JOYFUL
HEART
BREAD
3 But
may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and
joyful. Psalms 68:3 (NIV)
12 Be
joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 (NIV)
4 Rejoice
in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4 (NIV)
1 Finally,
my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same
things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Philippians 3:1 (NIV)
16 Be
joyful always; 17 pray
continually; 18 give
thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not put out the Spirit's
fire. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 (NIV)
11 You
have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your
presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalms 16:11 (NIV)
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my
heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give
thanks to him in song. 8 The Lord is the strength of his people, a
fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Psalms 28:7-8 (NIV)
13 A
happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:13 (NIV)
15 All
the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual
feast. Proverbs 15:15 (NIV)
3 It
gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness
to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to
hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:3-4 (NIV)
17 Though
the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the
olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in
the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet
like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NIV)
Do
not grieve, for the joy of the Lord
is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV)
BUTTER
“Fewer doctrines of the Christian faith
are more comforting than the sovereignty of God. It humbles you in good
seasons, provides hope in hard seasons, and gives joy in all seasons. The
doctrine of God's sovereignty is a constant nourishment for the soul. The
sovereignty of God is a sweet pillow that you can lay your head on at night. It
is a beautiful truth not only that God is in control over all, but is also
working everything out- the good and the bad--for your good and for His glory.
This sweet doctrine is medicine for the soul that you can take in any season of
life.” David Qaoud
“Grace softens the edges
of past pains, helping to highlight the eternal. What you are left with is
peace that’s profound, joy that’s unshakable, faith that’s ironclad.” Joni
Eareckson Tada
“Circumstances do
not have the power to steal your joy.
Joy is the by-product of experiencing God’s sovereign grace even in the
midst of seemingly impossible circumstances.”
Anonymous
“Strengthen
me Lord according to Your glorious might.
Give me great endurance and patience and joy so that I may walk in a
manner worthy of the Gospel. May I
please You in all that I say and do. You
alone are faithful to keep me from falling and to equip me for this so great an
endeavor. May I, through Your great
power, leave the aroma of sweet Jesus in my every encounter that I may change
my sphere by bringing Your Presence to every circumstance You present me with
today. Always for your glory alone and
my good.” BHY
“Joy
is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.” Leon
Bloy
“Solid joys and lasting treasure none but Zion’s children
know.”
John Newton
“The
surest mark of a Christian is not faith, or even love, but joy.” Samuel
Shoemaker
“Happiness
depends on what happens; joy does not.” Oswald
Chambers
“What impression do you want to
leave with others if the only thing they have to go on is your countenance,
attitude or expression? Sadly, for some of us the message would be
‘unhappy home,’ ‘mad at the world,’ or ‘depressed and downtrodden.’ As
believers in Christ, we must not live there. Rather, our lives should reflect
whose we are. The Scriptures teach us in Psalm 68:3, ‘...may the
righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.’ If you're a child of the King, then take on
an attitude of royalty. Reveal God's presence in your life. Hold
your head high, greet others with genuine hospitality and be careful to show
loving-kindness to all people. By doing these things, you will become a bold
witness for Christ without ever having to open your mouth.” Renee Nail
“Ecstasy and
delight are essential to the believer’s soul and they promote sanctification.
We were not meant to live without spiritual exhilaration, and the Christian who
goes for a long time without the experience of heart-warming will soon find
himself tempted to have his emotions satisfied from earthly things and not, as
he ought, from the Spirit of God. The soul is so constituted that it craves
fulfillment from things outside itself and will embrace earthly joys for
satisfaction when it cannot reach spiritual ones… The believer is in spiritual
danger if he allows himself to go for any length of time without tasting the
love of Christ and savoring the felt comforts of a Savior’s presence. When
Christ ceases to fill the heart with satisfaction, our souls will go in silent
search of other lovers… By the enjoyment of the love of Christ in the heart of
a believer, we mean an experience of the “love of God shed abroad in our hearts
by the Holy Ghost which is given to us” (Rom. 5:5)… because the Lord has made
himself accessible to us in the means of grace, it is our duty and privilege to
seek this experience from Him in these means till we are made the joyful partakers
of it.” John
Flavel (1630-1691)
HEART SAVOR
· Joy lies in knowing our lives rest in the hands of a sovereign,
omnipotent, good God who loves us.
· Christians should be the most joyful people on earth.
· The joy of the Lord is my strength.
