Protests all around the country. Political uprisings and civil wars abroad. Kidnappings, drug wars, turf battles, drive bys, rampant unemployment, the countless social issues we hear about every single day. All these things can be found by simply flipping it to one of the local or national news stations or by simply clicking a link on Facebook.
Pretty discouraging for me to write all those things and to think about the pain that some feel every single day and the truly sad thing is that I only scratched the surface of all the problems in our world.
And with all this going on around us we are supposed to worship a God that tells us that we are to rejoice! Not just once in a while, but always living "full of joy."
I promise you this is easier said than done. There are days when my life makes rejoicing almost impossible, Jesus cried with those who were mourning and suffered with those who were suffering.
Yet, Paul(my favorite apostle), who underwent trials and tribulations at every single turn, wrote that we should rejoice in the Lord.
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." Philippians 4:4 ESV
When I stop to think for a minute about how I like to plan the things in my life I will sometimes think to myself, "You know, Jesus is laughing at you so hard right now!" I imagine Jesus did that often with His disciples when they told Him about their plans or when things weren't quite going as they had "planned."
It is disappointing when I hear myself or others that I know to be followers of Christ talk with a spirit of fear and of worry (although this is very easy for us to do!) Trust me when I say this: I get it! Life is hard! It often times can feel like the whole world is stack up against us and we have no hope. There is no where that joy can be found. Whether we are happy or not is usually dictated by the circumstances we find ourselves in. But joy is always there on any given day for those who serve a risen Jesus.
It's often those who don't know their eternal destiny who often live with fear and uncertainty about the future. I hope that they see joy in me or maybe in you. Especially when times are rough. May it help them to seek God and the grace that He freely gives. God's joy is always in ready supply.
So what are you full of: Anger, Hate, Discontent? Or are you full of Grace, Love, and the Joy that comes from God? Trust me when I tell you that approaching each day with a joyful heart can and will be tough. Stay focused on God and not on the things of the world that will drag you down. People will die, possessions with fade and break, and like the old saying says, "You can't take it with you!" God is our ultimate source of joy. Embrace His presence and spread His joy.
Pretty discouraging for me to write all those things and to think about the pain that some feel every single day and the truly sad thing is that I only scratched the surface of all the problems in our world.
And with all this going on around us we are supposed to worship a God that tells us that we are to rejoice! Not just once in a while, but always living "full of joy."
I promise you this is easier said than done. There are days when my life makes rejoicing almost impossible, Jesus cried with those who were mourning and suffered with those who were suffering.
Yet, Paul(my favorite apostle), who underwent trials and tribulations at every single turn, wrote that we should rejoice in the Lord.
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." Philippians 4:4 ESV
When I stop to think for a minute about how I like to plan the things in my life I will sometimes think to myself, "You know, Jesus is laughing at you so hard right now!" I imagine Jesus did that often with His disciples when they told Him about their plans or when things weren't quite going as they had "planned."
It is disappointing when I hear myself or others that I know to be followers of Christ talk with a spirit of fear and of worry (although this is very easy for us to do!) Trust me when I say this: I get it! Life is hard! It often times can feel like the whole world is stack up against us and we have no hope. There is no where that joy can be found. Whether we are happy or not is usually dictated by the circumstances we find ourselves in. But joy is always there on any given day for those who serve a risen Jesus.
It's often those who don't know their eternal destiny who often live with fear and uncertainty about the future. I hope that they see joy in me or maybe in you. Especially when times are rough. May it help them to seek God and the grace that He freely gives. God's joy is always in ready supply.
So what are you full of: Anger, Hate, Discontent? Or are you full of Grace, Love, and the Joy that comes from God? Trust me when I tell you that approaching each day with a joyful heart can and will be tough. Stay focused on God and not on the things of the world that will drag you down. People will die, possessions with fade and break, and like the old saying says, "You can't take it with you!" God is our ultimate source of joy. Embrace His presence and spread His joy.
Comments
Post a Comment