Rejoice – Jesus Lives

Written by stacy

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete”
(John 15:11).

Think about the professing Christians you know….

There’s Andrea, always bubbling with joy and enthusiasm for the Lord. You may almost envy her relationship with the Lord. Sometimes you may not understand the joy she maintains though – like when she was going through a miserable family situation, or when a beloved family member died. Why doesn’t she complain like most people would do? How can she stand in church on Sunday with glowing smile on her face while singing a praise song? If you ask her about it, she exclaims, “Rejoice in the Lord always!”

And then there’s Donna. Every time something goes wrong for her you can see it written all over her face. Matter of fact, you’ve never seen her rejoice in the Lord in service or out. Yet she professes to be a Christian too.

If you talk with Andrea for any length of time, you’ll notice something: She loves to talk about the Lord and speaks of Him as if He’s present with her all the time. You know Andrea is walking with Jesus.

When Jesus died on the cross, His disciples became the most gloomy people in the world. But when they saw Him after He arose from the grave, their hearts were filled with joy. This happens to those who trust in Christ as Savior when they realize that He is alive and present in their lives.

When Christ is first in our lives, He is real to us; He gives us His joy and we express it.? We know He lives; we know He can give us His peace and joy in every circumstance.

We really believe His promise: “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).

Joy Thieves

Bitterness can rob us of joy. How can we be full of the joy of the Lord when we are bitter and resentful? Sure, people hurt and offend us at times. Yes, things happen to us that might make us bitter. But bitterness grieves the Holy Spirit and thus results in a joyless life; for joy is a fruit of the Spirit. How do we get rid of bitterness? Through forgiving all those whom we think have hurt us. Look to Jesus, who set the great example of forgiving – and try it!
Lack of faith can rob us of joy. “The Lord doesn’t care for me because He allowed this to happen,” we may think. But Christians like? Andrea reject such self-pity. Instead, they claim Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Doing that restores joy!
Discouragement can rob us of joy. We get to looking at our troubles instead of looking to the One who holds the future in His pierced hands. Christians like? Andrea look beyond their troubles to Jesus, who can work out all things for good in their lives. (See Romans 8:28.)
Sin robs us of joy; that means disobedience of any kind. This is why so many Christians do not radiate Christ’s joy, even though they may faithfully attend church. How much they are missing! And how many people are not being reached for Christ because so many professing Christians have nothing they might yearn for!

Do you yearn for the presence of Jesus Christ in your life and His real joy? “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8).

Related Links:

Freedom From Sin:

http://www.retirementwithapurpose.com/freedomfromsin.html

About the Author
This article was written by Muriel Larson. You can read more about this author by clicking this link:
http://www.talk.thelife.com/muriel-larson/

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