#957 Joyfulness – God Our Joy

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we have seen in the past few days, Scripture is clear that we as Christians should be joyful in all circumstances, that joy is a fruit of the Spirit that is ours when we accept Christ as our personal Savior.  We also saw that the source of our joy is our faith in Christ, with our joy flowing from the Holy Spirit within us.  God’s Word also tells us that God Himself is our joy, the One in whom we can rejoice as we can count on Him, His promises, and His salvation.  In the Old Testament both David and Isaiah testified to this as they repeatedly rejoiced in God, counting Him as their joy.[1]  In the New Testament we see the same from Mary and Paul as they rejoiced in the Lord always.[2]  What a lesson for us:  just as followers of God in the Bible, we are to come to God as our “exceeding” joy, not only for our future certainty of eternity with Him, but as our joy is this earthly life.

Do you depend on God as your “joy?”  Seek Him through His Word, fellowship with Him through prayer, and come to Him praising and rejoicing in Him as your exceeding joy!

“Rejoice in the Lord alway:  and again I say, ‘Rejoice.’”   (Philippians 4:4)

May God Richly Bless You Today

[1] Psalms 35:9; 43:4; Isaiah 61:10

[2] Luke 1:47; Romans 5:11; Philippians 3:1; 4:4

#947 Losing a Loved One – From Sorrow to Rejoicing

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As Christians claiming God’s promises from His Word we can have an optimistic rather than a defeatist viewpoint of death.  We may have sorrow and sadness at the loss of Christian loved ones, but we can also recognize the reality of and have faith in the goodness and mercy of God.  Scripture gives us the promise of spending eternity with our Christian loved ones in Heaven, a wonderful thought and promise that we have not “lost” our loved ones, we have just been separated from them for a season!  As our lives go on, we can be inspired by our separated loved ones, knowing we are going to someday be part of a glorious heavenly reunion where we will be spending eternity glorifying God together.  Praise the Lord!

Do you have Christian loved ones who have gone home to be with the Lord?  If you are a Christian, cast any sorrows aside and rejoice that you will spend eternity with them!

“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.”   (I Thessalonians 4:14)

May God Richly Bless You Today

#937 Giving Thanks – For Assurance of Eternity

First published November 30, 2012

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As Christians, born-again believers in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we have the blessed assurance of spending eternity in Heaven with our Lord.  This assurance is based on the promise of Christ in Scripture that He has gone to prepare a place for us, and it is with thankful hearts that we look forward to being with Him someday, the reason we should never fear going home to be with the Lord.  That is not to say we are to do nothing until God calls us home as He expects us to live our lives here on earth in a manner that would honor and glorify Him.  We do this by serving and living for the Lord, telling others about the assurance of eternity we have through our salvation.  Honoring and glorifying Him would also include giving thanks daily for not only our salvation but the assurance we have of eternity.

As a Christian, are you excited about your assurance of the future?

“In My Father’s house are many mansions:  if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a placed for you. ”   (John 14:2)

May God Richly Bless You Today