June 2: Believing Joy

Oh to

 "BE JOYFUL ALWAYS"

(I Thessalonians 5:16)

sounds IMPOSSIBLE,

only if you BELIEVE that it is IMPOSSIBLE

to BE JOYFUL ALWAYS.

But what if today is the day

TO BELIEVE GOD,

and I mean to

REALLY BELIEVE GOD,

even if what you see

and even if what you feel

makes you question

whether you WANT to BELIEVE

that GOD is GOOD ALL THE TIME.

Because

the TRUTH that

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME,

is the reason how you can

BE JOYFUL ALWAYS,

even if you what you see and feel is not so

JOYFUL.

For JOY isn't a fake smile,

For JOY isn't pretending that you are just "fine".

For JOY is so much more.

For JESUS had JOY

on the CROSS

through blood, sweat and tears,

as HE cried out,

"MY GOD MY GOD why have YOU forsaken ME"

(Matthew 27:47).

Hmm.

Where was HIS JOY in the midst of pain?

"..FOR THE JOY

 that was set before HIM endured the cross,

despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of GOD"

(Hebrews 12:2)

For JESUS BELIEVED GOD.

Of course JESUS BELIEVED GOD,

but think about it.

JESUS BELIEVED GOD and STILL CRIED out to HIM in HIS pain.

Hmm.

FOR THE JOY.

For our FOREVER JOY,

that is beyond the pain of the CROSS.

JOY is grounded in BELIEVING OUR FATHER.

What if you took BELIEVING to a whole never level

and became so STILL

so that

BELIEVING GOD IS GOOD

overwhelms you

to the point that

TEARS OF JOY flood your being,

even if mixed with the TEARS of despair that are rolling down your face.

I am not minimizing pain or hardship or grief.

As LIFE has brought me to times of great DESPAIR,

that to BE JOYFUL ALWAYS

was not even a thought in my brain.

BUT because GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME,

HIS GOODNESS always brings

 TEARS OF JOY,

even when JOY is nowhere to be found.

For JOY IS JESUS.

Oh to

BE JOYFUL ALWAYS is the FRUIT

from our CRIES to OUR FATHER.

Therefore,

Get Ready, Get Set, Go~

"Rejoice always and delight in your faith;

BE unceasing and persistent in prayer;

 in every situation [no matter what the circumstances]

BE thankful and continually give thanks to GOD;

for this is the will of GOD for you in CHRIST JESUS"

(I Thessalonians 5:16-18).

For GOD IS GOOD.

For why else would JESUS withstand the pain of the cross?

So we would never have to.

Oh

JOYFUL JUNE!

BELIEVE GOD

and

BE JOYFUL ALWAYS

because

GOD 

is

"THE GOODNESS"

in yours and my life!

(listen to the song below)