that should be enough! Nothing more is necessary! But--because He loves us and because He knew we would sometimes doubt, He said it twice: Power belongs unto God!  We can be “DOUBLE SURE” that we can trust in His power.  That should bring us DOUBLE JOY!

            May we each be reminded of God’s sovereign plan and know that His power and wisdom will fill us with a DOUBLE PORTION of HIS JOY!

           

JOY is Found in the Power of God

          Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  There is power in the JOY of JESUS!

            POWER….what does that word mean to you?  We can look at it in several different contexts:

• Many people seek “power” in the workplace.
• Countries fight for more “power” on the world’s stage.
• Leaders many times seek “power” over the people under their authority.
• “Power” can also mean the flow of electricity through the “power lines” which lead to your house. 
• At times we refer to “power” when we are talking about physical strength.

There are other ways that the word “power” is used, but today let’s talk about the POWER OF GOD!  We many times refer to Him as “all-powerful”.  What exactly does that mean?

1. God is infinite.
2. He has no limits.
3. He is sovereign.
4. Nothing is beyond his ability.
5. His word is infallible.
6. He has all power over all things, at all times and in all ways!

And that’s just the beginning!  In Hebrews 1:3 we read:

“And he is the radiance of his glory and the exact representation of his nature, and upholds all things by the word of his power.”

            What JOY we find in the POWER of GOD!

            As we share His JOY with others, let’s be aware of His awesome power in all things!

Good JOYful Morning! :)

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Begin the day joyfully, and you may be surprised at how well the entire day will go.

            Charlotte Perry is given credit for writing the brief little poem that says:

It was only a glad, “Good Morning,”

As she passed along the way.

But it spread the morning’s glory

Over the livelong day.

            What truth we find in these few words.  A cheerful “Good morning” to someone might change the remainder of their day…and yours too!

            As I think back over my many years in the school system, I remember seeing this “lived out” up and down the hallways of the schools where I worked.  Many caring teachers would stand at the doorway of their classroom to welcome each student into class each day.  Some of the boys and girls had come from tough circumstances and the loving, cheerful welcome that they received from their teacher made them feel safe and secure.  Others simply had “gotten up on the wrong side of the bed” as my mom would say, or maybe were not feeling their best. But a cheerful greeting and a loving smile sure did help everyone to have a much better start to their day.

            It’s like the verse in Psalm 118:24: “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

            Greet someone with a cheerful “Good morning” as you pass along the way….and spread the morning’s glory and joy over the livelong day!

SCATTER JOY

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Drink it and scatter it everywhere!

            There’s an old Chinese proverb that simply says: "One joy scatters a hundred griefs."

            Let’s ponder that for a few minutes.  Does "one joy scatter a hundred griefs"?  I think it depends on what that “one JOY” might be!

·        If the “one joy” is seen as the happiness of a material possession, then it will soon fade.

·        If the “one joy” is dependent on another person, he or she is human and will let us down sooner or later.

·        Perhaps the “one joy” is interpreted as just the right job or career.  That can only fulfill us temporarily.

 ·        But if the ONE JOY comes from a faith in God, then YES, that statement is true. Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that “The JOY of the Lord is our strength.” And that means ALWAYS!  Even in the times of “a hundred griefs”, we can find JOY in JESUS because of His unending love and constant presence in our lives.

          A dear friend gave me a beautiful wall plaque that hangs in my home that simply says: SCATTER JOY!  Don’t you think that’s a great motto for all of us Christians to follow?  Scatter joy….HIS JOY….into the hearts of the hurting, the lives of those who are looking for peace, the impressionable children who are eager to learn about Jesus.  Scatter joy in your home, at work, as you go about your day….no matter where it takes you.

            Ask God to reveal opportunities to scatter His JOY and push away a hundred griefs...and more!

Serve with JOY....NO Apologies!

Have you had your JOY JUICE today? Drink it cheerfully!  And don’t make any apologies for being joyful!

            I had to smile as I read a quote by Franz Josef Haydn.  He wrote, “Since God has given me a cheerful heart, He will forgive me for serving Him cheerfully!”

            Somehow, I can’t ever see God needing an apology for anyone serving Him cheerfully, can you?  I’m sure that was written tongue in cheek, but there are those who think being a Christian is all about being stiff and solemn and anything other than CHEERFUL!

            I SO DISAGREE with this imagine of a Christian!  If you are a sold-out believer, you will be filled with the joy that comes from a personal relationship with Christ! And GOD loves a cheerful giver…the Bible tells us so!  Whether you are cheerfully giving of your money, your time, your service….whatever……DO IT CHEERFULLY and you will be bring JOY to the heart of God, as well as those you are serving!

            Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth to “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)

            May we all serve God with cheerful, joyful hearts….no apologies!

            Come on! Let's cheerfully share His JOY with all who will listen! Won’t you join me?