Great Joy

“When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did,

 they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks,

 evil spirits came out of many, and many were healed. So there was great joy in that city.”

 Acts 8:6-8

When we hear of someone being healed in modern times, people either give thanks to the Lord or they just pass it off as something minor In the first century people watched intently as Philip performed miracles on the sick and demon possessed of Jerusalem.

In today’s world we have chronic diseases that can be controlled by medications. We also have some illnesses that our society spends time, energy and funds to research cures for.

In the world of the first century, people thought that a lot of those inflicted with disease were demon possessed. When anyone could rid another person of the demons, there was a time of time of rejoicing.

When a Christian passes from this earth, those left behind go through a time of grief. Sometimes this is a bittersweet time for them. Those left behind are saddened because their loved one is gone. Deep down they know the departed is no longer in pain and is not ill anymore.

When our loved ones are healed, we should give thanks to God. Healing comes in several forms. Cancer can go into remission. Arthritis also goes into a form of remission. Ones whose illness goes 

into remission are considered healed.

How Great Our Joy

Joy, Gladness

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness;

 come before him with joyful songs.” Psalm 100:1-2

We have forgotten how God wants us to show our joy in worship. In a lot of churches the people do not say ‘amen’ when the preacher makes a strong point in his or her sermon. The psalmist tells us to shout for joy.

We should be glad that we can go into our churches. Some places in our world do not allow churches to be open. We should be in prayer for those people who risk their lives to worship God. When we begin to think of worshipping our God as a chore, we should spend time in prayer about our relationship with Him.  God gives us free will because He wants us to want to worship Him. 

Have you noticed that a lot of Christian churches devote the beginning of each service-Sunday morning and Wednesday night-singing hymns, praise songs, and choruses? The music we sing at church becomes ingrained in us. One of my friends has said that I don’t need a hymnal; she thinks I know all those songs. She is not entirely right. I know a lot of the first verses of those songs. I love the traditional hymns. I also like the praise songs of modern times.

I was once at a Holy Week service at a sister church. One of the hymns we sang was unfamiliar to me. I likened the music to a funeral dirge. But the words spoke a message of the week. I remember not very many people seemed to be singing this particular song. It may have been unfamiliar to them, as well.

As we go through our daily tasks, we should all be on the alert for signs that God is with us and working for us. We can count those blessings throughout the year, not just in the month we celebrate the holiday known as Thanksgiving.

Shout to the North and South

graphic: familyfunpuzsles.com

Rejoice Always

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; rejoice.”

 Phil. 4:4 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul challenges his readers to express joy at all times. He even repeats his advice. He must mean it!

This thought interests me. Paul wrote this while he was in prison. Was Paul rejoicing because he was in prison? That’s not what he tells us.  He tells his readers to ”rejoice in the Lord.”

How can we find joy in circumstances the world looks at as dire? We know the Lord God is with us as we go through our daily routines. We also know He is with us when we happen upon things we can’t handle.

A friend of mine lost her sister a few weeks ago. Two weeks later, her brother suffered a heart attack. When people heard of the brother’s ordeal, they immediately thought of the fact that she had just been through the loss of her sister.

When I saw her later in the day, she said she could feel the prayers. She could rejoice over the fact God was with her.

When we find ourselves backed into a corner by harsh circumstances, we have to learn to search for ways God is able to act on our behalf. Will he allow us to sense His presence? Will He cause us to remember a song of praise or a passage of scripture? Will he send someone to come alongside of us and support us through prayer? Yes, because we know He does these things for us, we can rejoice in the Lord. We can do it as Paul advises-always.

Last year I read the book, 1,000 gifts by Ann Voskamp. She learned to trust God more by recording His gifts to her in a journal. I tried this last year from late May until the end of the year. I enjoyed the exercise so much; I started over on New Year’s Day. I am thankful to know that I have already recorded 522 gifts from God this year. I give praise to Him each time I record a gift.

Overflowing Joy

“And now, brothers we want you to know about the grace that God

has given the Macedonian churches. Out of their most severe trial,

their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.”

2 Corinthians 8:1-2

Paul uses the Macedonian church as an example of how God’s grace can grow in His church. He shows that the Macedonian believers. We have written proof that God loves a cheerful giver.

“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart,

not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

2 Corinthians 9:7

It is a basic Christian thought that we can’t out give God. Jesus pointed out the widow who gave her offering to God out of her poverty. He commended her by saying she gave more than the people who had more.

