Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

joy

Complete Joy

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When we come to Christ, a joy we have never known fills us. We want nothing but more of Him. Over time, that joy may wane. Following Jesus is not an emotional journey, it is a journey of truth. The emotions we experience from knowing Christ are exhilarating, but in the end, it is not the emotion we seek. We seek only Jesus. Still, the emotional highs propel us in His Name to do work for His Kingdom.

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So, how do we continue to find joy when the struggles and trials of day-to-day living weigh us down? How do we find complete joy in a world intent on crushing us? The Bible shows us the way, and it is not about manufacturing emotion or attending events designed to elicit an emotional response from us. No, the way to reignite our joy is by sharing it with someone else (1 John 1:4).

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Days of Trouble

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What are we to make of this world today? Political unrest, divisiveness, viruses, and no one seems overly happy. What side should we take? What is our duty as Christians? Our duty is the same as it always has been. We are to seek God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). James told us to keep ourselves unentangled with the world (James 1:27). The Apostle John told us we must not love the things of this world (I John 2:15).

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I think one reason we feel such stress and frustration today is that we had gotten overly comfortable with the world. Now that the world is changing, we’re upset because our focus has been on the world instead of Jesus. He never changes. If we had kept our focus on Him, much of what is occurring in the world today would not phase us.

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Find Joy

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I’m convinced joy is the key to surviving this life. A world intent on breaking us down has no answer for joy. As the great leader Nehemiah wrote several thousand years ago, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Paul recognized the importance of being joyful when he admonished believers to always rejoice in the Lord (Philippians 4:4). It’s still true today.

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No matter what comes your way, when you focus on the love of Christ, you find the strength to carry on. In fact, when you are filled with joy, the trouble doesn’t seem so bad in the first place. Joy not only provides strength when you feel weak but also perspective when you’re feeling overwhelmed. The best part is joy is both free and a limitless supply is available to us.

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Still Thankful

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In a world that seems intent on destroying itself, what is there to be thankful for today? The amount of evil and violence seems to grow at an exponential rate. The Word of God is no longer seen as the authority by which we govern and live our lives. Innocent life is viewed as something arbitrary and disposable. Where can we find joy? For what can we be genuinely thankful? The answer is the same as it has always been: Jesus.

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No matter what you’ve done, Jesus is waiting to wrap His arms around you. Regardless of how crazy the world seems, Jesus is in control. And no matter how far you think you’ve wandered away from Him, Jesus remains right beside you. Though everything around us may crash and burn, Jesus remains the same as He has always been (Hebrews 13:8). Are you still thankful for that truth?

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The Joy of the Lord

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Since the beginning days of the coronavirus and the drama that unfolded in the response to it, the racial tensions that began exploding soon after, and a crazed political environment, the world has seemed to have just gone mad. Every issue seems to polarize us, dividing friends, family, and most disturbingly the church. In a matter of months, what we considered the normalcy of life has been discarded. I’ve seen a lot of dramatic changes in my lifetime, but never ones that occurred so suddenly and were so divisive.

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I don’t know when or if this all ends, or what life looks like on the other side of this seemingly unending tunnel of darkness. But somehow, in the middle of all the chaos and uncertainty, I have found my joy of the Lord increasing. I am more aware of His presence than ever, and despite the anger and confusion swirling around me, I am at peace.

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