FEAST OF SAINT JAMES THE GREATER, APOSTLE AND MARTYR AND SAINT CHRISTOPHER MARTYR – 25th JULY
July 25, 2024
Matthew 5:16
July 25, 2024
THE 25th OF JULY
JOY IS A CHOICE
Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice! – Philippians 4:4
We may have true joy, no matter what, only in our Lord! God is always the same and so is His love for us! God would never force us to rejoice or be happy. We are to choose to delight and be glad in Him. Once we are born again, our desires start to change and we long to please our Lord more than our flesh or other people. As we have a constant relationship with Jesus, and we seek His face and opinion about every decision we are to take, we learn that we may have peace and joy even if we go through things that would normally cause us to be upset, worried or frustrated.
How can we rejoice when things are not working out as we would like them to? We can rejoice no matter what, if we understand that our citizenship is in heaven, we do not belong to this world, and what troubles us here will end at some point, but the mansion that Jesus prepares for us there, will be ours forever. We need to put things in the right perspective, which is that we belong to Jesus and our main goal in life is to praise and please Him. Once we learn to do that, we are able to complete our duties and responsibilities from a position of victory and not defeat.
SUGGESTED PRAYER
Father God, I am so glad that You created joy and You want me to rejoice in You at all times. I am so blessed to belong to You and to know that You never leave me alone and You always have the best solutions for all my problems. Please help me to converse with You, all the time, so that my mind stays focused on You and not on what would steal my peace and joy. Praises and glory to Your holy Name, for ever and ever. Amen.
Source: thetruthstandsforever
