A Nugget from New Life Network
(by Chris Musgrove of Future Now)
Scripture for the Day
September 3, 2020
My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! 3 For you know that when your faith is testedc]”>[c] it stirs up power within you to endure all things. 4 And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking. James 1:2, Passion T
The dictionary defines of “joy” is an emotion of great delight caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying. (Sounds like God to me!) If joy is an emotion of great delight; it comes from the presence of the Lord. That joy is our strength; we need to holding on to it when the devil, people, and circumstances try to steal it. The opposites of joy are misery, sadness and calamity, so you definitely want to hold on to joy and not take hold of those things.
Psalm 16:11: In Your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Nehemiah 8:10: Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Isaiah 12:3: With joy you will draw from the well of salvation.
The Greek word for salvation is soteria and it means deliverance, preservation, soundness, prosperity, happiness, rescue, and general well-being. These are all things we draw out by joy. That is why it’s important not to lose our joy! Joy is like having a big bucket to draw or dip up all these things we need from the well of salvation. Losing our joy is like losing our bucket!
Jeremiah 15:16: Your words were found, and I ate them, and your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by your name, O LORD God of hosts. God’s Word (which brings the presence of God), is also a source of joy according to this verse. In other words, get in the Word to get your bucket back!
John 16:24: Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. God wants our joy to be full and to stay full, and we do this by re-joying or rejoicing! Asking with expectancy and thanksgiving! (Philippians 4:6)
Philippians 4:4 in the New International Version says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice”.
Acts 20:24 says, “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. We will finish our race with joy.“
In 2012 I was privileged to attend the funeral of George Eager, the founder of the “Mail Box Club”. Mr. Eager was a great man of God who was responsible for hundreds of thousands of children and their parents coming to Christ over the past 50 some odd years! He lived to be 91 years of age, and I would see him on a regular basis driving his truck to the YMCA until the age of 90. One of the things that I noticed, and almost everyone said about George Eager was that he was a man of great joy, and that his joy came from the Lord. This joy that he received from the Lord helped him finish his race. I choose to walk in the joy of the Lord, which is my strength.
