Joy of the Lord!

January 16, 2012 Monday Message:

As Paul, Silas and Timothy counsel the church in Thessalonica, they conclude with a summary of how Christians should live, which is as applicable nowadays as it was back then.

•Always be joyful.
•Never stop praying.
•Be thankful in all circumstances (for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.)
•Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.
•Do not scoff at prophecies.
•Test everything that is said.
•Hold on to what is good.
•Stay away from every kind of evil. (1 Thess. 5:16-20 NLT)

We’ll look at all these bullet points in the coming weeks, starting today with the Joy of the Lord.

The Joy of the Lord is much more than simply pasting a smile on your face. It reflects a confidence that God is in charge, that He will use everything for good, even when circumstances look bleak. With God on His throne and our trust placed fully in Him, we know that everything will be all right in the end, no matter how it looks right now. Therefore, even though we feel like we got beat up in the world today, we can still be cheerful, be kind to our families when we come home, and be eager to begin tomorrow as a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

The Joy of the Lord is your strength!

Norton Lawellin

We’ll move on to “Prayer,” Friday night, 7pm at New Hope Center.