Let me give you a word that everyone in America is chasing. It's a word that's as elusive as a greased pole. Sometimes we don't know how to get it, but we all know when it's there. The Bible speaks of it as our strength.
The word? Joy.
In February of 2006, an autistic high school senior named Jason McElwain taught his entire school a lesson on the reality of joy. Jason had served as the basketball team manager for three seasons, diligently fetching water, catching rebounds, and mopping up sweat.
However, for the last game of the season, Jason's coach decided to reward the young man's efforts by allowing him to suit up. Then, with the team ahead by 20 points and only four minutes to go, the coach put Jason in the game.
Jason badly missed his first two shots, but his third was a charm—a 3-point swish. As soon as the ball went through the net, the entire gymnasium erupted with applause. But Jason wasn't done yet. He went on to hit a total of six 3-pointers—a Greece Athena High School record—to finish with 20 points in just over four minutes.
With each basket, the crowd became more enthusiastic. By the time Jason hit his last shot, everyone was jumping up and down in a frenzy of excitement, happiness, and disbelief. As soon as the game ended, the bleachers emptied onto the court as the crowd gathered around Jason, and his teammates hoisted him onto their shoulders.
Speaking after the game, Jason's mother said: "This is the first moment Jason has ever succeeded and could be proud of himself. I look at autism as a Berlin Wall, and he cracked it." But Jason's success touched many more lives than his own, as those who celebrated with him experienced the selfless joy of delighting in others.
As a follower of Christ, I know that my joy ultimately comes from a relationship with God. The "joy of the Lord" is my strength.
Despite the obstacles that we face, we cexperiencence a godly joy, not for the circumstances we find ourselves in, but in the knowledge that God is with us in the midst of our circumstances.
You can make it this day. You can be an overcomer. May the joy of the Lord give you the encouragement that you need this day.
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A search for truth and meaning in life
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Acts: An exegetical commentary
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- Finding joy
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- God's role in our joy; it starts in the morning!
- What's the line between tolerance and bigotry?
- Are you a pessimist or an optimist?
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1 comment:
The joy of the Lord is my strength. I look at this phrase and apply it this way. When I’m not feeling connected to God and the cares of the world begin to overwhelm me, this is usually a sign that I need to get closer to God. My ultimate joy and state of well being comes from my relationship with him. Pleasing him.
When I try to fulfill the word of God in my life and minister the word of God to others, joy and satisfaction of living comes. I try to live my life as close to the word of God as possible. How do I do that? I take the commands of God and try to find away to perform one or more of them every day. I purpose in my heart to try to do these. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m premeditated in my efforts to make a difference in my life, someone else’s life, my neighborhood, my work place, my church, etc.
I look for opportunities and then premeditatedly act. I know I’m probably still not making it clear. My joy comes from seeing God move in other people’s lives. I know people pray for God to move in our services at church and he can and will. But I want to see God move outside the church, out in the world that he created, for the people he loves and desires to come to him or to come closer to him then they are. You know, you can’t get too close to God.
The motto of our church is to love God and love people. A great motto only if we do it. The Boy Scout motto was “Be Prepared”! Another great motto, if they really practice it.
Jesus said that the Law and the Prophets was fulfilled in two Commandments: “Love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and all your strength. The second commandment is like unto it: “Love your neighbor as yourself”.
Now think about the ways that you can love God and write them down. Then think about the ways that you can love your neighbor as yourself and write them down. Now purpose in your heart, that everyday your going to try to perform one of the things that you have written down. I guarantee you that when you start fulfilling these things in your life, that your joy will be full. Oh! I almost forgot to tell you one important thing. There are at least 24,000 different ways to love your neighbor as yourself. So lets go out and get some joy in our lives.
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