When I think of Jesus, even in the busy-ness of His short 3 year ministry, He rested. And when the 3 years came to an end, It. Was. Finished. Nothing was left to be done. All was accomplished that needed to be. The same is true for me and for you. That’s why enjoying the ride is so important. The ending is good—it’s perfection! So I want to enjoy the ride, not be fretful over it.
Joy requires that I rest with God, trusting Him. I struggle with that one. I don’t rest well...period! I can do anxious, excited, and other such emotions quite well—but relaxing and waiting on Him, with Him, is not my speciality—yet! But I’m learning...
I am learning that the path is His. And He will show me the way to walk it. The striving is mostly gone now and the restlessness has lessened. He is patient, isn’t He? He will take all the time we need to help us grow!
I am learning that joy is the bedrock of my faith. If there is no joy—only duty, guilt, shame, fear, failure feelings and burdensome yokes in following Christ—than I am saddened for me! God is saddened for me! Because there is much joy, much peace available to me through Christ. I have access to it just as I have access to His power and authority (Eph. 1:19-22, 2:6; Col. 2:9-10).
He wants us to exercise our rights as a purchased Lamb of God! He wants us to live in the joy that is ours through Christ Jesus.
I have a choice to live in joy and to actively go after what is coming against me when I recognize joylessness in me. But joy is also one of the fruits of the Spirit. God’s joy comes directly from the Holy Spirit. We get to share in this divine nature of God’s by allowing His Holy Spirit to transmit and impart this divine quality right into our soul and personality! Joy is made available to us as long as we are walking in and by the Spirit.
Joy is our strength! When every one else is weary, grumbling, fearful and complaining about life’s difficulties, God gives His children...joy!
I’ve done a lot of thinking about all that I’m learning after my confessions from yesterday. There are a lot of places in my heart in need of a Jesus filling. Today I believe I will find joy just resting and being loved on by Abba.
May you find joy resting in His arms today as well!
~The picture is entitled "Joy" by David Bowman~
