JOY IS OUR STRENGTH

UNPACKING JANUARY 2018

Well January has passed and the journey through the first month of 2018 was full of God's blessings.


If you ask me what I have unpacked for January that was important to me I will say immediately, it was "JOY" in the Lord. In the past I was hyper focused on the future I simply forgot all the blessings of just being in the present, the here and now and in His Presence. I am learning every day how important it is to remain with Him today. If you really stop to think about it every day is today. For 2018 I have decided not to be future oriented but to be present  oriented, today oriented because that is where I really experience the wonderful blessings of My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So I bow in honor to Him and thank Him for this auspicious realization.


When you are in the valley and you feel all alone and the deck seemed to be stacked against you and you have reached an impasse the JOY of the Lord is the only thing to get you over; and a renewed  surge of strength to make the next step forward toward your destination. There is a Scripture that refers to Joy that comes in the morning after the weeping. We have all been in that place of weeping and struggling. This is when we have to acknowledge that the only one we can truly rely and depend on is our Savior Jesus. Relying on Him is the best thing we can do for ourselves because when we do I can attest to this you will never, ever regret it.


The world has lost it's joy. There are so many people who have been devoid of joy and if you ask them about that they will deny it. They will tell you:" I am happy, can't you see the beautiful house I live in and the expensive car I drive. I have an awesome job and career with all the perks. I travel all over the world meeting important people. I am happy in my relationship" and on and on they go. But if you look closely at them you will know it is all pretend and most of it is inflated. Movie stars are killing themselves on drugs, women and self destructive pursuits that bring them no deep abiding joy or satisfaction. You see the thing is, everyone is expecting to find joy outside themselves rather in the Creator of this Universe, Jesus Christ who live on the inside of each person who identify with Him and have accepted Him as their Savior. It does not matter how much money or things you have accumulated. The only thing that matters is the condition of your soul.


What do you think about when you are alone and no one is looking? The makeup is off and all the fancy clothes are off and you are faced with "you", how do you honestly feel? Do you give yourself permission to feel anything besides the superficial? Herein lies the problem. Nobody these days take time to be with themselves because they are not happy or joyful and instead they fill their days with meaningless pursuits and hobbies and social media and television soap operas, sports et cetera to fill the void in their meaningless lives. I am not saying this to be harsh but it is a reality. Look around at the people you meet everyday and really look them in the eye and ask them, are you happy? Do you have joy in your life? Before I met Jesus, my life was like yours empty and pretentious and definitely void of joy.


So I leave you with this lesson I learned unpacking January 2018," in the presence of the Lord there is fullness of Joy". He reminds me to rejoice in Him always because that is where I draw strength to journey through each day. There was a time in my life I dreaded having to get up and go to work and put on a mask to hide behind. But you know eventually the mask that people where today will crack. Jesus desires to fill us with His precious Joy. It is not only available to me or other Christians it is available to anyone who needs it. All they have to is to ask Him to come into their lives and make Him their Lord and Savior. The reward is eternal Joy. Joy unspeakable. Joy to fill.