Wednesday "Stress vs. Joy"

Matthew 6:25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Monday we talked about how fear of the future can get in the way of your joy.... What about the past and the present? Can they take away from living the joyous life that God intended? Absolutely.

Stress of the Past: So many of us are living life looking at our rear view mirror. We feel like anything that we do today is far overshadowed by what we have done in the past. This is one of the devil's greatest tactics....keep reminding us about how we used to be. Have you changed or matured over the past several years? If so, that is God's work in you. The Bible tells us that we are not finished yet...that God is still working and perfecting our character. Our past is what brought us to today. Sure, we'd like to go back and change parts of it - but we can't. Who you are today is a reason to be joyful...don't let the devil remind you of who you were....you just tell him who you ARE!

Stress of the Present: How can anybody have joy in the world we live in today? Rising gas prices, foreclosure, health, relationships, family...the list goes on. Sometimes we wonder if there is one joyful person left on this Earth. We run into angry people with no hope on a regular basis. I need to tell you today..you can live a life of joy. Today is all you are guaranteed to get. When you wake up in the morning, you have today. That's it. Why live stressed out? Of course there are going to be challenges...but remember who still runs the show. God is still here. God is still in charge. God still cares deeply about you. God still loves you unconditionally. God still promises to provide for your needs. God still sits on His throne in Heaven. God still is all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere-at-one-time. God still is...and you are still His. Don't forget that. Our daily joy should come from knowing that we are God's children. There is no stress or challenge in our life that is too big for God. Don't let the devil steal your joy today.

Don't live looking backwards or worry where you are today...make the choice to live with joy. You may have to tell yourself many times today that (if you asked for it) you have been forgiven for past mistakes or that God can handle your troubles now...but that's OK. God is always listening for us to cry out to Him. He loves you so much...what better reason is there than that to be joyful?

See you tomorrow...
Pastor Brian

Tuesday "Selfishness vs. Joy"

Mark 12:28 "One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

I have always heard it said "It is far better to give, then to receive." When I was younger this was certainly NOT the case. I looked forward to Christmas and my birthday because I knew that was the time when I definitely received. I counted down the days till "present day" and ripped open my gifts with selfish adolescent glee.

As I got older, I began to appreciate the idea of giving gifts to others. Sure, opening a gift every now and then was fun, but I took greater pleasure from watching faces as they unwrapped something that I spent time trying to find especially for them. Giving became more fun than receiving. I had matured...become a little wiser... or maybe I had unlocked the difference between happiness and joy.

Giving to others brings us joy. When we give our time, talents, or resources so that others can benefit, we get the satisfaction of knowing that we are becoming more Christ-like. God blesses us with an inner joy that no person or situation can rob us of. Selfishness, on the other hand, only brings temporary happiness. We get...we want more. We want more...we don't appreciate what we have. We don't appreciate what we have...we stress. We stress...we suffer. Selfishness leads to suffering... everytime.

Last weekend, Pastor Troy said that the happiest people at Flamingo Road Church are those that are serving others. He's absolutely right. Want joy? Start getting your satisfaction from putting others first.... let God bless you with the joy that you seek.

Write it Down: Today in your journal, make a list of 5 things that you can do to be less selfish. Pray and ask God to show you ways to put others first today.

See you tomorrow,
Pastor Brian

Monday "Fear vs. Joy"

1 John 4:18 (TM) "There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love"

What is today going to hold? If you are reading this devotional at night...what is tomorrow going to be like? Any ideas? I would bet that there are many of you reading this right now that are afraid of the future. I'm not talking about years from now...I'm thinking about tomorrow. How are you going to be able to deal with all of the things that the world is going to throw your way?

How can you have joy when you are afraid? Simple. You really can't. Fear means that faith is not where it needs to be. Your inner joy suffers...

What are you afraid of? Not having enough? Failing health? Success? Failure? Relationship breakdown? Abandonment? Abuse? Unemployment? Money? Bills? Family?

If any of these are the cause of your fear...I have good news. If you are a Christ-follower...you are on the winning side. Scripture tells us that Christ has already overcome the world...everything that you are afraid of is in God's hands. He's already on it.

Everything.

Christ died and rose again so that we can boldly live! We need to always remember that when it seems darkest in our life and we are trembling in fear...Jesus Himself glows the brightest. Remember what we talked about a little while ago... when we are weak..He (Jesus) is strongest.

Take a stand today... Get your joy back... You serve a big God who loves you unconditionally. That should ALWAYS be the source of that never-ending joy!

Write it Down: Make a list of 5 things you are afraid of. Say a prayer and thank God that He wants to replace your fear with faith in Him!

See you tomorrow!
Pastor Brian