In our world today people are seeking joy in many places except the one place where true joy exists. There is only true joy in the Lord!!! I love the song by Cheri Keaggy called There is Joy in the Lord.
There is joy in the Lord,
There is love in His Spirit
There is hope in the knowledge of Him
There's a fountain that flows like a river from heaven
Abounding in love to my soul
There is love in His Spirit
There is hope in the knowledge of Him
There's a fountain that flows like a river from heaven
Abounding in love to my soul
Let's really think about the words of this worship song. Can you feel that fountain flowing from heaven? Do you feel the love of your Creator falling on you? That is what true joy feels like! Its not the things of this world that brings us joy. Those things will pass away. His love for us is eternal!!!!
We can not be content in every circumstance unless we realize that real contentment stems from a relationship with Jesus Christ. When we have a good relationship with our Savior, we know that no matter what happens in this world, we have our real home waiting for us. We may have trials and tribulations here on earth, but one day we will be in our heavenly homes where there is no more pain or sorrow. No more hunger or thirst. No more sadness and tears. Just pure JOY!!!!
We can be content now in just knowing that we have been given grace and mercy. We have the love of our Father in Heaven. He will never leave us or forsake us. Man will disappoint us on a daily basis, so if we put our trust in men, we will never be content or joyful. We will have something to grumble about on a daily basis. We need to get our eyes on JESUS!!!!
Right now, as I read an incredible new book (I will be talking more about it in January), I am being convicted of trying to find happiness in all the wrong places. I turn to the TV for comfort when I am having a bad day. I turn to chocolate on the days my kiddos are making me crazy. I run to friends to talk about my problems. While these are not bad things per-say, they are taking the place of God in my life and that is WRONG!!! Instead of turning to my Lord when I need comfort, guidance, and love, I am turning to things of this world. These things only offer temporary happiness, so once the initial good feeling wears off, I am right back to being a mess. If I would turn to God instead of these things, He would bring me lasting joy and peace. He would work on me from the inside out. I would be healing not just placing a band-aid over the wounds.
Where are you looking to for your JOY? Do you wonder if you will ever be able to say you are content with your life? Let's choose today to look to God. He is all we need!!!! If we really KNOW that fact, we can be content and with contentment we will have joy.
Challenge #5
Over the weekend, I would like you to focus on God and not your usual vices to cope with issues that come up. Our children learn to cope with life by watching us. If they see you running to the Lord, they will run to Him too in times of crisis and hardships. Sit down as a family and discuss how you would like to handle issues that come up. You can have a family prayer time or a time to share prayer requests before praying individually. We just need to realize that we need to turn to Jesus and not things of this world when we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders or when we are in need.
Good morning, Betty. Contentment does seem a rare commodity in today's world. To me, it is the perfect blend of joy and peace, and those can only be found in the Lord. Thank you for the Challenge. This weekend our granddaughters are visiting and it's a good reminder of the power of positive modeling.
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