Luke 10:21, NLT
In this verse we see the Holy Spirit is the one who filled Jesus with joy. As Christians, this same Spirit lives within us. He moved in the day we received Christ as our Savior and began harvesting His fruit in our lives – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It should bring us great peace to know He will never leave or forsake us, and He will continue to walk along-side us every day of our lives. The Holy Spirit also intercedes on our behalf, bringing our request straight to the throne room of God. What an incredibly powerful ally to have in life!
Today, praise God for the gift of His Holy Spirit living within us, and pray that He will fill us with the fruits of His Spirit so that we can reap a great harvest.
Prayerfully,
Madison
photo credit: http://www.freeimages.com/photographer/mazupan-39719
In today’s society, it is so easy to become more tolerant of evil and more hardened towards good. I am here today to encourage you and remind you of the hope and strength that we can find in Jesus Christ. In Psalm 28:7, it says, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him.” Although, temptations hover over us on a daily basis, and evil is “the normal”, we can still find joy and strength in the Lord! He can be your shield when the temptations and evils of this world fight against you. We can trust in Him and know that He has our backs. One of the most important things to remember is that when our God is for us, nobody can be against us! We serve a Holy God who wants nothing more than to love and protect His children. When you truly grasp this concept, you can’t help but leap for joy!
As Jesus taught His disciples and listened to their reports, the Bible says He was “filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit.” When we seek to follow after Christ with our lives, we bring joy to the Lord. What an incredible legacy to leave – knowing that our time here on earth brought God joy! Every day we are given opportunities to serve others, minister to the lost, and comfort the hurting. Today let’s seek to make the most of those opportunities. Pray that the motivation of our hearts will be to glorify God and that the joy of the Lord will be so evident in our lives that it draws others to Christ and brings a smile to God’s face.