Give Me JOY!

Things are going pretty well this week with some random moments of discouragement and teary-ness.  Usually it happens when I start thinking about what I left behind instead of what's ahead of me.  (Mainly it's the friendship and planned activities for Ethan).  I finally got back to reading my Bible and praying again, which was so refreshing and uplifting!  I'm continuing with my WONC lessons and trying to keep up with the group even though I'm not there anymore.  And God has definitely given me encouragement through that.  This week was about being joyful and thankful always (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Here's an excerpts from A Touch of His Joy by Charles Stanley (it's kinda long but SO worth reading!):

Joy is a choice the believer in Christ can make regardless of the circumstances, since God's joy is never linked to our surroundings.  The believer can choose God's joy because He always makes it available to His servants.  Choosing joy means we decide to completely trust God.

When  we choose joy we are deciding to walk by faith, not by sight and it is faith that God rewards and blesses.

Choosing joy means we choose to glorify God in our lives, commit to spend time in Scripture, purpose to forgive those who aggrieve us, believe that all things work together for good, and decide to depend on the resident power of the Holy Spirit within us.  See God at work in all things.

Turning toward joy is a deliberate, daily decision to seek the joy of the Lord in our lives.  It's also a conscious, ongoing choice not to allow the actions of others to become the focus of our thinking.  If we make the choice to turn toward joy and not anger or bitterness, we lay the groundwork for triumph.

Joy is inseparable from obedience and God's love.  The more we do what God plainly tells us to do in Scripture, the greater our joy.

One of the most wonderful aspects of Christian joy is that it can be experienced day after day.  It is not reserved for the pinnacle of personal achievement, but can be delightfully discovered in the routine, the mundane, the most pedestrian of days.  Relishing God's joy in our journey stems from recognizing that each and every day is a gift from Him.  We can't take tomorrow for granted, so we had better look to the Lord for the joy He has to grant today.

God's deep joy is readily encountered when we put Christ, not our problems, at the center of our lives.  Nothing is too difficult for Him.  The person who is bent on pleasing God is able to know the unchanging joy of Christ because he doesn't look for his circumstances or the people around him for his fulfillment.  If our ambition is to please the Lord, we respond to rough remarks with a gentle spirit, tackle adversity with faith, and extend forgiveness to those who wrong us.

Don't let the fickle winds of temporal circumstances determine the quality of your joy.  Remember that deep within your soul is the determinant of all real joy - the person of Jesus Christ.  Practice His presence, live with Him at the center of your will and emotions, and seek to please Him in all you do.

What a perfect timing!  God brought this to me RIGHT when I needed it!!!