Joy is Singing to God

 

Maybe you remember this little song from your childhood years in Sunday School and Bible School. 

God loves to hear us sing praises to him. And no doubt he loves to hear little children sing to him as well. Maybe even more so than adults. 

But no matter if we are young or old, he loves us to sing to him.

 Psalm 104:33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will sing to my God while I have my being.

We don't usually sing when something is wrong in our lives. When tradegy hits. When we feel like our lives are running down the tubes.

But you know what. Those times are probably the best times to sing to the Lord. Even when we are at our darkest.

At any rate, being able to sing to God, brings joy into our lives, no matter when we do it. And those words we sing to him goes straight to his ears. Because he loves us.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. May the rest of your day be full of blessing from God!

God's Amazing Grace Brings Joy

 Have you gone through any problems lately?  Have you felt let down by God? Have you wondered if he is even hearing your prayers? 

If you have then you need to learn the following scripture so that when trouble comes knocking and doubt's start to form in your mind, you have it to stand on.

 "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Joy comes from knowing that His grace is all we need. It is why Christ died to save us from our sin. It is how He can forgive us from the sin that would lead us where we do not want to go without it. 

It is Joy unspeakable!

It is unmeasurable!

And it is amazing!

Who or what else can bring us that kind of joy but Jesus? 

No one

Nothing 

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a blessed day

Joy is God's Love For Us

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

I grew up not feeling that my mom loved me. But as I realized later, she really had the best she could, but because mental illness interrupted her life, she could not fully show me. I believe towards the end of her life, she realized that and tried to do better at letting me know it. It was something we never talked about. But by the time that she realized it, gone were the feelings of resentment that I had that lasted well into my adult life. And I understood the whys much better then I did. Her last year on this earth was a gift to me and when her time came, I was able to let her go to Jesus, knowing as she went, her pain of this year life, had gone too. 

What I have also realized is that no matter who in my life has not been able to show me love as I think they should, or couldn't for some reason, I know one thing.

God does love me. He has always loved me; He will always love me.

He loved me so much that He gave his only Son for me. That is where my joy is today. It will always be for me tomorrow, next year and in eternity.

 

The Joy of the Lord is my strength.  Nehemiah 8:10 Even in my weakest days. He is my strength. 

Jesus died for the world. Because he loved the world. And as it says in the graphic above, we cannot brag on our love for Him because we fail him every day.

But we can brag about His love for us because.... He never fails us.

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Next post will be 3/16.

May God bless you throughout the rest of the day!

Joy is Our Eternal Home

                                                                            

 What will heaven be like?

The late Rev. Billly Graham explained heaven this way:

Heaven for the Christian will be a place of glorious life that will never end. Joy inexpressible, limitless peace, pure love, beauty beyond description—that’s what heaven is. Greatest of all will be the presence of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, with who Loved ones who have known and loved the Lord will be there. Revelation 21:2 says, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Mr. Graham has written: “Heaven will be a place in which its inhabitants will be freed from the fears and insecurities that plague and haunt us in the present life. No energy crisis there … Free from the economic and financial pressures that burden us down here. Free from the fear of personal and physical harm … No fear of personal failure … Our relationship with Him will be intimate and direct. I’m looking forward to that glorious day of going to heaven.

“Heaven will be what we have always longed for. It will be the new social order that men dream of. All the things that have made earth unlovely and tragic will be absent in heaven. There will be no night, no death, no disease, no sorrow, no tears, no ignorance, no disappointment, no war. It will be filled with happiness, worship, love, and perfection.

Heaven will be a place to challenge the creative genius of the unfettered mind of redeemed man.” Revelation 21:4 says, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

However, the Bible makes clear that there is only one way to heaven, and that is through repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ who said, “I am the way …” (John 14:6). Jesus paid for our sins through His death on the cross. God offers us the free gift of friendship with Him in this life and eternal life in heaven when we die if we will but turn from sin and trust in Jesus as our Savior and Lord. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved …” (Acts 16:30).

Wow! And I would add that it will be even more grand than his description. I imagine that upon his death, he took in the most beautiful place than what he thought it could be. And getting to spend it with his loved ones as well as with Jesus?  To me that is imaginable. The Joy of heaven is waiting there for those of us that have asked Jesus to forgive us our sin, to ask him to come into our hearts and asked him to be the Lord of our life. That is what pure joy is. For us. Because just remember folks. This life on earth is not our final home. We are just passing through. 

Thanks for coming by today, Friends. Have a blessed weekend. I will be b ack on Monday!

  

What is Joy?

Joy: A feeling of great pleasure and happiness

That is what the dictionary says that joy is. But what about the Bible?

Joy is a state of mind that can be experienced by both Christians and non-Christians alike. It’s a feeling of happiness, contentment, and well-being. The Bible also defines joy as a gift from God.

I ran across the following scripture this week:

 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

Think about it, Friends.

Isn't that the real meaning of Joy in the lives of us that have been saved under the power of God?

I believe so.

It is truly a gift of God who sent his Son Jesus, that we can grab on to that power and confess and believe who he is and why he left heaven to die a bloody disgraceful death that we can one day live forever with him.

That is what joy is to me.

I hope it is for you as well.

Thanks for coming by today.

 

Joy

 

Are you the kind of person whose joy permeates your life? Or do you frequently scowl too often? So much so that others see your unhappiness. 

God wants us to be joyful. And I am going to study the reasons for that in the next few days. Because what happens when I am going through a hard time. A time when life is not really all that joyful. I plan to start looking at that starting March 9th, so please come back for that study.

But for today's post, did you know what the word joy can mean for all of us.

Joy

J is for Jesus

O is for others

Y is for yourself

J is for Jesus. Putting Him first in your life

O is for others, including family, friends and others that God has put in your life. Maybe those that you minister to or help.

You is putting you last. However, I think the O and the Y sort of ranks the same because if we don't sometimes put ourselves first, how can we be a good parent, friend, etc. 

God does want us to be joyful. He wants us to be happy. If we go around being grumpy all the time, those people around us that aren't Christians would look at us might feel that if that is what a Christian is, why be a Christian?

 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. Psalms 32:11

Thanks for coming by, Friends. Have a blessed night.

God Knows Even When We Don't

Parts of our family have been going on trials for what seems like forever. One thing after another. It seems like they never end. One thing gets resolved and another one starts. 

Our only hope though is knowing that God knows why he is allowing these things, and when they will be resolved.

To question his absolute faithfulness is unfathomable to me. Although sometimes its hard not to do. But, I see what God said to Job in this passage:

38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8 Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?

9 When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,

10 And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,

11 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;

13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?

14 It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment.

15 And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken.

16 Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?

17 Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?

18 Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.

19 Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof,

20 That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?

21 Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?

22 Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,

23 Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?

24 By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?

25 Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;

26 To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;

27 To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?

28 Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?

29 Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?

30 The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.

31 Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?

32 Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?

33 Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?

34 Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?

35 Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go and say unto thee, Here we are?

36 Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?

37 Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,

38 When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast together?

39 Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,

40 When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?

41 Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat. Job 38:1-41

Where were we indeed when God did all of these things. And who are we to question him for allowing things to enter our lives that we do not want. He knows from beginning to end, how our lives will go. Through the good and the not so good, and in time, we will know too.

Thanks for coming by this evening, Friends. May your night be blessed!