Sunday, December 14, 2008

Joy! (Living Beyond Yourself by Beth Moore)

Jesus and Others and You,
what a wonderful way to spell JOY!
Jesus and Others and You
in the life of each girl and each boy.
J is for Jesus for He has first place.
O is for others we meet face to face.
Y is for you and whatever you do.
Put yourself third and spell JOY!


This was a song we used to sing in Sunday School when I played the piano for grades 1-3. I was reminded of it when my Bible Study was on the second fruit of the Spirit--Joy.

There many scriptures about joy in the Bible. The supernatural joy Christians (followers of Jesus Christ) have as a sign of being filled with the Spirit of God has several dimensions summarized as follows:

Joy of our salvation in knowing our name is written in the "Lamb's Book of Life."
Joy of discovery of spiritual truths that God reveals to us through His spirit.
Joy of restoration after being depressed or forgiven for sin. Sometimes God's will includes hardships and trials to bring us to spiritual maturity.
Joy of abiding in Christ daily by being in close fellowship with him.
Joy in fellowship with other believers.


One point I found especially interesting in this study is that when people see the joy Christians have, they want that. Christians should be the most joyful, loving people on the Earth! Are we? I think many would say "No." If we aren't joyful, we need to get back in fellowship with God and be filled with His Spirit!

One final note. We have a great hope of God's future kingdom that brings joy. Those who trust Jesus as their personal Savior are children of The King! I remember my mom sharing with me that when she asked Jesus into her heart as a child, she went home singing "I'm A Child of the King." (John 3:12) Here are the words to the song:

I'm a child of the King,
A child of the King.
With Jesus, my Savior,
I'm a child of the King!

We look forward to the day when we all get to heaven and see The King in all His glory on the throne. What a day of rejoicing that will be!

We certainly have a lot to be joyful about! Rejoice in the Lord Always!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful post. I didn't know the words to your "joy" song and I absolutely love it.
A heart without joy and especially joy that stems from a personal relationship with God is certainly a sad thing.

Sandee said...

I don't remember this one, but I'm sure that I sang it too. That's what happens when you get old, you can't remember things that happened a long time ago very well.

I agree with Mountain Woman...what a beautiful post.

Have a terrific day. Big hug. :)

Mary said...

That's a great song of Joy! I don't think I've ever heard it. The song I remember singing is "Joy Down In My Heart". I agree with Mountain Woman as well. We need to remember that WE may be the only Jesus some people may ever see. Great post!

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