In this life there shall be JOY!

Think very quickly of 5 people in your life in these catagories, church friend or co-worker, spouse, friend, sibling, child..... and add yourself to the bottom of the list.  Now ask yourself which one do you think radiates joy the most? Can you pinpoint what it is about this person that speaks joy to you?  Did you pick yourself?
Do you think that some people are born with a greater dispositon for Joy?

 Here is the definition of Joy from webster's dictionary.  To define joy seems simple enough but let's just see what it says. " Excitement or pleasurable feeling caused by the acquisition or expectation of good; gladness; pleasure; delight; exultation;  exhilaration of spirits; the cause of satisfaction and happiness- To rejoice; to be glad; to exult."

Following Easter and having a wonderful day with my family I am still riding the tailwinds of joy.

Yes we had a little easter bunny action here....

but there is more to the joy shared here.

  I am filled with Joy because I believe that Jesus died for me on the cross. He endured so much pain just because he couldn't bear to leave earth without taking me with him to heaven.  I am a part of the family of God because I believe Jesus took my sin and the punishment I deserve upon himself  so that I could be forgiven. When I look sin straight in the eye there is no doubt I am in need of a Savior.  We had a great day celebrating his triumph over the grave. Salvation is a free gift.  The blood has been shed, the price has been paid , I encourage you, don't leave earth with out opening this gift.

 Beth Moore says in her book "Praying God's Word Day by Day" " The greatest joy in our lives is the very thing we have deserved the least. It is an absolute gift of grace."  That thought alone should make me forever joy-filled.    But I know as the days pass further away from Easter, life will return to ordinary days and  the exhilaration of spirit will be struggling to surface.  Back to the 5 people up above......6 including me...I did not choose me  to be the one with the most joy.

  Have you heard the saying, Everyday may not be a good day but there is good in every day.?  How about Joy?  Everyday may not be a joy filled day but  can  joy be found in every day?  Lately in my search to be joy-filled  I have laid in bed at the end of the day and  tried to identify places of joy in my day. When I read my Bible the word "JOY" is jumping off the page.   This is proof to me that when i am seeking something that God would want me to have, he will help me find it and understand it.    I believe that joy  is something that God would want everyone to have in this life including me.

So I guess that means the theory that some people are born with a greater disposition for joy might not be true.    As a child of the heavenly Father, God intends for me to live with joy.  "As children of God , we are rightful heirs to the blessing of overflowing joy.  God has declared us worthy.  As a result, we have a calling, a responsibility to express and demonstrate joy by the way we live."  Tommy Newberry

"Oh the joys of  those who do not follow the wicked,....  But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night.  They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.  Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do."  Psalm 1: 1-3

" Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in  Christ Jesus" 1 Thessalonians 5 : 16-18

Today is another Wednesday ......
I am  using this book based on Philipians 4:8  to help me in the search for more joy in my life.

THREE things I am going to THINK about from chapter 1 This week.

1. " Being joy filled does not mean your life is perfect. Who could claim that? It doesn't mean your life is great. What it does mean is that you emphatically trust  God and believe that he has great plans for your life, regardless of what is happening right now. Joy is the infectious and uncontainable fruit of divinely inspired growth.  It's a deeply entrenched, unshakable belief, the result of sustained right thinking and dwelling on the nature and character of God.  Joy is an outward sign of inward faith in the promises of God.  It is a way  of acting, and it is evidence of spiritual maturity.  Joy is not a distant destination at which you arrive; rather, it's a path you choose to travel each day."  Tommy Newberry

BABY STEP:  Pick another character of God to ponder and a promise of God that I can choose to apply to my days this week. " God is my shield,saving those whose hearts are true and right." Psalm 7:10

2."Mental discipline is the ability to keep your thoughts consistently focused. When you use the 4:8 Principle as a filter for your thinking, you focus on God and goodness to the exclusion of all else."  "When you keep your thoughts fixed on God, the things of God will naturally permeate your life, and thus your goals will be in line with his will and his kingdom." Tommy Newberry

BABY STEP: exercise those mental muscles...... pick one chapter of the Bible to focus on this week and memorize 5 verses from that chapter.    I really need your help here  Lord because I am a lazy girl when it comes to exercising.

3. Pity parties not allowed.   Replace every can't with a can . There will always be a circumstance in life that has the potential to steal my  joy  if  I  focus on the wrong thing.

BABY STEP:  Make a list of things I  CAN do this week.  And add a smile to someone's day while I'm at it.

I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;

 I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.  I will be filled with joy because of you.

  I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:1-2

Have a week blessed with joy!

thanks for stopping by

Janita