My only source of TRUE JOY is from God, the Lord Almighty.
I have that joy because I acknowledge, accept, and believe that He sent His son, Jesus Christ, as the ultimate sacrifice, to die on the cross for ME. He has taken the burden of ALL my sins.
And because I know that He did it for me, I know that He also died to take away YOUR sins. (Romans 5:8)
He does not only accept the people who seem to have "perfect lives", but even the people that have messed up in every way possible. God doesn't play favorites. He wants each of us in His Kingdom, growing together as one with Him. (Acts 10:30-48)
You are no longer strangers. You BELONG here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He's using us all- irrespective of how we got here- in what He is building. Ephesians 2:19-20 The Message
Through His death on the cross, He has freed me from bondage and given me hope and JOY. (Romans 6:15-18)
Not only did He die on the cross, but He ROSE from the Dead 3 days later and then ascended into heaven. (Acts 1)
The great news is that I don't have to be perfect, I'm not perfect, but that is why I have GRACE. It is my faith, not my works that give me everlasting life. (Romans 3:23-24, Ephesians 2:8-9)
Because of this belief, I have eternal life and a personal relationship with my creator. (John 14:1-3, John 3:16)
This RELATIONSHIP leads me through life, day by day. God wants to woo me into a relationship with Him(Ephesians 5:22-25 Christ is the Husband, we-the believers- are the wife)
This RELATIONSHIP brings PURE JOY.
God is my Best Friend, my Daddy, my King, my Ultimate Authority, my Comforter, and my Joy Giver. Best of all, I can talk to Him any time, any day.
He has placed the Holy Spirit inside me which gives me judgement and convicts my conscious when I know what I am doing is not honoring and pleasing to the Lord. The Holy Spirit also guides me in the direction God wants for my life. (Romans 7:14-25, Ephesians 3:20)
And I am FILLED BY HIS JOY each day as dive into the Word and am revealed to the immenseness of God. But it is my responsibility and my choice each day to build the relationship that I have with Him through reading and my conversations with the Lord in prayer.
I know that because I have made this decision to follow the Lord and commit my life to Him, I know with every atom in me that I will never be able to loose my salvation or loose God's love and desire for me. (Ephesians 1: 13-14- The seal can not be broken, that seal is our salvation)
Now, don't get me wrong, my life is not always happy and perfect. In reality, there are ups and downs every single days and periods where blatantly, life is not what I wish it to be. However, in those circumstances I have learned to GIVE THANKS which brings joy. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) The hard times refine me, grow me, and ultimately bring me closer to God with a better understanding of who He is.
My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, I am strong. -- 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIVBecoming part of God's family is easy:
If you confess with your moth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9
