Cup O' Joy: Finding { Joy}

1 Min

Galatians 5:22-23

New International Version (NIV)

 ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 

forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

²³ gentleness and self-control. 

Against such things there is no law.

Joy -  true joy - originates from God and from living in close connection with God, not from our immediate situation or emotional state. That's why Paul could write about his joy from a prison cell. God wants us to know his joy now. Not tomorrow, not even when we are healed,, not when sorrow has passed, not when we've lost ten pounds, not when we've paid off our debt, received a promotion or bought a bigger house, but now!

  Lasting joy is not tied to God's blessings, God's gifts or God's people, but to God himself. Today, draw upon God for your joy.

5 min

Pray: God, Help me to differentiate between deep, abiding joy and fleeting feelings of happiness. Help me to look to you and not to my circumstances or other people - as my first and only source of joy. Continue to pray as the Spirit leads you, or just sit quietly in God's presence.

10 min

Study:

Galatians 5:1-26

New International Version (NIV)

Galatians 5

Freedom in Christ

 ¹ It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ² Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. ³Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. ⁴ You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵ For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

 ⁷ You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? ⁸ That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. ⁹ “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” ¹⁰ I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. ¹¹ Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. ¹² As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

Life by the Spirit

 ¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^[b] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. ¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[c] you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

 ¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Source: amyjdelightful.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Sing songs of {joy} to God...

Psalm 100:1-2

New International Version (NIV)

 ¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
 ² Worship the LORD with gladness;
   come before him with joyful songs.

Proverbs 15:30

New International Version (NIV)

 ³⁰ Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart,
   and good news gives health to the bones.

Be joyful always!

1 Thessalonians 5:16

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ Rejoice always;

Know that there is a time for everything, but most importantly slip in some laughter and a silly dance to get you through those tough times!


Ecclesiastes 3:4

New International Version (NIV)

 ⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh, 

   a time to mourn and a time to dance,

Even in troubled times, we can rejoice in God

Habakkuk 3:17-18

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud
   and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
   and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen

¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
   I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Word to take with you today:

{Joy}

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Good Morning! Welcome to your {Shot of Espresso}

Today, although I had all intentions of continuing in the book I am reading, God has laid something else on my heart.

There is a song that is out and has been for some time called "Blessings" by Laura Story. It's a very touching song to me and I would like to take a few moments and walk through the lyrics with you...do you mind going with me on this small journey? Good, I was hoping you would say that!

We pray for blessings

We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Did you catch all of that? WOW! God can bless us in so many ways, and he doesn't choose the "vending machine" way all the time. I can't tell you how many times I have prayed for God to "do this" or "bless us through this" as if God needed my ideas! Almost 3 years ago (May will be 3 years) I was diagnosed with Cancer. They told me it was Melanoma...I thought "Oh, whew...it is just skin cancer," little did I know the impact that would have on my life. I was so MAD at God for giving me a huge scar on my back and "doing" this to me, that I didn't see the blessing that my mother in law found the mole by accident.

Over the last 3 years I am checked and checked, and God has revealed himself to me on such an intimate level to know that He is there. Last December (2010) they found it again...again...I was mad. But this time I knew that God was allowing me to go through this for some reason that I cannot see right now.

This week my husband and I were talking, and I had been to the Dr. and they found 3 more suspicious spots...I immediately told my husband "I have decided that I am a modern day Job" to which his response was "Well your cows haven't died yet."

For the record, I do not have any cows! But it helped me realize that although I was to take the pottery, break it, and scrape all of my skin off...that God isn't finished with me yet.

My favorite book in the bible is James. And for just a minute I want us to look at a scripture that I think would go well with Laura's song:

"We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful."

James 5:11

So, I want to encourage each of you, no matter what you are going through...it may be a blessing in disguise. For me, I cherish each day...because although I am young, I have learned that I am not promised tomorrow. I do not know what you are going through today, but I know a God who is going to be there every step of the way. If you need prayer or just want to let us know what your "Blessing in disguise" is/was, please leave a comment or send us a post on facebook. Have a great Wednesday!

Click Here to hear Laura's Song "Blessings"

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