JOYful NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!

          Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Happy New Year!  It’s hard to believe that it’s already 2014.  Hope you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to drink more Joy Juice in the future!

             The beautiful truth we glean from the examples of Mary & Joseph and Elizabeth, should encourage and challenge us to be faithful, willing servants of God.  This New Year’s Day, as we look toward a joyful future, it would be fitting for us to focus on the most Holy One….Jesus.

        None of us know what this New Year holds.  But we can trust that our Savior, Jesus Christ, knows that plan!  In Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version) God says:

“For I know the plans I have for you,"…. "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

            Whether 2013 was a good year or a challenging one for you…it’s past…gone…never to be here again.  It’s time to look forward into a New Year and aim toward being all the God wants us to be.  If we “go it alone”, we’re likely to make a mess of things. But if we ask Him to guide us, Jesus will take us by the hand and walk with us every step of the way throughout the New Year.  

            Let’s make Jesus our role model, our confidant, our best friend as we face 2014.  My prayer is that you will allow him to fill your heart and life with a contagious JOY that will reflect His image in everything you do.

           ALWAYS drink the Joy Juice of Jesus and faithfully share with others in the New Year.

His Perfect Timing and His JOYful Plan

          Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Hope you have plenty to help you celebrate the coming of the New Year!

            As we look back over the year past, there may be regrets about decisions that were made, circumstances that didn’t work out the way we had hoped…maybe even relationships that were damaged.  We may even wonder why God allowed certain things to happen in 2013, because we truly do not understand.

            Maybe you’ve been praying for a specific request and God has not given you that “heart’s desire”.  Do you quit praying?  Do you give up on God?  Or like Elizabeth in the book of Luke, do you remain faithful?

             The people in Elizabeth’s day measured a woman’s value by her ability to bear children.  Elizabeth was a descendant in the priestly line of Aaron. She and her husband, Zachariah, a Temple priest, lived an upright and blameless life in one of the hill-towns of Judea. The great disappointment in their lives was that although they had prayed fervently for a child, Elizabeth had reached an advanced age without ever having conceived.

            But Elizabeth remained faithful….and allowed God to work. He had a plan in which He would give her a son, John, at just the perfect time!  You see, John was to be the forerunner of Jesus. 
            We can glean much truth from the example of Elizabeth:

·        God does not forget those who have been faithful to him.

·        AND

·        God’s timetable and methods do not have to conform to what we expect.

Drink your Joy Juice faithfully and trust in God to accomplish His purpose in the New Year in His perfect timing.

           

Joyfully Extraordinary!

          Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  Seems as if Christmas came and went in a snap! But that doesn’t mean we can’t have the JOY of Christmas continually!

            Looking back over the biblical account of Jesus’ birth, we can find many lessons that should be applied all year long.  For example, consider the mother of Jesus.

            When Mary was approached by the angel in Luke 1, she was frightened and puzzled.  But the angel said, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.  You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.” (v 30)

            Do you remember how Mary responded? “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”  I wonder how many of us would have responded that way.  Most likely many of us would have argued with God…because it didn’t make sense.  Mary was chosen because God knew she was a willing servant.

            My Bible footnote explains: Mary was young, poor, female—all characteristics that to the people of her day, would make her seem unusable by God for any major task.  But God chose Mary for one of the most important acts of obedience he has ever demanded of anyone.  You may feel that your ability, experience, or education makes you an unlikely candidate for God’s service. Don’t limit God’s choices.  He can use you if you trust him. God’s best servants are often ordinary people who are available to him.

Let's drink our Joy Juice so that God can turn the ordinary into something extraordinary for Him.

THE Reason of JOY: "For God So Loved the World...."

            Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Drink in the JOY of the Jesus, even though Christmas has come and gone!

            All year long, we look anticipate the Christmas season.  It’s a special time of year for children and families, especially.  But I fear that as soon as Christmas is over, we tend to forget that the JOY of Christmas can be with us no matter what time of year it is!

            We must realize that most special gift of all…..JESUS…is ours all the time! We can open the gift of JOY in the Lord every day, any time the day and in all kinds of ways.  May each of us be committed to taking a few minutes out of each busy day to sing His praises and bask in the glow of His love.

         J-E-S-U-S:  J represents the JOY found in relationship with Jesus.  E stands for Emmanuel, “God with us”.  The middle letter S stands for our Good Shepherd, which is exactly what Jesus is; we should keep Him in the center of our lives!  U represents Understanding!  How important it is to Understand the magnitude of His love.

