Enjoying God Is a Command
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“Scripture shows that well-instructed believers develop a determination to rejoice. They will rejoice in the Lord. Habakkuk exemplified this in difficult days (see Hab. 3:17–18).” - Sinclair Ferguson
On the Fruit of the Spirit, Part 3: Joy
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“If you scan through the uses of this word in the NT, you can’t help noticing something that you may find surprising—the frequent connection of joy with trials.” - Olinger
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“Scripture shows that well-instructed believers develop a determination to rejoice.”
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“In Romans 5:1–11, Paul leads us from rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God (v. 2) to joy that comes in tribulation (v. 3) to exulting in God Himself (v. 11; see Ps. 43:4). The unbeliever finds this incredible, because he has been blinded by the joy-depriving lie of Satan that to glorify God is the high road to joylessness.” - Ligonier
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Why Do We Add to Our Trouble?
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“We are so often drawn to bad news more than good, to evidences of depravity more than evidences of grace. Why then should we be surprised that our feet grow heavy, that our pace begins to falter?” - Challies
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Recovering Our Joy in Ministry
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“I’ve known pastors who communicate that the ministry is a great burden, but they bear it for the Lord’s sake. I’ll agree there are plenty of burdens in the ministry, but we need to recover the joy.” - SBC Voices
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From the Archives – Finding Happiness in Difficult Times
We’re a week or so into February, so today’s article has a bit of romance for Valentine’s Day and much application (finding happiness in life) for the other days of the year. I came across this true account from Reader’s Digest:
My cell phone quit as I tried to let my wife know that I was caught in freeway gridlock and would be late for our anniversary dinner. I wrote a message on my laptop asking other motorists to call her, printed it on a portable inkjet and taped it to my rear windshield.
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“Christian joy stands out among a sad and sullen people”
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The Christian is a joyful being! He’s one who has come to know God and hopes to know him more fully, indeed, to know him face to face in glory where there will be an eternal enjoyment of who He is and who we are in Him. In this world, this kind his joy is contagious.” - Ref21
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Practicing Gratitude: Grateful Heart, Grateful Life
By Diane Scallon
Did you know that practicing gratitude can rewire your brain? Yes, the brain, this amazing creation of God, can be rewired! Gratitude is a heart change that leads to behavioral change, ultimately improving your physical, mental, and spiritual health and even cultivating a delight for life.
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Pastors, Choose Gratitude Over Grumbling
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“People questioned his apostleship, favored other leaders, and badmouthed his authority and gifting. But what stands out from Paul’s letters is the way he consistently chose gratitude over grumbling.” - TGC
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From the Archives – The Neglected Power of Christian Joy
Paul lists three great virtues, “faith, hope and love” in 1 Corinthians 13:13, yet he informs us that “love” is the greatest of the three. Two books of the Bible are devoted to the virtue of wisdom: Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. How can anyone underestimate the importance of wisdom in light of this? But the fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22-23) and the armor of God (Eph. 6:14-18) are two more examples of “virtue lists” found in God’s Word—and there are many more.
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