Ep 194 Is Your Cup of Joy Full? Is That Even Possible? Joy, Part I

The writer Maree Dee has two grown children with mental illness. When I interviewed her on my podcast she said, “It’s possible to experience joy and pain at the same time.” (Episode 75) How? Because she trusts God, no matter what.

We never know what’s ahead of us each and every day, do we?

We ask God each morning,

“Lord, please give me wisdom and strength to face my day – and grace for those who need to know your joy and peace.”

 

There’s a world of hurt out there and we need to be so filled with God’s Spirit that we are able to not only remain full when we come under attack, but we need to be so filled, that when jostled and banged around, that the grace and joy of Jesus spills out.

Our benediction at Grace Church is Romans 15:13 – we say it as a congregation at the closing of the service –“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

 

We need to be giving this benediction to ourselves every day –maybe before our husbands get home or the kids or before we go into work:

“Dear God of hope, please fill me with all joy and peace in believing – that I will abound and overflow with hope by Your power.”

What helps you keep your cup full of joy? Share in comments and we will all be filled up a little better.

Points to Ponder:

• Joy is the deep, quiet undercurrent that has its source in the eternal river of God Himself and His peace. That kind of joy can even underlie grief.
• We keep our cup full by recalling we are not alone.
• Your night of weeping may have been more like nights of weeping – I’ve smeared mascara on my sheets more than once. There’s got to be a country Western song by the name of What Do I Do With the Mascara On My Sheets?
• Weeping may endure, but there’s hope for the morning. (Psalm 30:5) 
• Our maturity, our fruit-bearing, our witness for the Gospel—our JOY— is not dependent on another person or event or group of circumstances—like the perfect family reunion or holiday gathering. It is dependent on our own personal response to God and His Word.