God gave His Son. When we give our all, whatever that might mean, we need to be thankful that we are able to give.

I recently left my key ring- the one with the fancy key fob- in the pocket of my good summer white slacks. I woke with a start around midnight and realized I might have left the car unlocked and the windows down. I asked Hubby if he had taken care of the car windows and locked the doors. Yes, he had. I had the thought I hadn’t checked the pockets of those slacks before I put them in the machine.

The next morning I had some laundry to do. As I opened the washing machine, I saw the ‘missing’ key fob on the bottom of the tub. I knew I had to find out if the buttons worked. I climbed the stairs and headed to the front door. At first, the unlock button didn’t cause the parking lights to ‘wink at me.’ The second time I tried to unlock it, the lights did as they were supposed to. I tested the trunk button and the locking mechanism. They worked! I felt as if I had climbed a mountain.

I called a friend and related my story to her. I recorded the results of this story in my EUCHARISTEO list. It’s number 521.I was overflowing with joy and gratitude to God for watching over a simpleton like me. Only a simpleton would forget to empty the pockets of her slacks.

graphic:sbsministeries.org

Glorious Joy

“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.”

 1 Peter 1:8(NIV)

“Though you have not seen him. . .” We might not see Jesus every day. It may be that we don’t see Him as we see one another. We don’t know when we will envision Him. But there will be times when we DO see Him.

“. . . you love him. . . ” We do love Him because he forgave us our sins. If we kept every sin we committed and let them come to mind each day, we would be very miserable people, unable to think about anything else or act on any project.

“. . . even though you do not see him now. . . ” We might not visibly see Jesus. We may feel His presence. There is an old adage-“Seeing is believing.” In the realm of God’s world, I hold to the concept that “Believing is seeing.”

“. . . you believe in him. . . ” Peter wrote this epistle to God’s chosen people who had been scattered throughout most of the known world at that time, people who were chosen according to God’s will. 

“. . . are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” When we see Jesus in the deeds and actions of others we cannot describe the way we feel. All we can do is praise the Lord for His goodness to us.

Dear Lord God:

               We praise You for who You are, our Savior, our Redeemer, Our Lord. We rejoice in what You do for us, Your children. We thank You for Your presence in our lives. In the name of Jesus, I pray. AMEN

Graphic: quotes-lover.com

Everlasting Joy

The ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing;

everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them,

and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isa. 51:11

This passage speaks of those who have been redeemed by the Lord returning to their homeland.  Knowing that the prophet Isaiah speaks of near prophecies and distant ones, as well, I see both here. I see these words speaking of those in bondage returning from Babylon. The older people had fond memories of their homeland. The younger ones would be excited to return to the land of their parents and grandparents. They had heard all the stories about Jerusalem and the temple. They probably knew all the songs their ancestors sang. As they got closer to Jerusalem, then might have raised their voices in songs of God’s comfort and His love.

I also see this passage speak of those who enter heaven. They will be singing and they will hear songs as they approach the gates. They will be extremely joyful. They will have no sorrow. There will be nothing to be sad about. They have entered into their peace.

We sometimes lose a person to heaven and it is a sudden loss. Other times when we lose them, we expect it; we have to have joy when this happens. Joy because, if the person knew Christ, he or she is in heaven. Joy because he or she will no longer be in pain.

Dear Lord God; Please be with all those who loved ones and friends who have gone to heaven. Wrap Your arms around those who grieve; draw them close to You. Whisper words of comfort, love, and kindness into their ears. We will give You the praise. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen

Graphic:howard-carter.blogspot.com

Complete Joy

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard,

so that you also may have fellowship with us.

 And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

We write this to make our joy complete.” 1 John 1:3-4 (NIV)

Have you ever shared some good news with a friend so they can rejoice with you? Families of high school graduates usually have open house parties to honor the work of the teens.

We sometimes have to share news that is not especially good. But we know that when we do it, we have someone who will be there for us and mourn with us, if need be. A lady in our church has a son who is a Cancer patient in another state. Our prayer group recently prayed for him and his wife and children. Then we prayed over her. It was a holy time. I have since heard that the son is terminal.

John wanted to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and let those who heard that news share in the feeling of joy that revelation brought to them. When we share Christ with another person we have a new relationship with that person.

graphic: proclamationpicutes.blogspot.com