John 16:24 Until now you have asked nothing in My Name. Ask, and you will receive, that your Joy may be full.
God’s Will for our lives is for us to have Joy! A life filled with Joy is part of the Abundant Life Jesus died for us to have. It is a tremendous Benefit in our Believer’s Benefit Package.
The Word of God has a lot to say about the Benefit of Joy. The world’s joy is short-lived and quickly passes away because nothing in the world is everlasting. A new car may bring joy to the owner at first, but when it gets dirty, stops smelling new, runs out of gas, and breaks down, the joy that once belonged to the owner is gone. All worldly joy is temporary.
However, the Joy of the Lord is everlasting and strengthening IF we accept it as a Benefit. The Prophet Nehemiah said, the Joy of the Lord is your strength. Joy is the source of all strength for the believer. Likewise, weakness is the lack of acceptance of the Benefit of Joy in our lives.
Born-again believers who succumb to weakness (physical or spiritual) are not fully accepting the Benefit of Joy in their Benefit Package. Jesus’ half-brother, James, wrote about Joy in his Epistle. He said, Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
When we come up against trials and tribulations, James says, Count it all joy. That’s not easy, but when we understand the Power of the Benefit of Joy, we can do this. It is in these times that we can really see God work in our lives if we rejoice and give Him praise for what we are up against.
If we had never had trials or been faced with difficult situations, we would never have the opportunity to see the Power of God working in our lives. The Benefit of Joy will overcome all weakness. It is a Benefit for which Jesus went to the Cross at Calvary for us to have. It’s number two on the list of the Fruit of the Spirit; second only to Love.
Whatever you are up against today, Count it all joy! Know that the Joy of the Lord is your strength. It doesn’t matter how hard it may seem in nature. God is SUPER-natural! He is able when we are unable. Accept the Benefit of Joy and watch as your weakness turns to strength and your grief and sorrow are washed away by your tears of Joy!
This is the Day that the Lord has made! Count it all JOY! Be glad and REJOICE in it!
The Joy of the Lord will.........turn the tide.........in your life.
Facing this day with great JOY! Doreen
