Unconfessed sin, rebellion, pride and
grieving the Holy Spirit with our thoughts, words and deeds will quench the flow of His
peace and joy. If we pursue our own agenda, we often forfeit the joy of the Lord in our life, because we are pursuing the flesh, the world and the devil.
Yet, as we change our focus to God alone, our joy rises with each new morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). As we abide in His presence, God fills us with indescribable and glorious joy (1 Peter 1:9; Psalm 16:11).
Our greatest joy comes from our salvation (Psalm 51:12). This is
something that no one and nothing can take away from us. It is a free gift from
God for anyone willing to receive it (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23).
Rather than to feel guilt, anger or unforgiveness over the past, or fear
of the future, we will thrive as we live in the moment. We enter the joy of the
Lord, which supersedes all of life's carnal blessings (Matthew 25:21; Isaiah
56:7; Samuel 1:18).
Focusing on some else's idiosyncrasies can rob us of our joy. If we
remember that we have a log in our eye (Matthew 7:5), we can accept others just
as they are without trying to change them.
Acceptance removes much of the frustration, resentment, anger and
powerlessness from our attitude about these people and restores our serenity.
We realize that we are only responsible for our own obedience to God.
When I think my life is lacking in some important ingredient, I remember
that no matter what life throws at us, Christ in us is greater in every aspect
(Habakkuk 3:17-18). By changing our focus, we change our attitude, and we
receive God's abundant provision in our life.
Prayer:
Father God, remind us that You did not die and leave us in charge. You
are still on Your throne and You have plans for each individual on earth. If we
attempt to codependently fix the world around us, we use valuable resources
that You gave to us for a specific purpose.
Help us to walk in Your ways and to follow Your will for our own life.
This will prevent us from rejecting other people and allow us to be more
affirming of their choices. Help us to accept our self with all of our
inadequacies and remind us that we can do all things that You call us to do
through Your strength within us.
Thought for the Day:
When someone else's behavior or choices affect our life, we can insist
that they consider our opinions, beliefs and feelings about the situation first;
if they are unwilling to include us, we let them make their decisions and then
we can make our own decisions as we walk in the joy of the Lord.
