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What is the Source of Your Joy?
Devotional thought from the messages of Adrian Rogers

BIBLE MEDITATION:

Psalm 86:12 - "I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify Thy name for evermore."-

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

What is bringing you joy today? You say, "The Lord is making me happy." How do you know it's not that nice automobile? Or that "special someone"? Or your good looks? Or your bank account? Or your popularity?
Here's how you can know. By the process of elimination. Let God take away your health, your home, your job, and if you still have joy, then you know it is Jesus.

ACTION POINT:
If you lose your joy when you lose any of these things, then you are an idolater because that is where you are getting your joy! I don't mean that you cannot be temporarily upset over the loss, but if the joy goes out of your life, you weren't getting your joy from the Lord.

You'll never know that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.-

---BE HAPPY! -

“A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance...” - Proverbs 15:13

There are three things animals don't do that humans do:

Animals don’t blush. Mark Twain once wryly observed, “Man's the only animal who can blush—or needs to.”

Animals don't cry.

And animals don't laugh. This tells me that man, made in the image of God, reflects the character of God. And God is a God of joy.

Laughter is a gift from God. There's nothing wrong with laughter. As a matter of fact, laughter comes innately. You don't have to teach children to laugh; you have to teach children when not to laugh. And if you really have the joy of the Lord in your heart, it's going to show up on your face.

Does your face today reflect the joy of the Lord? Or something else?
--Adrian Rogers - / SING, SING,SING ! = Chris Tomlin
<http://youtu.be/tGPN2Z-bgS0>
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--Question: "How can I experience joy in my Christian life?"

-Answer: Periods of sadness and unhappiness can enter the life of even the most devout Christian. We see many examples of this in the Bible. Job wished he had never been born (Job 3:11). David prayed to be taken away to a place where he would not have to deal with reality (Psalm 55:6-8). Elijah, even after defeating 450 prophets of Baal with fire called down from heaven (1 Kings 18:16-46), fled into the desert and asked God to take his life (1 Kings 19:3-5).

So how can we overcome these periods of joylessness? We can see how these same people overcame their bouts of sadness. Job said that, if we pray and remember our blessings, God will restore us to joy and righteousness (Job 33:26). David wrote that the study of God's Word can bring us joy (Psalm 19:8). David also realized that he needed to praise God even in the midst of despair (Psalm 42:5). In Elijah's case, God let him rest for a time and then sent a man, Elisha, to help him (1 Kings 19:19-21). We also need friends that we can share our hurts and pains with (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). It may be helpful to share our feelings with a fellow Christian. We may be surprised to find that he or she has struggled with some of the same things that we are going through.

Most importantly, it is certain that dwelling on ourselves, our problems, our hurts, and especially our pasts will never produce true spiritual joy. Joy is not found in materialism, it is not found in psychotherapy, and it most certainly is not found in obsession with ourselves. It is found in Christ. We who belong to the Lord “glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). To know Christ is to come to have a true sense of ourselves, and true spiritual insight, making it impossible to glory in ourselves, in our wisdom, strength, riches, or goodness, but in Christ—in His wisdom and strength, in His riches and goodness, and in His person only. If we remain in Him, immerse ourselves in His Word, and seek to know Him more intimately, our “joy will be full” (John 15:1-11).

Finally, remember that it is only through God's Holy Spirit that we can find true joy (Psalm 51:11-12; Galatians 5:22; 1 Thessalonians 1:6). We can do nothing apart from the power of God (2 Corinthians 12:10, 13:4). Indeed, the harder we try to be joyful through our own efforts, the more miserable we can become. Rest in the Lord's arms (Matthew 11:28-30) and seek His face through prayer and Scripture.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).-
--OPEN UP THE SKY! =Deluge~~
<http://youtu.be/rTLvsTB92r0>
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