I give a lot of thought each week to what it is that I have learned as a child of God that has freed me to accept who I am and appreciate what God called me to. Please understand that this is not vanity. Women have such a hard time loving themselves and it shows up as we go about our day and how we relate to every one around us. The most beautiful thing about a relationship with Christ is we are always changing and as we know Christ deeper we see how much He loves us and that adds deep dimension to our lives.
One of the most freeing words that I have studied in the Bible is JOY. In fact, once I learned what it really meant it marked my life. The word joy means, calm delight. Praise God, all of a sudden I saw that I did not have to fake exuberance any longer. I did not have to imitate my 24/7 happy friends. I could have calm delight that God alone had everything in my life under control and even when a day wasn't so fun or even sad I still had joy.
Nehemiah says it this way:
Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."Nehemiah 8:9-11
I would like to shout from the rooftop:
Joy means calm delight
Joy comes from God through the Holy Spirit into the very center of our lives when we ask Jesus into our lives
Joy is the mark of the believer
Joy demonstrates strength to a world in moments when weakness would be expected
Are you anxious or restless? Have you been missing the JOY that comes from God? It is already there in your life if you know Jesus.
My prayer for you is that you will accept the joy that God has already given you and that it will bring great peace to your days.
Until next week.
Love,
Glenda
2 comments:
Thank you Glenda! This was another encouraging Wed in the word!
This was one of my very favorite weeks we when we were studying Philippians and I love the way you break it down. Thank you for sharing what the Lord has worked out in you. ILY!
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