5/01/04 Psalm 32:1
Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!
SIN
Sin colors the way we look at life. Sin demands that we put self first. Sin enslaves the heart so that we only see the world through the filter of evil. Sin destroys society, murders babies and all the other hot topic issues in today’s society that are on the surface illogical. Sin is evil beyond our ability to comprehend. When our sin is forgiven, there is a tremendous weight lifted off of our heart and lives.
5/02/04 Psalm 32:2
Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
FORGIVENESS
Jesus’ death and resurrection were required for my forgiveness. Sin is horrible and despicable. Sin is destructive to my relationship with the Father. Jesus forgives my sin. My daily time with Jesus is critical for me to live close to the Lord.
5/03/04 Psalm 32:11
So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!
FORGIVENESS
Forgiveness is a key for a growing relationship with the Lord. Obedience is necessary. I am called to obey the Lord. Obedience is more important to God than my sacrifice. Lord help me to obey You.
5/04/04 Psalm 33:1
Let the godly sing with joy to the LORD, for it is fitting to praise him.
PRAISE
Praise is a heart thing. The Lord lives in my heart. He knows what I am thinking. Genuine praise for the Lord begins in me. It starts with obedience, continues through a daily relationship and is evidenced by the way I live my life. Offering up praise to the Lord is the result of a heart filled with a relationship with the Lord. When Jesus is on my heart His praises will be on my lips!
5/05/04 Psalm 33:12
What joy for the nation whose God is the LORD, whose people he has chosen for his own.
JOY
Choosing Jesus is my responsibility. When I choose Christ the Lord chooses me. Tragically, freedom means that some will not choose the Lord as their savior. Pray for the lost. Live for the Lord.
5/06/04 Psalm 34:5
Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
JOY
Everything I do goes before the Lord. Those people that don’t pester the Lord with the small things in their lives don’t get answers for the big things. Jesus is Lord of all things.
5/07/04 Psalm 35:27
But give great joy to those who have stood with me in my defense. Let them continually say, “Great is the LORD, who enjoys helping his servant.”
JOY
You and I can have joy. Our relationship with the Lord will place joy in our hearts. We can also pray for those we love and those we know to have joy. Joy is the inner confidence we have that the Lord is effective in our lives.
5/08/04 Psalm 40:8
I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your law is written on my heart.”
JOY
I study the Word of God so that I might gain wisdom in how to live like Jesus. The Word guides me each day. Jesus speaks to me through His Word. Living my life for Jesus will result in a life that is under the authority of the Lord. When I know that the Lord is in control the result is great joy! Joy is part of the Christian lifestyle.
5/09/04 Psalm 40:16
But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, “The LORD is great!”
JOY
Jesus will change your life. Commit yourself to serving Jesus and your life will change. You will become a person that you like and respect. People around you will become those that you love and enjoy being with. Real joy is a product of your relationship with the Lord.
5/10/04 Psalm 43:4
There I will go to the altar of God, to God – the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!
JOY
When I go to the Lord I am spending time with joy. The Lord loves me and has my best good in His heart. It is pure joy to know that no matter what happens I have an eternal relationship with the Lord.
5/11/04 Psalm 45:7
You love what is right and hate what is wrong. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.
JOY
The more I become like Jesus the greater joy I will experience in my life. The things I think, the things I do will produce joy because my heart is serving and focused on the Father.
5/12/04 Psalm 51:12
Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.
FORGIVENESS
I want to make sure that I am living right. I want to make sure that I am not habitually sinning. The Father will give me His joy as I spend time with Him and put what He says into action in my daily life. When I am with Jesus I will have joy.
5/13/04 Psalm 68:3
But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God’s presence. Let them be filled with joy.
JOY
When I am in the presence of the Lord I will have joy. The choices I make each day determine the joy that I will experience that day. Events, activities and accomplishments don’t create joy. A living and growing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to have joy as the foundation of an active life.
5/14/04 Psalm 69:32
The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help live in joy.
JOY
God is with me. My faith in Him gives me the spiritual eyes that I need to see Him at work in all areas of my life. The world’s actions are easy to see. The activity of the Lord is discerned in our relationship with Him. Seeing the Lord at work in our lives is His gift to us to encourage us as we serve Him.
5/15/04 Psalm 70:4
But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, “God is great!”
GIFT Salvation is a gift that comes from the Lord. It is all of Him and fully available for any one of us to claim. We choose the Lord but He has already chosen us. I belong to Jesus because I accepted His gift. I want to know the Lord better each day.
5/16/04 Philippians 4:4
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice!
