Choosing Joy

Summer Day 13

“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.” Psalm 100:1-3

Choosing Joy

This morning I had a conversation with my six-year-old daughter about the characteristics of God. I asked Ruby to tell me about God and how He makes her feel inside her heart. Her answers brought a smile to my face. According to my sweet girl God is loving and joyful.

Will you join me in choosing Joy this summer? Let’s look at the world through the eyes of a hopeful six-year-old girl who has nothing but love to give. Here are some helpful and practical reasons for choosing joy:

  • Joy comes when we spend time in Gods presence:  Psalm 28:7  tells us ” The Lord is my strength and my shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.”
  • Joy is not dependent with your circumstances:  Psalm 27:5-6 tells us “For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music.”
  • Joy comes when we spend our lives praising God:  Psalm 47:1-3 tells us ” Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise! For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth. He subdues the nations before us, putting our enemies beneath our feet.”
  • Joy fills you up when you feel empty on the inside:  Romans 15:13 tells us “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
  • Joy is not an emotion that can be fake or forced:  Isaiah 35:10 tells us “Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness.”

Go Deeper:

-How can you live out God’s love and joy today? Write these ideas in your journal.

What’s Next:

Grab your Children, a bunch of pots and pans and some spatulas and wooden spoons.  We are going to put Psalm 100 into action. Let’s make some joyful noise unto the Lord! Tell your children to be as loud as possible. Encourage them to try to reach Heaven with their voices. Let them be noisy. Let go of all that control and just be present in that moment with your children. Take a photo of your family band and share it on the website or the Facebook page.

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Leslie Leonard
Latest posts by Leslie Leonard (see all)

5 Comments on “Choosing Joy”

  1. This is wonderful! I love those bible verses- they’d be good memory verses to learn with my kids!

  2. This is SO great Leslie! Joy truly is a choice. We can choose to embrace our circumstances and find true joy or we can live in defeat, only seeing what’s wrong in our lives. Thanks for the encouragement!

  3. Love this Leslie! Praying that I will always choose joy like a child! I really like your family band idea!

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