JOY in the season

It's Christmastime!

It is the time of year when we hear a lot about JOY.

The Lord has been putting this word of JOY in front of me a lot in the last couple of years, but He has really been showing it to me recently.

In recent years I have been concentrating on teaching JOY to my students in Jesus, Others, You.

Jesus should come first in your life; Others are second; You are last.

LAST? Oh, goodness... in this day and age of everyone's rights and entitlement, why in the world would YOU be LAST!?

Because we were made to glorify the Lord.

We were made to praise Him.

We were made to lift Him up to others.

We are made to be last.

However, so many times it is the other way around.... You; Others; Jesus.

That doesn't make such a nice word.  YOJ.

In fact, it makes no sense.  And that is exactly what life becomes when we think of ourselves first, others second, and the Lord last... if at all.

For many years I had joy.  Or what I thought was joy.... maybe it was just happiness.

I learned, however, that one can be happy without having any JOY.  I had a world that was a bit twisted... it was a world of KELLIE; OTHERS; the Lord.

I loved the Lord... don't get me wrong.  I thought I was serving Him.  I thought I had joy.

But that is where I was wrong.  The Lord had to show me that I was not responsible for my Joy.

HE WAS.

And IS.

Let's continue....

The Lord seems to be showing me more in this word of JOY, though.

He has taught me, and still is, that there is JOY in the journey of this life....through EVERY season of life, and not just at Christmas.

This summer I went to a jewelry party and it took me forever... I mean, I was the last person, I think, to place her order.... to pick out my necklace below.

(I could blame it on my ADD and say there were too many choices, but I know that is not the case...)

I wanted this necklace to resemble what the Lord has done for me.  I wanted this necklace to be a statement of what is important to me so that if someone asks, I can tell them.

The first part of the necklace says "the JOY is in the Journey."  The flowers have a verse from Matthew on the back that says to not worry about what you will wear because God clothes the lilies of the field and He will clothe you.  The last is my initial because I am having this JOY in the Journey of Kellie's life.

There truly is JOY in the journey.  Let me explain.



The Lord began taking me on a Journey of life that became hard, rocky, and quite difficult.

There were days of fun and excitement.

There were days of wondering if He was really there. 

There were days of brightness and beauty.

There were days of sadness and darkness.

Through all of those days I learned to cling to the Lord.

I learned how HE became my JOY.

My Joy in the Journey.

You see, He never promised life was going to be great.  He never promised that I was going to get everything I wanted and all of the money I wanted.  He never promised that I would not get sick.  He never promised that I would always be happy.  He never promised that life was going to always be smooth.

BUT HE HAS ALWAYS PROMISED ME JOY.

Look at these verses the Lord has recently given to me:

Psalm 5:11 ~But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

Psalm 16:11 ~ Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Psalm 30:5 ~ For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Psalm 51:8 ~ Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Isaiah 52:9 ~ Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

Isaiah 61:3 ~ To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

James 1:2 ~  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; (testings)

Hebrews 12:11 ~ Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Hebrews 12:2 ~ Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jude 1:24 ~ Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 

...and there are many more.

The Lord has shown me through hard times or good times, that He alone brings me JOY.  True Joy in all of my circumstances.

I can actually look back with MORE JOY on the hardest times in my life because it drove me to HIM.  It drove me to the ONE Who did not worry about my happiness, but was concerned of how I could find JOY in Him.

Jesus counted it all JOY to go to the cross for me.  I should count it all JOY to die to self daily and put Him first so that my JOY may be full.

JESUS first.

Others second.

You last.

Joy in the good times.

Joy in the surprises.

Joy in the sufferings.

Joy in the testings.

JOY in EVERY season, whether Christmas or the seasons of life.

Because there is JOY in the Journey.

.... and that is only through Christ.

Have YOU found JOY in and through HIM?

At this Christmas season, may you realize we celebrate the reason we can have true JOY at any season.

Jesus Christ.

Enjoy some JOY.

 
Jeremiah 15:16 ~ Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.