In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy. Philippians 1:4
Weekly Quote
Joy is not the absence of trouble but the presence of Christ. William Van der Hoven
Weekly Thought
Paul's letter to the Philippians is considered the book of joy in the New Testament. Written from a prison in Rome, Paul gave these characteristics of true joy:
True joy is found in bonds of fellowship: "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now" (1:3-5).
True joy finds its confidence in the work of God: "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (1:6).
True joy grows proportionally with love: "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight" (1:9).
True joy is based on righteous living: "So that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ" (1:10-11).
True joy brings glory to God: "To the glory and praise of God" (1:11).
Are you experiencing God's joy today?
Lord, I want to exhibit the qualities of true joy in my life. Thank You that You have started and will finish a good work in and through my life. Amen.
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Yeah Mike, ... I always feel I'm dancing around a very touchy subject with these particular posts ... that's the reason for the warning ... to hopefully keep someone from 'throwing a fit', LOL ... they can read it at their own risk as it were ... who knows, these messages may just make a difference in someone else's life too ...
Thanks man, Love ya and God Bless, Pappy
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Hi Pappy,
I'm far from religious but, apart from my first weeks in recovery when I was full of prejudice and ignorance, I find I can learn a lot from religious writings. Very often they express a sentiment that I would like to express, but in a way much better than anything I could come up with. Thanks for posting them.
