" WHERE IS YOUR JOY "

OK, here we are again another week has come and gone and it's time to share. You know I love our time together, I sincerely feel alive. You know you should give it some more effort, be more intentional about Sharing Your Faith. " JOY: " Pleasure caused by the acquisition or expectation of good; delight; exultation; cause of joy or happiness. To rejoice, To be glad; To gladden. I was recently sharing with my accountability partner of my belief that those of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Personal Savior, must recognize that He is always by our side. Paul's action's always spoke loudly. Now, it may seem strange that a man in prison would be telling the church to rejoice. But Paul's attitude teaches us an important lesson: Our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outward circumstances. Paul was full of joy because he knew that no matter what happened to him, Jesus Christ was with him for Certain. Now I propose a question to you, do you know where joy is? Paul knew and so should those of us who are saved, know that Jesus Christ was with him for certain. Several times in this letter Philippians 4, Paul urged the people to be joyful, probably because they needed to hear this. It's easy to get discouraged about unpleasant circumstances or to take unimportant events too seriously. If you haven't been joyful lately, you may not be looking at life from the right perspective. JOY is a common theme in Christ's teachings - he wants us to be joyful. The key to immeasurable joy is living in intimate contact with Christ, the source of all joy. When we do, we will experience God's special care and protection and see the victory God brings even when defeat seems certain. Until Next Time... Jim,