Today the world is joyless, full of shadows, disillusionment, and fear. Freedom is rapidly disappearing from the face of the earth, an a great many of the things that bring happiness and pleasures in life are also disappearing. Yet, The joy which the Holy Spirit brings to our lives lifts us above the circumstances of our lives. Joy can be ours, even in the midst of the most trying situations. Nehemiah 8:10 reminds us that “… the joy of the Lord is our strength” Our spiritual joy is not dependent on our circumstance. God, by His Spirit, directs His joy to our bleak, problem-riddled lives, making it possible for us to be filled with His joy regardless of what is going on around us. Joy is different from happiness, as happiness is momentary, but joy is deep and abiding despite the worst of what life may bring to us. The Joy of the Lord is the flag that flies above the palace when the king is in residence. Check your heart, and see if the King of kings, Jesus Christ, is in residence in your life. If so, remember 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, raying without ceasing, in everything give … READ MORE

There should be no more distinctive mark of the believer than love 1 John 3:14). No matter how else we may bear our testimony for the Lord, the absence of love nullifies it all (1 Cor. 13:1-3). Love is greater than anything we can say, possess, or give, and if love does not characterize our lives our life will be empty. The reason for this is that God’s greatest demonstration of love was seen at the cross where He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. We must understand that love is more than the emotional response that we see in movies, Love is manifested not by what we say, but by what we do. Love is an act of the will, and that is why our wills must first be yielded to Christ before we will begin to bear this Characteristic in our lives. The love that comes from our flesh is really selfish in nature while Biblical love (agape) involves self-giving. It is easy to say we love others, and be completely honest and sincere in our expression, yet we often do not see the lonely person in the crowd, we ignore the sick or … READ MORE