Choosing Joy ~ Love ~ Peace ~ Hope
We now have entered into the Advent season.
A season of Preparing and Waiting.
The moving and
heading towards Christmas
The anticipation of Christ's coming.
The anticipation of Christ's coming.
Author, Ruth Haley Barton says,
"Advent is a season for waking up to all the ways Christ comes to us."
"Advent is a season for waking up to all the ways Christ comes to us."
It is in this season of waiting, waking up and anticipating that we are to be open to what God is wanting us to hear.
And while we wait, we open our hearts to recieve
Joy, Love, Peace and Hope.
And while we wait, we open our hearts to recieve
Joy, Love, Peace and Hope.
We meditate on these
things as we wait
on the grandest
Gift this world will have ever received.
Gift this world will have ever received.
Choosing Joy.
For many of us this time of year can be difficult and Joy is the farthest from our minds.
I can honestly say that being joyful, does not easily come to most of us.
That particular morning alone, as I started to get ready to share the word of God , my morning did not at all start out joyfully.
I had one crazy circumstance happen after another.
-The milk spilled down the inside of the fridge door,
leaving us wonder what kind of smell this will give
if we don't get it all.
- The cereal spilled all over.
- My youngest child decided that he needed
undivided attention and ran up to me to be carried ,
not knowing he was covered in peanut butter and
jam which lead me to change into what was
now my 3rd outfit for the day.
- The TV was loud, the crying started, my power point wouldnt work...you get the picture.
There were many more things going on but that is
how it all started.
-The milk spilled down the inside of the fridge door,
leaving us wonder what kind of smell this will give
if we don't get it all.
- The cereal spilled all over.
- My youngest child decided that he needed
undivided attention and ran up to me to be carried ,
not knowing he was covered in peanut butter and
jam which lead me to change into what was
now my 3rd outfit for the day.
- The TV was loud, the crying started, my power point wouldnt work...you get the picture.
There were many more things going on but that is
how it all started.
I was not feeling any Joy.
I allowed what was happening around me dictate whether or not I was feeling Joyful.
It does not take long for circumstances to take our Joy away.
So I spoke on Choosing Joy.
Because Joy Matters.
Joy is important.
Joy is important.
Our fight for Joy in
everyday circumstances matters.
Joy can be lived into, no matter what is going on in our lives because we were created to live into Joy.
JOY defined is
the inner belief of celebrating
our relationship
with Jesus Christ, no matter what
circumstances we are found in.
We have an opportunity to choose Joy.
Because Joy doesn’t depend on outward circumstance.
Our joy isn’t defined by what is going around us.
It can't be.
Because Joy doesn’t depend on outward circumstance.
Our joy isn’t defined by what is going around us.
It can't be.
Our joy is constant because it comes from God.
Our joy comes to us from
the truth about our relationship with God.
The love that He has for us
and the love that we have for Him.
The love that He has for us
and the love that we have for Him.
As followers of Jesus, we have
been given amazing gifts from God.
Gifts of
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, and faithfulness”
been given amazing gifts from God.
Gifts of
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, and faithfulness”
Most of
us open the ones we need most, yet many of us leave the gift of Joy
unwrapped or still left in the box.
The Bible teaches us to
Rejoice in the Lord Phil 3:1
Rejoice in the Lord Phil 3:1
Our Bible also teaches us to
Be joyful always - 1 Thessalonians 5:16
How do we do this?
Stay joyful in times of hardship?
Why would God tell us to be joyful always, when joyful moments are not always around us?
How do I share this truth with someone
who has lost Joy?
Their world is dark and lonely and
Joy has not been present for years.
How do I share this truth with someone who has lost Hope?
They have been waiting for the right answers
and waiting for something new and
it seems all Hope is lost.
How do I share this truth with someone who has lost Peace?
They are fighting demons beyond our
comprehension and they feel that all peace is gone.
How do I share this truth with someone who
has given up on Love?
The abuse is too much to bear and their
definition of love has been completely shattered.
It is next to impossible to share worldly definitions on Joy, Love , Hope and Peace.
Usually they come with conditions.
If it all works out
I will be at filled with Joy
Be at Peace
I will have Hope
I will see Love.
Unfortunatly , things sometimes do not work out.
That is why we have Biblical definitions to cling to.
You start by seeing all these as
GIFTS
And these gifts are not based on any
circumstances or situations that surrounds us.
