Tag: finding joy

Battling Through the Trials Will Prove Profitable

James 1:4
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

We have all, whether a parent or not, probably had the opportunity to instruct young children. We likely recognized the need to stay right near them as they learned the new teaching. It was also likely that we had to encourage them and console them each time they fell short of completely grasping the instruction. We may have needed to bring to their attention the errors of their ways and remind them of the proper process. We persevered with them time and again, rejoicing in each moment of progress, until they had mastered the new instruction. The process required our patience and the patience of the child. We never considered ultimate failure. We always had faith that in the end the numerous trials would be worth the effort.

Thank the Lord for His salvation promise to complete every good work that He starts in us. He will let nothing in our lives escape His attention. He will steadfastly stand by us even as we stumble over and over. He will pick us up as many times as we fall, even though He knows that we will never get it completely right on this earth. He will continue to show us the error in our ways and point out the path that He has set aside for us. He will continue to pick us up until that glorious day when we stand before Him in the image of His Son and He welcomes us into heaven as good and faithful servants.

Let us learn to be patient with the process of sanctification. Let us find joy in the constant grace that Our Father extends to us during each of our trials. Let us prepare ourselves for the perfection in glory that is coming.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, blessed be the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Thank You for His steadfast work in our lives. We pray that we will be quick to see the error in our ways and be even quicker to respond to Your correction. May we completely surrender our lives to the perfect ways of Your Son. As we rise and fall in our frailty, may we rejoice in knowing that Your presence is always with us and You will not leave us before Your perfecting work is done. We ask all these things in the name of our Sure Foundation, Jesus.

Celebrating Our Eternal Blessings

Nehemiah 8:10
And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

Each year since the Pilgrims held the first Thanksgiving celebration feast in the early 1600’s, a day has been set aside in this country to take the time to come together to give thanks for all that we have been blessed with as a nation and as individuals. For followers of Jesus, it has been easy to give thanks and sincerely praise the Lord. As His disciples, we truly have been blessed. But more importantly, we have recognized/learned where our real blessings come from. We have continued to recognize our blessings and the source of our blessings as we went through pain, trouble, conflict and trials during different junctures in our lives. We may not have always been particularly happy about our circumstances, but we learned along the way that we could always find our joy and our strength in Jesus Christ.

On a national basis, the story is much different. As our nation has become more and more secular, a large portion of the population has spent their lives seeking happiness without any understanding of the true joy of living for Christ. Non-believers have bought into the idea that they can control their own happiness. It can be devastating to them when they realize that happiness is not something that they can create. It can be crushing to them when they realize that their circumstances are not something that they have control over. They have no place to turn when they hit their inevitable periods of pain, trouble, conflict and trials.

Let us take our thanks beyond the Thanksgiving table. Let us take time each day to give thanks for the source of our joy, Jesus Christ. Let us delight in Him. Let us praise Him for what He has done for us, how He is still working in us and what He promises us for all eternity. Let us show the world the powerful joy that is the source of our strength. Let us show the world how His joy transforms us and motivates us to serve Him. Let our joyful lives become a most appealing witness for a lost and hurting world.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the many blessings that You have poured onto our lives through Your grace, Your mercy and Your lovingkindness. We thank You for the trials that You have allowed in our lives which have deepened our trust in You. We bless the name of Jesus who provided the way for our eternal blessings. We pray, Father, that Your Holy Spirit will inspire us to take the joy that we have in Christ to share with those around us so that Your joy and gladness can be theirs for today and forever. We ask all these things in the name of the Joy of the World, Jesus Christ.