These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. --John 15:11

What was the joy that Jesus had? Joy should not be confused with happiness. In fact, it is an insult to Jesus Christ to use the word happiness in connection with Him.

The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father— the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do— “…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2). “I delight to do Your will, O my God…” (Psalm 40:8). Jesus prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?

Living a full and overflowing life does not rest in bodily health, in circumstances, nor even in seeing God’s work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the same fellowship and oneness with Him that Jesus Himself enjoyed.

But the first thing that will hinder this joy is the subtle irritability caused by giving too much thought to our circumstances. Jesus said, “…the cares of this world,…choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). And before we even realize what has happened, we are caught up in our cares. All that God has done for us is merely the threshold— He wants us to come to the place where we will be His witnesses and proclaim who Jesus is.
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Have the right relationship with God, finding your joy there, and out of you “will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). Be a fountain through which Jesus can pour His “living water.” Stop being hypocritical and proud, aware only of yourself, and live “your life…hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). A person who has the right relationship with God lives a life as natural as breathing wherever he goes. The lives that have been the greatest blessing to you are the lives of those people who themselves were unaware of having been a blessing.

​- https://utmost.org/my-joy-your-joy/ -

Every morning say, ‘Today, I will go out with joy.’ That’ll set your attitude straight! Paul writes, ‘Rejoice in the Lord always.’ (Philippians 4:4 NIV) If you’re thinking, ‘That’s easy for Paul to say; he doesn’t have my problems,’ think again.
 
When Paul wrote those words he was in prison with no chance of getting out. For him joy was a decision, not a reaction to circumstances. You ask, ‘How could Paul be joyful in prison?’ Because he understood that true joy comes from devoting yourself to something bigger than your own interests. The Bible says, ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Nehemiah 8: 10 KJV)

True joy calls for three things:
(a) Making a conscious choice to focus on God’s goodness every single day.
(b) Reaching out to bless others every chance you get.
(c) Understanding that joy produces strength, which explains why your joy is the devil’s primary target. When you lose your joy you lose your strength, and he wins—so be joyful

Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say again: Rejoice!

- Word of the Day (Bob Gass)

​“Go in the strength you have…Am I not sending you?” Jdg 6:14 NIV

Gideon came from a family of idol worshippers, so he didn’t think he had much of a future. But God thought differently. He said to him, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” And today Gideon is remembered as one of the greatest leaders in the Bible.

That’s what’s known as “the power of one.” Do you doubt that one person can make a difference? Winston Churchill convinced England they could survive the Nazi war machine. Lee Iacocca turned Chrysler around and saved the company. Florence Nightingale transformed the care of patients by emphasizing sanitary design and hygiene in hospitals, practices that carry over to this day. Rosa Parks, a lone black woman, overturned two centuries of racial discrimination. But you don’t have to be a George Washington, an Abraham Lincoln, or a Mother Teresa to make a difference.

Your influence may not be as far-reaching as theirs, but “charity begins at home,” which means you can grow and thrive where you’re planted. In A Psalm of Life Henry Wadsworth Longfellow writes, “Lives of great men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime; and departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time.”

Like Gideon, you may not be able to change your family history or undo your past mistakes. But you can learn from them, grow, and create a legacy that outshines your heritage. Not sure where to start? Commit your life to Christ and start following in His footsteps.

- ​https://www.jentezenfranklin.org/posts/the-power-of-one-1 -

And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day – Genesis 32:24

God is wrestling with Jacob more than Jacob is wrestling with God.  It was God in human form pressing down and pressing out the old Jacob life; and when the morning broke, God had prevailed and Jacob fell with his thigh dislocated.

As Jacob went forth that morning he was a weak and broken man, but God was there instead; and the heavenly voice proclaimed, “Your name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.

There must come a time in a believer's life; in every transformed life where crisis hours come to each of us. When all resources fail; when we face either ruin or something we find overwhelming; when we must have infinite help from God.

How do we do so? we must surrender completely; we must cease from our own wisdom, strength, and righteousness, and become crucified with Christ and alive in Him. God knows how to lead us up to this crisis, and He knows how to lead us through. 

Oh, turn to Jacob’s God! Cast yourself helplessly at His feet. Die to your strength and wisdom in His loving arms and rise, like Jacob, into His strength and all-sufficiency. There is no way out of your hard and narrow place but at the top. You must get deliverance by rising higher and coming into a new experience with God. 