REJOICE
Circumstances do not affect my joy. My joy is rooted and grounded in the eternal Lord. I can be myself and live my life with the full knowledge that I count, my life is valuable and the Lord Jesus Christ will walk every step with me. I belong to Him.
5/17/04 Philippians 1:25
I am convinced of this, so I will continue with you so that you will grow and experience the joy of your faith.
FRIENDSHIP
We serve Christ together. It is our responsibility to honor, respect, care for and help each other. Jesus brings us together. Our service together adds strength to what we are doing in the Lord.
5/18/04 Ephesians 3:8
Just think! Though I did nothing to deserve it, and though I am the least deserving Christian there is, I was chosen for this special joy of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.
EVANGELISM
I am called to share Christ with everyone I meet. This is not difficult. Out of my growing relationship with Christ, the Lord of glory, I am able to talk authoritatively about what the Lord is doing in my life. Evangelism is simply telling. If I don’t have a growing relationship with Jesus there won’t be anything to talk about.
5/19/04 Galatians 5:22-23
But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.
HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit points us to Jesus. He doesn’t serve at our beck and call; He simply guides us to the Lord Jesus. When we come to Jesus we will change. If I am not changing day by day, I am refusing to listen to the Holy Spirit and fellowship with Jesus.
5/20/04 Romans 14:17
For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
JESUS
Jesus is God’s everything. When the Holy Spirit leads us to Christ we have an opportunity to live under His control. If I refuse to spend time with Jesus and refuse to obey Him I will fail as a Christian. There is no Christianity apart from Christ.
5/21/04 Romans 4:8
Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord.”
FORGIVENESS
I am free in Jesus. Free from all those past failures. Free from my current mistakes. In Jesus I am free to come to the Father and grow in my relationship with Jesus. Jesus is strong enough to forgive my sin and overcome my sinfulness.
5/22/04 John 17:13
“And now I am coming to you. I have told them many things while I was with them so they would be filled with my joy.
ALIVE
Jesus is alive. He lives in me. He lives in you. Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of life. When I live with Jesus one day I will walk with Him and talk with Him face to face.
5/23/04 John 16:22
You have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy.
JOY
Joy is the result of letting Jesus have control of your life. Everything you do will come under His scrutiny. My faith equips me to do what Jesus says. Obedience is the stairway to a life of growing faith in Jesus and faithful service to Jesus.
5/24/04 John 15:11
I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
JOY
My sin had a death grip on me. I was blind in my sinfulness and the things of God were not interesting. One day I accepted His offer of eternal life in Christ Jesus. My sins were washed away and Jesus came to stay. I now have joy each day.
5/25/04 Luke 19:6
Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.
JOY
When you come to Jesus you will have joy. Joy in your heart that the world cannot take away. Christ knows what you need and will work in your heart to equip you to deal with the obstacles you face each day. In Christ I can accomplish the plan that the Lord has for my life.
5/26/04 Luke 10:21
Then Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit and said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise and clever, and for revealing it to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.
JOY
Joy is not something you have because of your position or status in the world. Joy is in you because you have become a child of God. You have given your life to Jesus and are alive in Christ for eternity. Jesus is with you and equips you to deal with your life.
5/27/04 Luke 2:34
Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, “This child will be rejected by many in Israel, and it will be their undoing. But he will be the greatest joy to many others.
WORLD
The world will never accept Jesus. The very mention of His name causes an immediate reaction of rejection. Jesus loves you. He will be your strength and joy. Ask Christ to lead, guide and direct you each day.
5/28/04 Luke 2:10
but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news of great joy for everyone!
GOOD NEWS
You have good news in Jesus. Jesus loves you. You are no longer at war with the Lord. You have new life in Christ. God has a plan for your life and you are living it. You count and the things you do have eternal value. Good news from the Lord Jesus Christ.
5/29/04 Jeremiah 31:25
For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing.”
JOY
Life sidetracks us. It beats us down. Jesus equips us to see the truth of life. He is my joy. In Christ I have a growing relationship. The Holy Spirit guides me moment by moment. The weariness of life is replaced by an awareness of the eternal and an invigorating relationship with the Lord. God is in control.
5/30/04 Isaiah 61:10
I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels.
VALUE
The world only values the rich and famous. The poor and ordinary are shoved aside. In Christ you are a child of the Creator. Your value and worth is immeasurable by heaven’s standards. God loves you. The life you are living is a life that is precious to the Father. Christ died for you.
5/31/04 Isaiah 61:3
To all who mourn in Israel, he will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the LORD has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory.
JOY
Jesus is involved in your life. That is one of the Lord’s 7,000 plus promises in the Bible. You are not alone. Your work is important. Every person you meet is valuable. The life you live is a life that Jesus died for. Be encouraged. The Lord is with you.
