Things are starting to slow down a-bit and we are beginning to engage in a bit of normalcy in the Reed household. The basketball season is beginning to wind down, and I for one am grateful that we are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel (as far as our schedule is concerned).
This season has been a bit of a challenge for our son. It’s a new team, and many of the boys have been playing together since the 7th grade. He came in all excited, and ready, only to find himself a bit discouraged concerning playing time. As Parents, this became a Teachable Moment! Discouragement! We have all dealt with it at one time or another (none of us are immune). Here’s what I’ve learned down through the years: True Joy comes from above and not from our circumstances.
Hello Friends, and Welcome to Week 6 of our 9 week study on “The Fruit of The Spirit.” This week’s focus, Joy!
Webster defines Joy, as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness! But I want to challenge your thinking, and encourage you to go beyond the norm. See Joy as, “the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of our life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be alright, and the determined choice to praise God in every situation.” His Word tells us that he wants us to live with joy – abundant, and overflowing!
The Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) translates Matthew 5:3 as: “Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven”
We can be joyful because of who God is, and what He has done. He is an Amazing God, and if we start to remember all our blessings and count them one by one, our hearts fill to overflowing with joy. No matter what you may be going through in the natural, remember to choose Joy! #livefull #thebestisyettocome “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 NLT)
