"Real Joy"

"And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts." (Psalms 119:45)

  This is really not a stretch; no pun intended. Whether you know it or not, even though the "Gate" might be narrow, the area that is on the other side of the Gate is wide, exceedingly wide! Paul quotes this Scripture in 1 Corinthians 2:9, saying, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." Yes, it is abundantly clear, our joy is founded in the abundance of God's grace! He never ceases to amaze me; over and over again, as much as I might make a mess of things, He is willing and able to turn it all towards good. This is what God is speaking to my heat through this verse this morning. It is real, this incredible joy we have, because it does not get taken away by anything that can happen in this life, absolutely nothing! If, by some happenstance your joy has left, it is because you have made the choice to not count whatever is happening, in or around you, as something to be joyful about; plain and simple. If God has promised us that He will get us safely through to the other side, then His word is more than enough to assure us it will happen! This is the beauty of trusting in the Lord, because there is nothing that can go wrong, even if you happen to make a mistake, He is right there to make it all work out towards the good, one way or another...

"Jesus said to the people who believed in him, "You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." "But we are descendants of Abraham," they said. "We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, 'You will be set free'?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent part of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free."" (John 8:31-36) NLT