Finding ‘joy in life’ comes in many different ways. Everything about us helps us to find that joy if we are seeking it from a ‘God Perspective’. God will take every expectation, life experience and even our personality to contribute to our JOY if we let Him!
Included here are 10 ways to ‘find joy’ in this life. The paradox of that sentence is that the JOY is there already; we just have to be able to identify it and BELIEVE it!
Are you able to find JOY today in your life? Some would say, ‘seriously’? ‘I can’t even find the bathroom on certain days’….
Maybe we are not looking in the right places to see and experience the JOY IN OUR LIVES! God gives us all the tools to find and keep the JOY in us. We just have to examine ourselves to see it all clearly!
Psalm 19:7-11 “The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.”
Where do you find JOY in your life? This is the beginning place to see where it is or isn’t coming from.
Here are some points to consider when searching for the JOY OF THE LORD:
© NOTICE WHAT IS RIGHT ~ Some see the glass as half full while others see it as half empty. We have to train ourselves to actually notice what is right in our life. Because of our sinful nature, we automatically turn to what can potentially happen that will be bad; the awful consequences or list out the negative! God intends that we ‘Notice What Is Right’ in our lives. Not the next door neighbor’s life; not our employer’s life; not even our spouse’s life. What is ‘Right’ in our own lives. Too much of our time is taken up with examining others lives. Let’s spend the next month recognizing what is right in our lives!
© BE GRATEFUL ~ When was the last time you said ‘thank you’ and meant it? Was it today? Yesterday? Last week? If we change our perspective on life and become a ‘grateful’ person that is thankful to just wake up, we can begin to TRAIN ourselves to be grateful. Be THANKFUL and GRATEFUL to God first of all. We each have so much to be thankful and grateful for. Keep your attention focused on being grateful.
© REMEMBER THE KID YOU WERE ~ Do you remember how to have fun and play? When was the last time you played? Everything in this life was not designed by God to be solemn. PLAY for Heaven’s Sake! Play with your children; play with your spouse; play with your family; other church members. Everyone needs to have some fun in their lives.
© BE KIND ~ It is one thing to watch and hear of others being kind and the softness it brings to our hearts; but ACTUALLY doing an act of kindness brings you to a whole different level in the Lord! Our kindness should be contagious to one another. It strengthens us as a group of believers too. Joy comes when we have done something selfless for another. When was the last time that we were kind just to be kind?
© SPEND TIME WITH FRIENDS ~ If you do not have friends that are yours; find some! Having friends that we can go to and talk to elevates our level of joy that much closer to the Lord. Find someone that you can talk about your life to that is outside of your home. Christian friends are part of God’s economy. They help us see truths about us that we may not see clearly without.
© SAVOR EVERY MOMENT ~ Part of our problems in this life is that we are always looking to the ‘next moment or the next event or next circumstance’. God calls us to live in the HERE AND NOW and learn to savor the moments of this life. That is part of experiencing JOY UNSPEAKABLE and FULL OF GLORY! When we are enjoying the moment; no matter what it may be; we are closer to JOY than we can possibly understand! So many times we are looking right past the JOY to see the next….
© REST ~ There are times when we just simply need to ‘rest’. This is so difficult because of the society that we live in. Everything around us screams for us to keep running or we may miss something! God says that to have JOY in us that NOTHING can press down – means we need to be rested to sense it. Take time to breath deep and enjoy some much needed rest. Do not feel guilty for resting. If our soul is in the LORD as it should be; He is aware that we need rest.
© PURSUE YOUR GOALS ~ EVERYONE needs to have goals. Set a goal and achieve it! You will gain a sense of purpose and desire. If we do not have personal goals then we are defeated and ineffective in our Believer’s walk. God always intends for us to move forward and grow in Him…how can we grow if we are not pursuing goals in Him?
© BELIEVE IN YOUR STRENGTHS ~ God gives each of us an ability to do something that others can’t do. What is that for you? Are you asking God to reveal your strengths to you? God has something in store for you that no one else can do for Him. BELIEVE that today and pursue it to the best of your ability. JOY is in finding that thing that you do for God that no one else can do!
© BEND IN THE LORD ~ To experience JOY in ways that we haven’t before; we MUST be willing to ‘bend in the Lord’. This means that we are willing to experience something that we have not before and believe that God is in it. This could mean a new ministry opportunity that you haven’t pursued before; attending a Christian concert; reading a book; etc. Do something that makes you a little uncomfortable in God’s Kingdom. Stretch out for Him. You may find that it will help you see JOY in a new way! We are so set in our ways that sometimes we miss the joy because of it! DON’T BE AFRAID TO BEND IN THE LORD!
JOY comes from the heart! Where is your heart today? Are we so set in stone that our heart cannot feel JOY or are we willing to pursue the very Heart of God to find it? Make your JOY complete today in the Lord by experiencing Him in some of the ways above!
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