Joy

I have been thinking about joy a lot lately.  So many things rob me of joy.  All of them are internal because no person can rob me of joy.  Songs like "Joy, joy, my heart is full of joy" keep running through my head.  Many scriptures speak of joy.  Joy is a characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).  We are told not to quench the spirit in I Thessalonians 5:19.  So, what are those things that rob me of joy and quench the joy within?   As I was writing this I looked in the back of my Bible and found a list I had written long ago.  It is titled "things that steal our joy."  I have no idea when I wrote the list or why but it is so appropriate here.  There are seven items in the list.

1. Resentment
2. Bitterness
3. Anger
4. Not able to forgive.  Having an unforgiving heart.
5. Fear - lack of trust
6. Too easily offended - Psalm 119:165
7. Disobedience - Guilt

How do we regain our joy?  First of all we should pray and ask God for forgiveness for the items listed above.  Next we must take the steps to remove the joy "robbers" from our life.  Third, we should ask God to fill us with the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) so that there is no room for the joy "robbers" (ref. Luke 11:24-26).  We need all of the characteristics of this fruit for joy to be complete.  Finally, we can read Philippians 4:4-8.  "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!  Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men.  The Lord is near.  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things." (NASB)  When we follow the words written here joy will follow.  Let us focus on these words and the nine characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit so that joy will be ours each and every day.  "Joy, joy my heart is full of joy....."

Love within God's family

One of my favorite passages is found in Colossians 3:12-14.  It reads "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtures put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."  (NIV)  A few years ago there was a movie and a book about fireproofing your marriage.  The concept was that you could restore a broken marriage in 40 days by doing something special each day.  There was a list to follow.  There are many Christians who have left the church and no longer associate with other Christians because they have been hurt or become disenchanted.  Could the concepts listed in the book about fireproofing a marriage be carried over to God's family?  What are some things we can do to encourage and let our brothers and sisters in Christ know we love them?  Let's start with the list from Colossians and clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Make sure we have a forgiving nature and do not hold grudges or anger in our heart.  Pray for a loving heart toward all you come in contact with.  There are many passages that teach us how to treat each other and how to restore our family.  We will explore more of these passages with time.  For today, pray for wisdom and eyes to see those who are hurting and who need to see our love.  When you pray for open eyes you may be surprised who God will show to you.