​- Anonymous

​I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live.
- Deuteronomy 30:19
Today’s Goal: Choose Wisely
All of our choices are important and they either have a positive or a negative impact on our life. Are we putting our time into what will help us be the person we truly want to be? Or will we end up someday disappointed and bitter because “life” didn’t turn out the way we hoped it would?
Life doesn’t just turn out to be one way or another without any input from us. Although we certainly cannot control all of our circumstances and the things that happen to us, we can control a lot of them by making a commitment to know God’s will for us and then make decisions accordingly.
The world is filled with people who are resentful and angry because their life isn’t what they want it to be, but if we could closely examine the choices they have made during the course of their life, we would usually find that their poor choices are behind their dissatisfaction. The problem is that unless they realize that, take responsibility for it and make positive changes, they are stuck in a situation that will not change.
I wasted several years of my life being angry, resentful, discouraged and depressed, but thankfully I finally decided to do something good with the time I had left. If you want to start today using the time you have left on this earth, then it begins with a decision to seize the day every day and be an individual who lives life “on-purpose, for a purpose.”
God has given us free choice and His wisdom is available to help us make choices that will produce a life we can be proud of and enjoy.

Pray: Lord, I ask for Your grace and wisdom to make good choices for my life and be an “on-purpose” person. Help me not to focus on the mistakes of the past, but take responsibility and concentrate on the great future You have in store for me. Amen.

- http://www.joycemeyer.org/Articles/Devotional.aspx -

​Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

My friend, God doesn’t want you to be fearful, fretful or anxious. Instead, He wants you to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”.

So when you have a care or worry, straightaway, turn that care or worry into prayer. That is supplication. And when you are troubled by a care or worry that you don’t know how to pray for, pray in the Spirit or tongues. And in the midst of that prayer, thank God that He is already your healing, provision, good success and victory. That, my friend, is thanksgiving.

“Pastor Prince, if I am worried about something, how long should I pray?”
Keep on praying. Pray in the Spirit until the worry lifts or dissipates, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”. (Philippians 4:7)
This was what one of our church members did when he found himself anxiously trying to access some important data in his USB flash drive. After a whole day at it with no results, he finally stopped himself from being anxious and instead, turned his worry into prayer, asking the Lord to settle it for him. As he prayed in tongues, he was also thankfully repeating in his heart that having the Holy Spirit—the Helper—with him was to his advantage. (John 16:7)

Later that evening, using his wife’s computer, he succeeded in accessing the data in his flash drive after a few attempts. He quickly backed up the data. It was only when subsequent attempts to use the flash drive on his wife’s computer failed did it suddenly dawn on him that God had “resurrected” his flash drive that one time, just for him to recover his data!

Beloved, I believe that we would all worry a lot less and enjoy our lives a lot more if only we realized this truth: Our Abba Father is so strong that there is nothing He cannot do, and He is so loving that there is nothing He will not do for us!

Thought For The Day

Our Abba Father is so strong that there is nothing He cannot do, and He is so loving that there is nothing He will not do for us!

http://www.josephprince.org/daily-grace/grace-inspirations/single/turn-your-cares-into-prayers/

There two pans heated next to each other on the stove. The pan with water was boiling at 100 degrees while the one with oil was heating faster but its boiling point is higher at 300 degrees.

The heat capacity of oil is faster than water and its element is more appropriate when it is faced with heat. When heated situation comes our way, do we respond aggressively like water splashed onto a heated pan, only producing splatters of water and hot steam?

Proverbs 29:11 writes “a fool always loses his temper, but a wise man holds it back.” James 1:19 reminds us, “My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” Christ-like character encourages us to develop the fruit of self-control and this will enable us to be slow to anger and discern our respond or words in a heated situation.

​Is this something that you need God to guide you in? Pray for wisdom and our God who gives generously will give it to you; enabling you to hold your temper and be slow to anger.
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James 1: 5
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

- May Inu

​The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.
—Proverbs 11:25

Sometimes people will say things like, "I am so dry spiritually. Nothing is really going on in my life. I don't know what I need. Maybe I need to change churches, or maybe I need to read some new book. Or maybe I need some new experience spiritually."

My question for someone who is feeling that way is, When was the last time you shared your faith with someone? When was the last time you initiated a conversation with a nonbeliever?
When you open yourself up to be used by God, often you will find yourself being blessed as you bless others. Proverbs 11:25 says, "The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself."

I can think of occasions when I was exhausted, when I felt drained. And when I got up to preach, I started on almost empty, but I ended on full. As I gave out, I found that God gave to me. As I shared the Lord, He replenished me as well. God does not give you His power and His Word and His wisdom for you to hoard. You were blessed to be a blessing.

As Stephen gave out, as he addressed the Sanhedrin, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. He shared the gospel with them, and God gave him just the right words. This doesn't mean we should not study God's Word. We need a reservoir to draw from. But we can be assured the Lord will give us the right words to say in the right place. So fill your mind and your heart with the Word of God.

Stephen had prepared himself. And when the moment came, he spoke from his heart. God gave him the words, and God will give you the words as well.

https://www.harvest.org/devotions-and-blogs/daily-devotions/2012-06-06