“…they were filled with joy when they saw their Lord.”
-John 20:20, NLT
Jesus, thank you for the joy I experience most of the time. I have great joy in seeing you at work around me, in my family and among those I am privileged to work with. Your joy is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10).
I have joy in knowing:
—>Nothing is impossible for You
—>You are a loving Sovereign
—>You are at work all around me
—>You are bearing fruit through me
Many years ago, when I was just getting started in ministry, one of my Navigator leaders, Skip Gray preached to a bunch of us from 1 Timothy 6:17,
“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”
Skip camped on the last part of the verse and pointedly asked us, “Are you enjoying or enduring what God has given/provided”?
- Are you enjoying your family or enduring your family?
- Are you enjoying your responsibilities or enduring your responsibilities?
- Are you enjoying the people the Lord has given you to shepherd and equip or enduring them?
- Are you enjoying your relationship with your immediate supervisor or enduring it?
Frankly I don’t see a lot of joy among some of the leaders I know. I see hard work, I see long hours, I see difficult decisions, but what I don’t see is a deeply felt joy based on a quiet trust in Jesus as the blessed controller of all things in my life. I sincerely hope that this is not the new normal…no joy!
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