LIVING A LIFE OF JOYSpeaker: Dr. Paul Dhinakaran Gist: God wants you to be filled with exceedingly great joy. Joy unspeakable will flow into you today. ‘Your sorrow will be turned into joy’ (John 16:20). When Jesus enters your heart, all your sorrow is turned into joy. What else do you need to live in this world? You are a different person once you are filled with the divine joy. Following this, you can do anything for God’s glory and all things will be possible for you. Such is the joy that Jesus Christ grant you. He wants you to be happy.
Jesus Christ often asked His disciples, “My children, when you were with me did you lack anything?” And He (Jesus Christ) said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?" (Luke 22:35). So they (the disciples) said, "Nothing." They responded that they had everything. On hearing the name of Jesus Christ the demons fled. They never lacked in His joy, love, power and provisions but were honoured in the name of Jesus Christ.
In the same way, God wants us not to be just happy but to be filled with exceedingly great joy.
Several years ago, my father fell very sick. We had to leave our grandfather and Whitee (our pet dog) behind in order to give him treatment in another country. My father loved Whitee and it also in turn showed great affection for him. My father used to fondly feed him with all delicacies even going to the extent of breaking the rules of feeding the dog. Whitee was afraid of my mother but loved my father very dearly. After we had left, Whitee did not eat or sleep properly. It kept whining all the time and waited for its master.
One day from the United States, we recorded a message of my father in the video format and sent it to my grandfather. My grandfather played the cassette in the hall and kept watching it. The voice of my father could be heard in the hall. Suddenly up went Whitee’s ears and he ran into every room thinking, “My master has returned” and at last found the voice coming from the hall. It ran and saw him on the television monitor and jumping up and down scratched it. Then he rolled on the floor and kept watching his master. Tears rolled down from my grandfather’s eyes who kept watching the actions of Whitee. Truly it was great joy for him because all that he wanted was the returning of his daddy home.
Today God is going to come close to you. He would ask you, “My dear child, what do you want?” and would fill you with indescribable joy. He would say, “It has been a long time that you struggled and have been lonely. You have cried out to Me for a very long time and therefore I have come to you. What do you want? Let me turn your sorrow into joy. Do not be worried. I will never leave you comfortless. Today I will bless you.”
Prayer
Almighty God
I praise and thank You from the bottom of my heart for having promised me that my sorrow would be turned into joy. I only desire to be filled with the anointing of the Holy Spirit because only then I would be having an unfailing fountain of joy in my heart. May your divine joy flow in, through and from within me this day.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen |