(If it is welcome and a blessing, send it on to others,Lee)
The end of the week, and my promise to go out with joy. And we will. Let me share a little story.
Last night we showed up at prayer and afterwards one of the ladies who has been with us but a few months asked me if she could begin a children's group. Her thoughts were to offer it on the same night with youth group and have the little ones be involved. She wants to help them evangelize and bring their friends to the knowledge of the Lord.
To do this she often uses this big puppet, she calls "Joy". This puppet has been involved in leading many young ones to the Lord.
The dictionary says it stems from the Greek word for rejoice, defining it as the emotion evoked by well-being, success, good fortune or by the prospect of receiving the desire of our heart. The expression or exhibition of this emotion. A state of happiness.
The concordance gives us cheerfulness from the root word "chairo" or calmly happy or well off. Fully rejoicing.
So what does this mean to us? I told you that little story for a reason. Christians have the ability to touch the world in one of two ways. We can either push them away through the downcast, solemnity route or we can offer them what is not available in the world, even though they try to convince you it is. How many times have you met a Christian with the testimony of he or she came to Jesus because drugs, alcohol, immorality and rock and roll didn't fill the void?
That's how I came. I testified the last night of the tent how a "dead" church was not what I was seeking. An unalive Jesus not what I was seeking. You can not take fast lane (and most of the world is in that car speeding on to hell!) people and say "you need Jesus, get rid of the things that give you pleasure."
They will look at you as one who is bearing two heads.
The church needs to offer them the Jesus that is alive. "Joy", a puppet who speaks of the Lord meets the kids right where they live. They see puppets all the time. Joy, is the thing that we as Christians fail to exhibit to this world that sees itself as having the "good stuff".
Take an inventory of yourself while you go about your day.
If not, why?
Jesus should be more than enough to put a smile on your face, a song in your heart and a spring in your step.
"Oh brother, you don't understand my troubles. My life is one of toil and tribulation." Sorry. My Jesus said to me in His personal love letter (the Bible) to me that I was to cast all my cares and anxieties upon Him, that His burden was light and His yoke was easy, that he gave me gladness(joy) for mourning and the oil of gladness for ashes.
Joy brings rejoicing. If you are downcast...sing, dance, preach to yourself. Stir up the gift of joy within you. "Brother, that is faking it." My love letter says the Lord inhabits the praises of His people. He will come. I will tell you many times my prayer, my praise, my dance begin in the flesh and end up in the Spirit. Sometimes you have to prime the pump.
Joy is defined as the hope in one's heart for receiving the desire of our heart. His name is Jesus. And if you haven't the faith to exhibit joy, how will you have the faith to go "in a twinkling of an eye"?
The world needs Jesus. They won't receive a dead Jesus. They need the one who is alive. The fullness. When they see you exhibiting the ljoy of your salvation, there will be no mistaking it. There will be a desire in their hearts for what you have.
Begin to be a bearer of joy. When you bring gladness, heaviness will flee. The captives will look to you to share with them, and chains will fall.
Today (and forevermore!) share your joy, bring it forth and watch the change that will occur around you. There will be an attraction to the work of Jesus within. The fruit of the Spirit called JOY, will bring more to the Lord than ever imagined.
Selah.
Shalom.
Dear Friends:
Do you exhibit joy?
Is there a smile on your face and a spring in your step?
Do you exhibit the joy you feel?
We pray for you, each and every day. If this is an encouragement to you. Please tell us, and please email it to someone else. If you have a prayer request, please mail it to us. We want to stand with you, battling spiritual wickedness, seeing people made free. We want to serve our brother and sister.
In the Service of Christ for His Glory,
Lee Johndrow
For more information on this ministry or to receive our newsletter
please mail us at:
154 Paddock Road
Springfield, Vermont 05156
For those who support us in prayer and deed we appreciate it.
Thank you,
Lee & Tina Johndrow
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