The Joy Journal: Day 1

Thank You so much dear Lord...

Wow, for what You told me yesterday and today - about having joy in my heart. What You told me during QT yesterday and today, coupled with what Huanyan prayed for when he was praying for me, together with Yufen's guidance that since You're telling me to have this attitude of joy first through the Word, then through Huanyan...

Then what Shuyi shared with me and encouraged me on the bus...

And the prophetic word spoken thru Clara... "your feelings go up and down..."

WOW!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH DADDY FOR BEING SO PATIENT WITH ME!!!
really very humbled, really very touched. You never gave up on me, and You never stop loving me... i'm so touched... what am i, Lord, that You should even bother to think of me???

Yup... later I shared wif Shuyi on the way to dinner (or it was more of Shuyi encouraging me again, reminding me of the prophetic word spoken thru Clara during service...)... that I think You are answering my birthday wish and prayer to grow in emotional stabliity...

I think You are teaching me that one aspect of true emotional stability is not being emotional-less... the Son of Man had the deepest emotions ever in the whole history of mankind, and yet He never lost control of His emotions nor got swayed by them...

That is TRUE emotional strength and stability...

So I think He wants to help me grow in joy - joy that is independent of any circumstances. For happiness depends on happenings, but joy comes from JESUS!!!

Like what HY told me, that if I really want to bless others, the attitude of joy is one of the most important blessings that I can give others, together with the other fruit of the Spirit like love and peace...

WOW... so so so amazed... truly He hears my prayers... He never fails... HE IS THE JOYFUL GOD!!!

Rejoice in the LORD always! I will say it again: REJOICE! Philippians 4:4

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace... Galatians 5

Joy is the serious business of heaven. C.S. Lewis

To miss out on joy is to miss out on the reason for your existence. Lewis Smedes

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And from John Ortberg's chapter on joy:
Ironically, often the thing that keeps me from experiencing joy is my preoccupation with self. The very selfishness that keeps me from pouring myself out for the joy of others also keeps me from noticing and delighting in the myriad small gifts God offers each day...

And I need to learn. Joy is at the heart of God's plan for human beings. The reason for this is worth pondering awhile: Joy is at the heart of God himself. We will never understand the significance of joy in human life until we understand its importance to God. I suspect that most of us seriously underestimate God's capacity for joy.

...

So it is with God, but not with us. "For we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we."

We will not understand God until we understand this about him: "God is the happiest being in the universe." God also knows sorrow. Jesus is remembered, among other things, as "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." But the sorrow of God, like the anger of God, is His temporary response to a fallen world. That sorrow will be banished forever from His heart on the day the world is set right. Joy is God's basic character. Joy is His eternal destiny. God is the happiest being in the universe.

...

The Bible puts joy in the nonoptional category. Joy is a command. Joylessness is a serious sin, one that religious people are particularly prone to indulge in. It may be the sin most readily tolerated by the church...

But how much damage have joyless Christians done to the cause of Christ?... How often have people misunderstood God because they attributed to Him the grim, judgmental, defensive, soul-wearying spirit of many who claim to be His followers?

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So I think today I shall begin NOW. "THIS is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!"

The book advised that I can try finding "joy mentors", and thankfully, there are bros and sisters I can learn from... spend time with them... to be INTENTIONAL to spend time with them too...

Surprisingly, some of them are those I may not think of being naturally joyful, but they have learnt to find joy in the Lord... I remember what Hongtao shared with us in CG about God telling him something very simple after ministering to him during Subd242... "Smile more."

Haha... so touched when I heard this very dear bro's testimony... wow!!!!!!!!!!!

So much to learn, but I will REJOICE! Because this is really going to be one of the most joyful times ever... joyful, because I choose to see life from today onwards from the Bible's perspective - to view all of life's events in light of the Resurrection and the ultimate triumph of the risen Christ.

And am thinking of a dear bro who's not joyful at the moment... ah... praying for him... though to be honest feel like scolding him for sticking to that attitude... but really want to be joyful myself too! So yup yup, Jesus is my JOYGIVER!!! So looking fwd to a new breakthru, as I enter the next phase of my life in Christ very soon... working life!

I WILL REJOICE, AND I DON'T CARE WHAT THE WORLD THROWS AT ME - I WILL REJOICE, BECAUSE MY LORD IS RISEN FOREVERMORE!!!

I WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD, BECAUSE HE CAN TURN MY MOURNING INTO DANCING, MY SORROW INTO JOY!

AMEN!