Ready for some good news? JOY!

Lets take a break from the news and reading about the latest virus, I think it’s time to talk about having some JOY!

Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In your presence is fullness of joy; At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 27:6 …therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in the tabernacle;…

Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.

I researched the word, JOY, and found that it is referenced in the Bible 187 times! If you look at the few verses I have listed here you can see some different “joys”.Look at the first scripture it says that the Joy OF THE LORD is our strength! So when you are feeling like the spiritual 98-pound weakling, reach out and put your hand in HIS and He will give you strength!

Then we find the Psalmist David telling about the fullness of joy…think what it would be like to have FULLNESS of joyall the time and he further says that at His right hand are pleasures forevermore!I think we could all use a little of that!

This next one is the one I have had to struggle with, the sacrifice of joy!Face it, when something has happened that made us feel our world turn upside down, wasn’t it hard to just forget it and PRAISE the Lord? Well if you said no, then come to talk to me! That is a big tool that the devil tries on me to get me upset or distracted so that my praise is hindered, but would he use the word SACRIFICEif it were easy! But here is the best part, the part that gives us this sometimes elusive emotion of joy…”Tidings of great JOY” it was to US, we are included in the “ALL people.”

Isaiah 9:6 refers to the coming of Jesus and calls him the Prince of Peace! And the angels said that it was good tidings of great JOY to know that Jesus was born!

If you don’t have the JOY in your life, pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart, you will find the inner peace and the joy that you are missing!

If you’re reading this with rubber gloves on your hands and a mask over your face then you certainly do need a little more joy and a little less fear. Remember this, it will end, we will be alright, pray for your joy to come

Psalms 30:5

All you saints! Sing your hearts out to God!
    Thank him to his face!
He gets angry once in a while, but across
    a lifetime there is only love.
The nights of crying your eyes out
    give way to days of laughter.