“Joy. You Can Grow It.”
“The people were
filled with joy, because they had given willingly — wholeheartedly they had
given willingly to Adonai; and David the king too was completely filled with
joy, as he blessed Adonai before the entire community: “Blessed be You, Adonai,
the God of Isra’el our father, forever and ever. Yours, Adonai, is the
greatness, the power, the glory, the victory and the majesty; for everything in
heaven and on earth is Yours.
The kingdom is Yours,
Adonai; and You are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor come from You,
You rule everything, in Your hand is power and strength, You have the capacity
to make great and to give strength to all. Therefore, our God, we thank You and praise
Your glorious name.” Complete Jewish Bible Chronicles 29:9-13 )
Dear family of
friends,
Over a period of three
years, in a time not so far past, after coming through a time of seemingly lack
and uncertainty, I found something that I never thought I would find during those
days. It was joy. You can grow it.
It wasn’t a “happy”
time, as most would consider, being without a fulltime job and with the
inability in my own ability to provide as I thought I was most expected to. But
looking back now, it was His time for me to be with Him. I had a lot of time to
do just that, not having the 40-hour a week job to contend with. So I made the
most of this time - to press into Him.
Making, by choosing to
use the time to seek God the Father daily, by pressing in for more of His
direction and purpose, caused me to increasingly know Him and His Holy Spirit,
Ruach HaKodesh (Hebrew). I was expecting just comfort and an increase in faith.
I discovered He gave me joy.
Looking at things with
a different perspective allows you to see things with a different perspective.
Sounds strange to say that, but it is true. When my heart was given more of the
fruit of joy, by being in His presence, my attitude towards those who also
walked in earthly lack, changed. My heart for those who know not the Lord, lost
in their own methods of filling the void within, changed. My concern for those
who chased after that which will never fill their heart’s desire; well, it
changed.
Having a joy in our
heart is not produced from happy moments, or from not having difficult times.
But rather it is having our loving Father draw us closer to Him, as we spend
time with Him, and allow His heart to expand within ours. Joy then comes. It is grown as fruit.
“You're blessed when you're ravenously hungry. Then you're ready for the
Messianic meal.
You're blessed when the tears flow freely. Joy
comes with the morning.” (Luke 6:21 THE MESSAGE)
I heard a recent
message in church that the time will come when people knowing us may think we
are weirder than normal, due to the joy that will bubble up from our spirit.
They may even think we are “retarded”, lacking understanding for why we have
any reason to be filled with joy in the midst of it all. I now understand that.
He has given me His joy.
Joy will be our
strength in the hard times to come. Being with Him now, as we take the time
each day to spend with Him in prayer, reading His Word, and seeking His face,
will further grow the fruit of joy within. I have found this to be true. I hope
you do too.
Ahava to my family of
friends,
Steve Martin
Founder, Love For His
People
Love For His People,
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Todah rabah! (Hebrew
- Thankyou very much.)
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2013). Bothavailable through Amazon.com Xulon Press.com , plus other website
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Ahava Love Letter #95
“Joy” - Steve Martin
Date: In the year of
our Lord 2013(12.15.13 Sunday at 7:45 am in Charlotte, NC).
All previous editions
of Ahava Love Lettercan be found on this Blog, and our newest
website: Ahava Love
Letters
Grow some fruit today!
