Hey ya’ll! Welcome to my new blog Abundant Joy, I’m so glad you chose to come check it out! I hope that this a place where we can grow in our faith together, and I encourage you to also share what God has been doing in your own life as well. Despite the hardships we’ve seen happening in our world, God has and still is working miracles. Yes! He is working all things together for good (Romans 8:28), so let’s share stories of His great faithfulness!
Something that God has been reminding me of so much the past six months or so is to choose a posture of joy. I’m confident that I’m probably not the only one who has felt the hardship of choosing joy amidst struggles. And that is okay. Joy isn’t meant only for times when things are going well. Joy is something you choose despite the difficult circumstances you may be facing.
I was recently reading through John 15 for a bible study group I am a part of and there was a particular verse that stood out to me. Go ahead and take a minute to read through John 15: 1-17.
“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”
John 15: 1-17
I love this! He fills us with His joy and our joy overflows! We are given an abundance of joy! He gives us more than enough! The important piece here… is that we are given this wonderful gift of joy when we choose to remain in Him. I think this is the piece we often miss, or at least I do.
After reading this passage, I asked myself the tough question: Have I been intentionally seeking after God, spending time with Him, giving Him priority, growing my relationship with Him deeper? Being vulnerable, my answer was no. I’d been spending time with Him, but I wasn’t investing into the relationship. In my time with Him, I came with my agenda, asking Him, begging Him, to change my situations. I now realize I was letting my agenda steal my joy. Now don’t get me wrong, I think it’s perfectly okay to come to God with our desires and wants, but sometimes God’s answer for the time being is no. When we come with an agenda, we often come demanding rather than with an open hands to allow God to do what only He can do.
Reflection
+ What is one way I can choose joy this week?
+ What would it look like for me to lay down my agenda?
+ Where have I been looking for joy?
+ What would it look for me to abide in Jesus?
Prayer
Dear God,
We come to you today, thanking you for giving us the gift of joy. Thank you that despite the awful things we may be experiencing in our lives right now, that your eternal gift of life, given to us by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is something we can always be joyful for. Help us to lean into you and accept that gift. We pray that you open our hearts to you and that we seek you in everything we do. Allow the people around us to see your joy in every area of our lives. We love you, and we praise you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Abundant Joy 