Joy Is Available to You Today!

“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8-9.

“No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek, find. To those who knock it is opened.” –C.S. Lewis (The Great Divorce)

 

1. Today is the day that the Lord has made! Prepare to meet Jesus. Pray against distractions and pray to hear the Lord’s voice.
2. Read 1 Peter 1:8-9. Write them both in your journal or on an index card. Pray them out loud or to yourself throughout your day.

Joy Is Available to You Today!

Is the joy of the Lord your strength? I don’t know about you, but when I interact with a truly joyful person, my spirits are instantly lifted, and I am in a better mood. Throughout life, these people go through hardships, but their joy is maintained. How is that possible? It is possible because of Jesus Christ! Psalm 28:7 states that “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.”

The Lord is our source of strength ultimately because human joy lasts only for a time, but what comes from the Lord is eternal, and this includes joy.

Joy is often confused with happiness, but I have a secret for you…they are very different! The Bible never promises happiness to the believer. While happiness is temporary and is based upon a current state or situation, joy is from the Lord and you can still experience joy during trials, suffering, and testing. It even says in James 1:2 to “consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds.” In the end, joy is permanent, but happiness is fleeting. And choosing joy as an option can happen even when happiness is not present.

True joy can only be attained as part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22 promises that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness” and many others. We are promised joy if we accept the Holy Spirit into our hearts! But we do have to make this choice; joy doesn’t simply come to us. Over the years, I have made a prayerful choice to accept this joy and let it flood into my heart and soul. I have been blessed by it personally and there is nothing better than blessing those around me with it.

It is absolutely incredible that what the Lord offers us can overflow from our words to positively affect others and even lead them to Him. Experiencing this joy and sharing it with others is what life is all about, mamas!

But life is relentless, isn’t it? The Bible says in Psalms 30:5 that “sorrow may come in the night,” but also promises that “joy comes in the morning.” And who brings light to the morning? God! And as surely as the sun rises, God will come and bring joy and peace. We are called to rely on Him for joy, and not on anyone or anything else for joy. God is the only perfect and ultimate source of unlimited and unspeakable joy.

Choosing to live out the joy that is available to us is a daily choice. It is easy to forget and become consumed with the stress and anxiety of life. Fight against this, my friends! Jesus yearns for us to experience life in the fullness of joy. Seek Him daily and pray to Him in adoration, thanking Him for His precious gifts to us.

Questions to Ponder:

Please write these down in your journal. If you don’t have a journal, see below! ☺
1. Where in your daily life could you show more joy?
2. Would your husband and children call you a joyful person? Why or why not, do you think?
3. What (if anything) is stopping you from believing that joy comes from the Lord?

Faith-Filled Idea:

We are going make a joy journal!

I love to journal. I just cannot help myself. One of the things I love most about keeping journals is looking back at them and praising the Lord for what He has done in my life!

Even if you do not like to write, I would encourage you to simply copy verses from your Bible that stick out to you. This is a great first step. As you are copying verses and praying them, memorizing them, and saying them out loud, the urge to write your own thoughts will come. I promise.

In the beginning, make a list of the things in your life that bring you the most joy. Challenge yourself to make it a long list and realize how blessed you are!

My prayer for you is to add to this journal what joyful hopes and dreams you have, ways for your children to experience more joy, and ways for you to add more joy to your home.

Rachel Jones
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3 Comments on “Joy Is Available to You Today!”

  1. I LOVE this soooo much Rachel! This quote is so beautiful! “No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek, find. To those who knock it is opened.” –C.S. Lewis

  2. This is so good! Thanks for sharing! I smiled as I read it, and I smiled as I wrote down 1 Peter 1:8-9 I’m planning to be filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy and it will be spilled out to my friends and my family and they’re going to say “what does she have? I want that too!” I want the glory of Jesus to be on my face. “Take care that the face that looks out from your mirror in the morning is a pleasant face. You may not see it again all day but others will! “

    1. Amen! I loved reading your comment. I am glad you were blessed by the Bible study today. Have a wonderful day! 🙂

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