We know as long as we are here, there will be hardships.
So we are left with a gift to unwrap.
Be joyful always - 1 Thessalonians 5:16
How do we do this?
Stay joyful in times of hardship?
Why would God tell us to be joyful always, when joyful moments are not always around us?
How do I share this truth with someone
who has lost Joy?
Their world is dark and lonely and
Joy has not been present for years.
How do I share this truth with someone who has lost Hope?
They have been waiting for the right answers
and waiting for something new and
it seems all Hope is lost.
How do I share this truth with someone who has lost Peace?
They are fighting demons beyond our
comprehension and they feel that all peace is gone.
How do I share this truth with someone who
has given up on Love?
The abuse is too much to bear and their
definition of love has been completely shattered.
It is next to impossible to share worldly definitions on Joy, Love , Hope and Peace.
Usually they come with conditions.
If it all works out
I will be at filled with Joy
Be at Peace
I will have Hope
I will see Love.
Unfortunatly , things sometimes do not work out.
That is why we have Biblical definitions to cling to.
You start by seeing all these as
GIFTS
And these gifts are not based on any
circumstances or situations that surrounds us.
We know as long as we are here, there will be hardships.
So we are left with a gift to unwrap.
In Psalm 63 it is written
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
The goal is to become a living illustration of joy.
No matter what is happening in our lives
We earnestly seek Him out.
Let us shout!
O God, you are My God indeed!
I seek you in the hard,
I give thanks to you in the good
No matter what my circumstances are in my life
I choose
You.
I choose
Joy.
No matter what is happening in our lives
We earnestly seek Him out.
Let us shout!
O God, you are My God indeed!
I seek you in the hard,
I give thanks to you in the good
No matter what my circumstances are in my life
I choose
You.
I choose
Joy.
I love that idea of us becoming a living picture of Joy.
Seeking God out, thirsty and longing for Him.
Here is a reflective question for you
Are you living out your life as a
living illustration of joy?
How about Peace, Love and Hope?
Are you choosing this today?
If someone were to come up to you today
would they see Joy in your life?
Would they see Peace?
Would they see Hope?
Would they see Love?
I don't dare say this is easy.
The hardships may still be present.
The chaos may still surround us.
But we can seek Him in and through it.
Seek Him and Trust Him.
Because true Joy, Peace, Hope and Love comes from Him.
Not from things of this world.
How about Peace, Love and Hope?
Are you choosing this today?
If someone were to come up to you today
would they see Joy in your life?
Would they see Peace?
Would they see Hope?
Would they see Love?
I don't dare say this is easy.
The hardships may still be present.
The chaos may still surround us.
But we can seek Him in and through it.
Seek Him and Trust Him.
Because true Joy, Peace, Hope and Love comes from Him.
Not from things of this world.
As we look for "ways to wake up to all the ways Christ comes to
us."
Let us wake up to ways of
Choosing
Joy
Love
Peace
Hope
Let us Stop and Look take a look at what surrounds us.
I had a moment the same morning as I left my home in chaos and all Joy was crushed for a moment due to me allowing my circumstances to take over.
I ran outside and stopped and looked.
There right in front of me, was the most beautiful sunrise and the snow was sparkling on the trees.
I stopped. I looked. I witnessed what was all around me.
I was mindful of the present moment in front of me.
I gave thanks to God for His Peace in that moment.
For His Love, His Hope and His Joy.
The chaos was still there, but it didn't matter anymore.
I shifted my mindset to the gifts God had wanted me to see.
And that was enough.
I don't know where you are in your life right now.
Let us wake up to ways of
Choosing
Joy
Love
Peace
Hope
Let us Stop and Look take a look at what surrounds us.
I had a moment the same morning as I left my home in chaos and all Joy was crushed for a moment due to me allowing my circumstances to take over.
I ran outside and stopped and looked.
There right in front of me, was the most beautiful sunrise and the snow was sparkling on the trees.
I stopped. I looked. I witnessed what was all around me.
I was mindful of the present moment in front of me.
I gave thanks to God for His Peace in that moment.
For His Love, His Hope and His Joy.
The chaos was still there, but it didn't matter anymore.
I shifted my mindset to the gifts God had wanted me to see.
And that was enough.
I don't know where you are in your life right now.
Have you lost Hope? Peace? Joy? Love?
I am praying that you can find it again.
Let His Joy , His Love , His Peace and His Hope be the gift we open up this year.
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