Choosing Joy
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Romans 15:13
"I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart...."
Admit it, you sang that didn't you? (my favorite part of that song was when we could tell the devil to sit on a tack!)
Paul is reminding the church in this verse that they can have joy and peace through their Christian faith because God is a God of hope. It is only through our trust and faith in God that we can maintain a peaceful joy when all around us the world is in chaos.
Notice that Paul never mentions happiness. Why is that? Happiness, as Charles Stanley so eloquently stated, is a thermometer that measures an emotion. Joy is the thermostat that controls it. Happiness is temporary and Paul wanted something real, something measurable, that would be a constant in their lives.
The hope we can have through God's gift of salvation as well as the hope we receive daily through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives will sustain us through the trials of life and never fail. It will unite us as believers to work together and uplift one another.
David Jeremiah said, "Christian joy is letting Christ live His life out through you so that what He is, you become".
Is your joy rooted in your faith in God? If it is, it has a firm foundation. If it's not, maybe it's time to let go and let God have it. You won't regret it. Choose joy!
C
"I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart...."
Admit it, you sang that didn't you? (my favorite part of that song was when we could tell the devil to sit on a tack!)
Paul is reminding the church in this verse that they can have joy and peace through their Christian faith because God is a God of hope. It is only through our trust and faith in God that we can maintain a peaceful joy when all around us the world is in chaos.
Notice that Paul never mentions happiness. Why is that? Happiness, as Charles Stanley so eloquently stated, is a thermometer that measures an emotion. Joy is the thermostat that controls it. Happiness is temporary and Paul wanted something real, something measurable, that would be a constant in their lives.
The hope we can have through God's gift of salvation as well as the hope we receive daily through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives will sustain us through the trials of life and never fail. It will unite us as believers to work together and uplift one another.
David Jeremiah said, "Christian joy is letting Christ live His life out through you so that what He is, you become".
Is your joy rooted in your faith in God? If it is, it has a firm foundation. If it's not, maybe it's time to let go and let God have it. You won't regret it. Choose joy!
C
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