            As we close out this week, let’s look at the last letter of Jesus’ name….S.  I can think of many words that would appropriate to use: Star, Swaddling clothes, Singing angels…but I feel in my heart that what God wants us to concentrate on today is Jesus Christ our SAVIOR!  

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

           

            Sending my sincere wishes and prayers for Christmas JOY all year long by making sure you invite Jesus, our Savior, into your heart and life !

Keep Sharing the JOY of JESUS!

          Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Christmas Day is past and the gifts have been opened.  However, don’t forget the gift that continues to give JOY every day of the year….JESUS!

           

We’ve have focused this week on Jesus by spelling out his name J-E-S-U-S. Today we look at the letter U.  "U" stands for: Understanding. 

            As many little boys and girls anxiously and excitedly awaited Santa’s arrival on Christmas Eve, many truly did not UNDERSTAND that there would be NO Christmas celebration if it were not for the baby Jesus being born over 2000 years ago. And admittedly, we adults tend to forget that many times, as well. 

            There are those who don’t believe and they are diligent in trying to take away (or at least cast doubt) on people’s understanding that Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas.  But even we believers can get so caught up in the busyness of life that we forget to worship Him.

            Do you UNDERSTAND what Jesus did for you and me?  He came to earth, was born in a stinky, cold, dark stable, certainly not fit for a king and lived on earth among sinful man so that He could die to pay our sin debt.  Now that is the epitome of love and sacrifice.  It’s hard to wrap our understanding around that kind of love; but may we never quit trying.  More importantly, may we never quit loving and thanking Him for Who He is!

            Even though Christmas Day is over, we still have the JOY of JESUS every day.  Keep sharing it with others along your way!  

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Happy Birthday, JESUS!

          Have you had your Joy Juice today?  MERRY CHRISTMAS DAY!

            The JOY of the season is wrapped up in the truth of that baby born in a manger over 2000 years ago.  Let’s not get so caught up in the gifts under the tree that we forget why we are celebrating today!  J-E-S-U-S; we’ve discussed the J and the E this week. Today, let’s look at the S in the center of His name.

            That S should remind us that Jesus, our good Shepherd, wants to be at the center of our lives.  In John 10:11 he said:  “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” And that’s exactly why he came…to live and die for us that we might be Saved from our Sins.

            Did you catch those two important “S” words…Saved from our Sins. The reason God sent Jesus was to pay our sin debt.  When we accept Him into our heart and life, our sins are forgiven.  The penalty for our sins were paid on that cruel cross.  That’s what we call Sacrifice…an “S” word, too!  God sacrificed His only Son, Jesus, to be crucified for us.  Talk about love!

            On this Christmas Day, let’s ask Jesus to be the center of our Christmas…and the center of our lives.  Be reminded that He is our Good Shepherd who is always willing to lead us and protect us. Shout for Joy this Christmas day because of that sacrificial love.

            Keep Jesus in the center of your Christmas by drinking the Joy Juice made especially for this season of the year. Happy Birthday, Jesus! Merry Christmas, friends!

Extravagant Love and JOY

          Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Please drink it immediately so that you will be focusing on the true meaning of Christmas….JESUS.

            We talked yesterday about spelling out our Savior’s name as we intentionally concentrate on the REASON we are celebrating.  Like the name of Jesus, several other words begin with J that remind us of Christmas truth.  JOY in Jesus’ birth, JOSEPH…Jesus’ earthly father and John…the forerunner to Jesus.

            Today let’s look at the "E" in JESUS.  E could represent Emmanuel…another name for our Savior. Matthew 1:23 tells us: "Behold the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name, "Emmanuel," which translated means, "God with us."

            God IS with us!  That should be such an Encouragement to all of us…which just happens to be another “E” word!  Because of Emmanuel’s birth, we have hope!  We can be encouraged that no matter what is happening in this world right now, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, because of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection we can have Eternal life.

             This Christmas week, my prayer is that you will feel God’s arms of EXTRAVAGANT love wrapped tightly around you, reminding you of the reason He sent Jesus.  May you be filled a joyful EXCITEMENT as you curl up close to Him and ENJOY His Christmas hugs.

            Feel God’s arms of extravagant love wrapped around you as you excitedly enjoy the celebration of Emmanuel’s birth!