Lately it seems that so many of us are struggling with something that wants to rob our joy. The following is something I wrote a while back on another site, but I thought adding this here would remind me that joy isn't a feeling, but a promise, and why it is so important to choose joy. So here's an updated version.
If you get many emails from me you probably have noticed I sign most of them with "Choose Joy!" and I thought an explanation of why might make a good introduction. So here's the deal.
While leading a women's Bible study discussion group, I was looking for a way to summarize what had been a rich week of teaching into something easy to remember, yet practical. I finally came up with
Believe God
Choose Joy
Resolve Daily
What I mean by this is -
Believe God - Simply believing in Jesus for forgiveness of sins and salvation is the first step. I have to believe God actively, daily, and on an ongoing basis. I have to believe He is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He will do. He is always in control of everything and every situation. Losing sight of this basic truth is one of my big stumbling points in my faith walk. I have to continually believe these truths. If I don't have this straight in my mind and heart, I'll not have much success with the next steps.
Choose Joy- First I must not confuse joy with happiness. Happiness is a feeling, based on moods and circumstances, and is often very fleeting. Joy on the other-hand has nothing to do with how I feel, but is a promise from God. It is a characteristic of the Holy Spirit working in my life (see Galatians 5:22). Psalm 43:4 says God is my joy and my delight. Jesus told the disciples in Luke 10:20 "However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." (NIV) God is my joy and I should have joy over the fact that my salvation is secure. These are unchanging reasons to have joy that have nothing to do with how I feel or my circumstances. However, I have to choose to accept those reasons and keep them in mind, especially when the feelings aren't so happy. Psalm 30:5 tells us "weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (NIV) I have to choose that promise and based on step one, believe God that my joy is coming. I can do this if I remember to believe that God is in control of everything, all the time, all the way, completely, period.
Resolve Daily- This one may sound simple, but it is important. I have to remember the first two every day, and resolve to make them part of the the foundation of how I live each day. I have to resolve to believe and choose every day.
Once I had put all this together in my mind, I knew I needed reminding of it on a regular basis, so the email signature was born.
So -
Choose Joy!
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