| “This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 Notice the phrasing, “we WILL rejoice”. It speaks to a determination to be joyful for no other reason than it is another day. “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice!” Philippians 4:4 Notice, it is not a suggestion, not something Paul is saying would be good to try. It is a commandment to rejoice. It doesn’t end in a question mark; it ends in an exclamation point! Joy is a choice. It is not based on circumstance; it is a choice. You may be in a dark period, as hard as it is, we are told to rejoice. Wait on the Lord, He will bring you out of the darkness, but while you are waiting, rejoice. When unfortunate things happen during the day, we are told not to react but to respond. We are still to have joy. And this is a practice, something that you can become better at IF YOU LET THE HOLY SPIRIT WORK. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace. It is fruit, it is grown, it takes time; let the Holy Spirit work. When you find yourself reacting, pause, take a deep breath, ask God to forgive you, He will, and then move forward with joy once again. Each day is an opportunity to grow. If you look at each day with this mindset, that you have a chance to practice joy, to grow more like Jesus, that the day really is a blessing, then joy will flow from that. We started a fast in our small group, and we are 1 and ½ days in, all water, no juice or anything, just water. It’s that time in the fast where you get a headache as the body tries to adjust, and it hurts. My head hurts, I don’t feel like doing anything, and if I let myself, I would be grumpy. But I realize, even tired, hurting, it is a chance to rejoice. An opportunity to practice what I preach. Practice Philippians 4:4. I can move into this day with a great attitude and try to bless others. Our circumstances don’t determine our joy-we do. Peter was in a Roman prison and singing songs of praise. Today really is the day the Lord has made…let us REJOICE! Have a blessed week! Brian |
| “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”2 Corinthians 13:14 (NKJV) |
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