-

 

Go Your Way Rejoicing (June 5, 2024)

 “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

As Christians, the joy of our hearts should be seen in the countenance on our faces as we seek to shine the light of Jesus Christ into the darkness of a fallen world. We’ve been commanded to rejoice and be grateful for the opportunity each day presents to share God’s love and the good news of His saving grace. Bolstered by a peace of mind that surpasses human understand and an inner delight that transcends our circumstances, we are empowered to live in a joyful manner that reflects the presence of Christ in our lives and draws unbelievers to Him for salvation.

I recall the Bible story about the Ethiopian eunuch who rejoiced after a life-changing encounter with the evangelist Phillip as this foreign official returned home from a visit to Jerusalem to worship. Preaching in Samaria, Phillip was sent by God into the desert where he was invited into the chariot of the Ethiopian and explained to him a Messianic prophecy from the Book of Isaiah he was reading that foretold Christ’s suffering for mankind’s sins. Having heard the gospel of salvation, the eunuch professed Jesus to be the Son of God, was baptized, and “went on his way rejoicing.” (Acts 8:39)

The struggles and challenges of everyday life threaten to rob us of our joy, but we must remain steadfast in our faith in a trustworthy God who has promised never to leave nor forsake us and to work all of the matters of our lives to our ultimate best interests. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can rise above our circumstances, always rejoicing in the everlasting hope that is ours in Jesus just as we did the moment that we first welcomed Him to be our Savior. In times of happiness or sorrow, eternally secure in Christ, we too can go along life’s way rejoicing!



 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

-
Image
  A Rightly Motivated Heart ( October 25, 2023) “ Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the  Lord  weighs the hearts. ” (Proverbs 21:2) When a serious crime is committed and a suspect is arrested, investigators search to identify a motive in the case. All human behavior is driven by motives that underlie our actions. The real reasons that we do what we do can be obvious or obscure. The Bible says that the human heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. So those of us seeking spiritual maturity need to frequently examine our hearts to make sure that our motivations are pure and pleasing to an all-knowing God who weighs our intentions. We must seek to please God, rather than man! “I, the  Lord , search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” (Jeremiah 17:10) Many people are motivated by selfishness and pride that prompt them to pursue fleeting worldly gain, self-gratification,
Read more
-
Image
  Simply Believe! ( November 2, 2023) “ Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) Unfortunately, our Christian faith can fluctuate with the changing circumstances of our lives? We are flawed like all human beings, and our trust in God often ebbs or flows depending upon whether or not we’re experiencing happy times or life’s trials. Satan constantly attempts to deceive us, draw us astray in our walk by faith with God, and bring about our ultimate downfall and defeat. However, we must remember that He who is in us—Jesus Christ living in our hearts through the Holy Spirit— “is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) Simply believe! When doubt and fear cloud our well-placed trust in Christ, we can allay our apprehension and anxiety by focusing on our unchanging and ever-faithful L ORD rather than dwelling on our shifting circumstances. We must recall God’s past faithfulness to deliver us from our woes according to His will and perfect timing. As difficult as they
Read more
-
Image
  An Eternally Secure Identity in Christ ( October 24, 2023)   “ By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) When voters go to the polls in the general election in two weeks, we will have to present to the poll worker our driver’s license or other acceptable identification in order to cast a ballot. In today’s increasingly impersonal, technology-based society, we are known and identified in the realms of government, business, and the world at large by our Social Security and account numbers, ID cards, and other similar documentation. As we all know, we have to guard this personal information very carefully in light of the fact that identity theft is among the fastest-growing crimes in the world. While our earthly identities—the digital or physical sources of personal information that distinguish us from everyone else—may be at risk of theft, believers are securely identified as holy and set apart from the world through our rel
Read more