My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!WAYS TO HOLD ON TO JOY IN TROUBLED TIMESRealize Your Strength Comes from JoyMost of the time I think we get this concept backwards. We think joy is a result of being strong. But the Bible clearly states in Nehemiah 8:10 that our strength comes from the joy of the Lord.What is the Lord’s joy, and how does it give us strength? God knew the plan He had for J...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!WAYS TO HOLD ON TO JOY IN TROUBLED TIMESRemember How the Story EndsJesus told his disciples they would mourn what was going to happen to Him, but that they would end up rejoicing. Jesus knew He would rise from the dead—and when His followers saw it, everything would change.We have an advantage over them because we know what happened. We also have the Bibl...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!WAYS TO HOLD ON TO JOY IN TROUBLED TIMES Realize the Presence of the LordWhen we are continually aware of the Lord’s presence with us, it brings us joy. We can cultivate this knowledge by reading the Bible. In Acts 2:25-28, Peter quoted King David when he told the crowd at Pentecost, “I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken for He is r...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Lord Jesus!WAYS TO HOLD ON TO JOY IN TROUBLED TIMESChoose to Praise God in All ThingsNotice this does not say to praise God for all things. Everything that happens to us isn’t good. Bad things do happen to good people.Someone else’s poor decisions can result in undesirable consequences that splash over on us. Our own less-than-perfect choices lead to uncomfortable c...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Risen Lord!WAYS TO HOLD ON TO JOY IN TROUBLED TIMESRemember the Good Things God Has DoneThe dedication of Solomon’s Temple was a grand and beautiful event. Musicians played, choirs sang, and the people recited scripture reminding them of God’s work on behalf of Israel.As they departed the celebration, we read in I Kings 8:66 that they rejoiced because of all the goo...  Read More

My dear family,Greetings in the Risen Lord!WAYS TO HOLD ON TO JOY IN TROUBLED TIMESRemember Joy Is a Fruit of the SpiritBecause the Holy Spirit is not tangible, it’s easy to forget that He indwells every believer. All of his characteristics are inside us too.Joy is available if we simply remain aware of his activity and presence. The Bible assures us of this in Galatians 5:22-23. However, the Bibl...  Read More