Tag: joy
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For the Joy Set Before Him
Imagine you can have everything you’ve ever truly wanted. Deep, perfect relationships with everyone you love. Life with God, seeing Him face to face without any cause to doubt that you are fully known and fully loved. Freedom from fear, want, and pain. Access to every answer, every good opportunity, every wonderful place and experience….
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A Gift to You (Christmas Praise 3)
The Angel’s Good News “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped…
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Standing Out and Standing On His Promises
No vacation will ever beat our honeymoon in my memories. I’d just turned 21. He was fresh out of college and I had one semester left. The two pennies we had to rub together reflected our motto the day we said I do: In God we trust. Generous loved ones let us stay in a…
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God-sized Dreams Never Die
Someone tell me I’m not the only one! There are moments where the thought that I could die anytime at all strikes me silly. I’m not worried about where I’m going. I believe God’s Word in 2 Timothy 4:18- He will deliver me safely into His Kingdom. I know my loved ones and that they’d…
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The Gift That Satisfies
We have an unfortunate tendency of focusing on gaining satisfaction, especially during the Christmas season. From gift-giving to maintaining traditions “just so,” we seem to think we’ll feel full if we treat ourselves to “enough.” Yet the gifts Jesus gives focus on our fulfillment or completion in Him, not on a temporal feeling or fleeting…
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(Could It Be A) Silent Night
Christmas cheer tends to be a cacophony. Joy is often boisterous; excitement and anticipation tend to cause exuberance. It’s during this season that we often blast the carols and sing along. We like to sit down and recite our favorite lines, laugh without reservation during classic Christmas movies. Parties are consumed by chatter. And the…
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O Come Next Year Immanuel
“At that time Mary got ready and hurried…” –Luke 1:39 Now that’s a line in the Biblical Christmas account we can relate to! Get ready. Hurry. There was even an element of “hurry up and wait.” Mary was off to visit 6-months pregnant (once barren) Elizabeth. Mary remained there with her 3 months, presumably waiting…
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It’s Almost The (Maybe) Wonderful Time of the Year
Soon the roasted turkey will be packed away for future meals. The pie dishes will be rinsed clean. It often seems that all those thanks are then simply swept away as we hurry to get ready for Jesus coming. We are a people of “next things.” In our present time, the end of Thanksgiving seems…
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Letting Joy Last
I had good news. A bunch of it, actually. It seemed the Lord decided to bless my husband and I immensely all at once, in so many ways. As I told my friend, I smiled with joy…and then I moved on. Instead of praising the Lord with my friend and laughing and simply enjoying the…
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Stop Apologizing for Your Joy
I was eating chocolate, wiggling around, singing out loud, and beaming early that morning. A simple answered prayer had me celebrating with the Lord, bursting with joy. Eventually my routine brought me to social media, a place where I delight in encouraging others in the Lord. Guess where my makes-me-want-to-shout joy went? Tail between its…