What incredible passages were on my plate this morning! On this day of thanks-giving, receiving was
the Word I received. I cannot do justice
to all that I received in a little morning devotion, but I pray this snack will
nourish. JOY is the perfect acronym to
frame this. Do you remember how JOY
works? Jesus.
Others. Yourself.
Receiving Jesus, of course, starts us on the journey. All of the promises of God are yes in
Him. All believers, rooted together in
Him, rejoice in Him. The process of
rejoicing intrigues me.
Others are our mission.
Paul says those he served were letters from Christ written by the Spirit
of God on his own heart. That is how we
are to feel about others. We are not
‘rulers of others’ faith’ we are to be their ‘joy helpers.’ I like that title!
Yourself is simply a part of the totality. All that we experience…all of our lives…is
called our ‘conversation.’ We speak to
the Lord by how we live. We are to live
with simplicity and sincerity, trusting in the grace of God.
JOY, though deeply desired is not always welcomed in our
lives. The doorway it often enters
through is trouble. The greatest joy
comes with the greatest troubles, for the greater the TROUBLE, the greater the
room for God! We naturally live in the Land of YOJ …an upside down world devoid of
JOY.
In the land
of YOJ , “yourself” is the
first point of trust. As long as we can
produce the results we prefer, we will roll on in our own resources. When we find our limits, others are usually
our next line of defense. But until we
reach the end of the resources in YOJ, we live in poverty! Need, unveiled by trouble, is the doorway
that opens our hearts to receiving Jesus.
There is an amazing bonus when we share our need with others: Troubles unify us. As brothers and sisters in Christ seek the
face of God for one another, great things happen. His Kingdom grows!
As I meditated on this aspect, my heart humbly considers
those whom I know (and have known) who face(d) great trials. If you, as you read this, are one of those
whom God has entrusted a trouble that feels crushing, may you catch a glimpse
of the JOY God is producing. His plans
are greater than we know; He is doing Kingdom stuff! May your hearts thankfully receive
Jesus…receive comfort and know ALL of God’s promises are yes in Christ. Stay in Him and let His comfort and joy
overflow in your conversation.
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