At the Well - A Life of Joy

I'm excited to get this new week started off with a great discussion over At the Well! The discussion centers around Happiness and Joy and the question is:

Why do you think it is important to experience joy, happiness, and contentment as a Christian?How can you create a home filled with laughter and joy?

Many times the Christian life is portrayed as a life of strict, staunch people grudgingly following their Lord. Perhaps that conclusion is brought about by the call to live soberly and righteously. We are called to be people who live a purposeful life - to glorify God and to love one another. God's Word encourages us to be diligent, hard working, focused, faithful and committed, but not dull, deary and void of joy.

The difference in serving with drudgery and serving with joy is when we realize Who we serve. We are called to be a peculiar people living different from the world, submissive to our Lord. Our Lord who loves us with an everlasting love. Who watches over our every step, protects us, keeps us, heals us and directs us. Our Lord is powerful - so powerful that He has conquered death and reigns victorious. How could we NOT rejoice over Him?

What a joy to serve our Lord! He wants to lavish us with His love, bless us and guide us. Do we live in a happily ever after life? Of course not. We will face trials, hurt and grief. But He is there matching our sorrow with His grace and comfort. He equips us with everything we need to live victoriously. Some of my favorite "happy verses" are:

"...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." John 15:11

"And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD;It shall rejoice in His salvation." Psalms 35:9

"...for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

In our lives and homes joy can be cultivated beginning with our thoughts and actions. "A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance..." When our heart is happy, so is our face! Meditating on our blessings is a great beginning to a merry heart. Practice singing praises to the Lord is surely a way to lift our spirits. Looking for opportunities each day to laugh and find joyful moments can keep our homes filled with joy.

It is very important for a Christian to have joy and there is joy unspeakable with the Lord. May our hearts and homes overflow with that joy today!

Top 10 Workout DVDs

Prevention Magazine is a leader in health and fitness news and products. They recently came up with the top 10 list of workout DVDs. They have examined the many fitness DVDs out there and narrowed down a list of the best ones. There is a DVD for every fitness level. If you are looking to incorporate some exercise into your day in the convenience of your own home, take a look at this list. Here is an additional money saving tip: If you see a DVD that you are interested in, check out Amazon or Ebay before ordering. Many times they have pre-owned DVDs at a fraction of the cost of a new one.

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We...

Word Filled Wednesday – Act Justly

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 Sometimes we struggle so hard with the question “What does God want us to do and be?” This verse is a simple yet powerful reminder of some simple things that God requires of us. Act and do justly, love mercy and walk humbly before God. There are numerous opportunities each day to do justly, to do the right thing or to make the right choice. We love mercy when we show kindness or mercy oftentimes to those who do not deserve it. Walking humbly before God is acknowledging He alone is God. He is the I AM – no one else is. When we give Him the glory He is worthy of, it will humble our heart before Him....

Tracy Berta-daughter to the King, wife, mother, speaker, writerSeptember 28, 2009 at 8:11 AM
What a beautiful post, Joyfull!!! You chose some of my FAVORITE verses. How true it is that when we realize WHO God is and what a magnificant God we serve that we will be filled with JOY! Thanks so much for joining today at the well. I was so encouraged by your wise words.

Many blessings today! :)
AnonymousSeptember 28, 2009 at 2:29 PM
Just this very morning, when the weather man said, "look out, gloomy weather is on the way", I thought, "just because its gloomy weather doesn't mean that I have to have a gloomy spirit!

And now I read your post on Joy! A confirmation on what I myself was thinking! Thank you and God bl;ess!
AndreaSeptember 29, 2009 at 2:06 PM
To me, this sentence sums it all up:

The difference in serving with drudgery and serving with joy is when we realize Who we serve.

How can we not be joyful when we do as you suggest and think about the One we are serving? He has saved us from our sins! Now that's something to be joyful about!

Thanks for sharing your insight! It blessed me.
JenniferSeptember 29, 2009 at 8:34 PM
Yes indeed, what a JOY to serve the Lord......not only to know who I serve but I love to remember who I really am as His redeemed, adopted daughter of the King of Kings (well...you get the picture)!! Such a great post today - you are such a motivator!:)

Joyfull Living

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