THE NEW EWE

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"

Luke 15:4-6

August 24, 2022

LIFE IN THE FOLD

When I was a kid, one of the songs I learned to sing was, "I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart... down in my heart... down in my heart.......I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart... down in my heart to stay."

The dictionary definition of joy is: a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. I looked up what the biblical definition of joy is and it says this: a feeling of good pleasure and happiness that is dependent on who Jesus is rather than on who we are or what is happening around us. Joy comes from the Holy Spirit, abiding in God's presence and from hope in His Word.

Another definition I found said: Biblical joy is choosing to respond to external circumstances with inner contentment and satisfaction, because we know that God will use these experiences to accomplish His work in and through our lives.

Joy is not something that comes natural. It is a choice. But joy, also, comes from the Lord, the originator of true joy. We have to receive His joy and choose joy to be our response to whatever circumstance we find ourselves in. That's not always easy to do; but if it were impossible, then scripture would not speak so clearly and so often about joy.

Ecclesiastes chapter 3 speaks about the various seasons that we all go through. Births and deaths, planting and harvesting, crying and laughing, grieving and dancing..... just to name a few. Some of those times cause joy to naturally flow from us and it is easy. But other times, it's hard to maintain joy in our lives.

Joy doesn't mean that we force happiness and laughter during sad circumstances. It doesn't mean that we fake it when we are enduring hardships and facing dire trials. But true joy is the being able to respond to life's difficult situations with inner contentment and satisfaction, while experiencing peace. We can do so, knowing that God is faithful and in control of whatever happens. We can rest in knowing that whatever God is doing or whatever is happening, He has a purpose in mind for us and His people. God can give us that kind of abundant and complete joy.

In James 1:2-4 he writes, "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."

James writes that it's not just an opportunity for a little joy or some joy, but we can experience great joy; or joy to the fullest, or the most complete joy.

None of us enjoys having our faith tested or our endurance/patience having a chance to grow. We'd much rather enjoy times of green pastures and still waters and having blessings poured out upon us. But we tend to grow content and complacent during those times. We get spiritually comfortable. When our faith is tested and we endure hardships or trouble, then we have to put our faith and trust in God, because only He knows the outcome and can give us peace and joy in the midst of our situation.

It's during times of difficulty that we need to stop focusing on the problem and turn our eyes upon Jesus. We need to stop trying to figure out how it's going to be fixed, and trying to figure out an answer or solution. We take it to the Lord in prayer, then trust Him to take care of it. We need to take time to stop and start counting our blessings and remembering those things that God has done for us in the past; knowing that He is the same yesterday, today and forever and never changes. What He has done for us in the past, He can do for us in the present and in the future.

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, "The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control."

This isn't a list where we pick and choose which fruit we want our lives to produce. It's not where we choose love one day, then when love gets too hard, we change our mind and choose joy, then move onto another fruit. But the Holy Spirit should be producing all of those fruit in our lives at all times. If we aren't producing one, or more, of those fruits, perhaps we need to ask the Father to prune that area in our life so that we can be fruitful in it once again.

Nehemiah 8:10 says, "For the joy of the Lord is your strength." If we lack strength and feel weak in our life or in our spirit, it's because we lack joy. We need to renew our joy in the Lord. Not joy in our self or joy in life or joy in our relationships or joy in work or in any other person or things; but joy in the Lord.

Psalms 28:7-8 says, "The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. The Lord gives His people strength...."

Know that God will help you, regardless of what you may be going through at this time. He is your strength and you can trust Him. He will fill your heart with joy, if you will choose to allow Him to do so. Then you can burst out in songs of thanksgiving and praise!

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

Sometimes we can go through years of what seems like a lifestyle of pain and heartache. It can be hard to find joy in those times.

One way to find joy is to imagine what heaven might be like. To be honest, I don't believe any of our imaginations or even visions that others have had can truly compare to what heaven will be like. But it is comforting to imagine how beautiful and peaceful it will be. The Revelation gives us some details. We know there will be a river and trees. All our needs will be met. Jesus will wipe away our tears. If I can't find joy anywhere else, I can at least find joy knowing that is my future.

We can also take joy in knowing that God has something planned. It is something we probably know almost nothing about. It will ultimately be for our benefit, but for the short term, it may be more for someone else's benefit. I find joy in the thought that my life is an example that will help someone else come to know Jesus. They may be better off for knowing me.

But honestly, neither case is the best joy. They are kinds of joy and peace I grasp at myself.

The best joy and peace are gifts from God. We have to stop focusing on ourselves, our own desires, our own plans, our own past and future. Then we can quietly feel the presence of God and the peace and joy He gives us. That is the deepest kind of joy.

ON THE MENEWE:

Breakfast Muffins

Preheat oven to 375.

Roll out crescent rolls and cut into 24 circles with a biscuit cutter. Spray twelve muffin cups. Place cut out crescent in each muffin cup.

Cook sausage; drain. Sprinkle sausage on dough in each muffin cup.

Whisk eggs, with salt and pepper, in a small bowl. Pour eggs on top of sausage until 1/2 full. Do not overfill. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Place the remaining circles of crescent dough on top of each muffin cup.

Bake until golden brown.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

Last week I stayed with my nephew's four kids, while their parents were at work. Their four-year old daughter really likes watching my iPad.... which she calls a tablet. One day she was wanting to watch it, but it was on the charger. I told her that my iPad was charging, so she needed to wait a little while. She said, "Retta, it's not called an iPad. It's a tablet, you silly goose!"

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Our relationship with God is not about performance or perfection,

it's all about placement...being IN Christ. - Luke Lang

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org