JOY

PSA 16:11  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy
presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for
evermore. 

Billions of dollars are spent annually on entertainment, spectator sporting events, hobbies, dining at gourmet restaurants, surfing the Net, shopping at the mall, acquiring and watching elaborate big screen televisions and amassing a myriad of objects whose sole purpose is to delight. Never the less, with all of the energy that is expended there is no proof or indication that people are happier today than they were a century ago.

There was a time when people spent twelve hours a day working on the farm, ate supper, and went to bed without lavishing their senses. So the question is “Why with all of these things are we so empty and why is it so hard to be happy?”

The crux of the problem is that most people view happiness as an elusive goal that only the fortunate few will ever really attain. They equate happiness to events like earning a million dollars or attaining certain physical possessions.

JOH 16:22  So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I
will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your
joy.23  In that day you will no longer
ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask
in my name.24  Until now you have not
asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be
complete.

 

The happiness that the world longs for is dependent on some “happening”. Worldly happiness is temporal and because it is temporary it can be swept away by “happening” just as it can be added by “happening”.  There is a deeper, more fulfilling and all-consuming happiness known as joy that is available to anyone who wants it. Joy is a state of mind that every human being can develop regardless to financial worth or physical possessions with relative ease. It is because joy is not dependent on owning anything, and can be attained without knowing the difference between one vintage wine and another, without having a stockbroker, personal trainer or a custom makeover.

Joy does not rely on and is not generated by worldly happenings. The world cannot give joy and because it eternally, dwells in our hearts it can neither be touched nor taken away by man. The joy that I speak of comes from being in relationship with Jesus. There is joy and then there is even a greater joy that comes as the love of God rules, rests and abides in ou hearts and we stay in communication with Him through prayer. So if the sun shines there is joy and if the sun does not shine there is joy. Even in a storm there is joy because the joy of the Lord becomes your strength.

PSA 35:27  Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that
favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be
magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. 

 By: Dr. Olivia Hines

These Things Shall Be Added

“MAT 6:33   But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and
his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

In Genesis  2:18  The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.  This is our heads up. God is concerned about the triune man the soul of the man as well as his physical and spiritual being.  Most of us are cognizant of the fact that God  is concerned about our physical man and our spiritual man but He is also concerned about what troubles our minds.  God didn’t want Adam to have to cope with loneliness He wanted his mind to be at peace.

When the word of God says cast all of our cares on the Lord He means everything.  The bible calls it ought, the anything or whatever it is that stands between you and the peace of God must be surrendered. The cares about the finances, the cares about the children, the husbands and wives, our health, safety, wise decisions, happiness, unhappiness, past indiscretions, mistakes and failures all should be given to God.

”MAT
6:34   Therefore do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” 

Worry is an illegal emotion for the believer. The word of God says that there is nothing impossible with God. If we believe that God has conquered the impossible then we have to believe that God can handle our most devastating situations and forgive our most dastardly mistakes. For those who love the Lord all things work together for our good. Not all things look good, feel good, taste good but they are good because they conform to the plan that God has for our lives.

If we seek God and His Kingdom and press toward righteousness then everything that we need will be added to our lives. No good thing shall be with held from us when we walk upright.

By Dr. Olivia T Hines

Related articles

• Romans 8-9 (mybiblereadingplan.wordpress.com)

Greed

LUK
12:15  Then he said to them, “Watch
out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist
in the abundance of his possessions.”

The word of God in Ephesians 5:5 compares greed to immorality, impurity and idolatry. The scriptures say that a greedy person will not see the Kingdom of God. Greed is an insatiable desire to possess more or acquire more than what is needed. Greed is not a new problem for the believer but rather it is an ancient problem that has been around since the time of Adam.

In the beginning God created the earth and gave it all to Adam. Adam was the richest man who ever lived. His needs were met exceedingly and abundantly and he had more than he could ever spend and more than he could ever consume.

“Genesis 3:12…….It was this woman that you put here who caused me to
sin”.

Due to Adam’s desire for more he disobeyed God (sinned) and blamed it on the woman who God gave him, the woman he loved. Adam’s punishment was that he was cursed and thrown from the Garden. He lost his inheritance and all that he had.

“1Timothy
6:10  For the love of money is the root
of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith,
and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

God knows that we have need of things. His word says above all things he wants us to prosper. He says that He gives us the power to get wealth. He even says that the wealth of the unrighteous would be stored up for the righteous. It is OK.  You can have things. You can have massive amounts of money but you can’t fall in love with your money. If you fall in love with the money it will turn on you, betray you and cause you to fall. It is the love of money, not the money that creates problems for the believer. If we are servants to things we can not be servants of God.

Luke
16:13   “No servant can serve two
masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted
to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” 

By: Dr. Olivia T Hines