Joy
First of all, let me clarify my beliefs on what joy is. Joy is not happiness, in fact, they are almost opposites in my book. Happiness, to me, is a temporary, hollow sense of pleasure induced by worldly pleasures. Joy, on the other hand, is an eternal state of euphoria that warms and even melts the hard outer shell of your heart, and it is a feeling that is induced only by God and His miracles. I remember the first time I felt joy was when I accepted Jesus into my heart at the age of eleven. I also vividly remember describing it through tear soaked, choking sobs of joy as feeling "like I was out in the coldest, frozen wasteland and Jesus just placed the warmest blanket on me, so I was not cold anymore." Don't get me wrong, I'm all for being happy, it's just that happiness will never hold a candle to joy.
"Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." - Nehemiah 8:10b (NIV).
The what? The JOY of the LORD, not the happiness of the LORD is your strength. It will keep you going even when hope seems lost, it will radiate through you and be known by everyone who crosses your path, it will be the fuel that makes you a light for Jesus. Joy is an incredible thing and a joyful lifestyle is one the I pray for you and I challenge you to have!
Peace
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:13 (NIV).
When is the last time you felt peace in today's hustle and bustle, utterly chaotic society? For some, it might've the 5th of never and for some it might've been just last night or right now. I know that it can be hard for me to feel peaceful sometimes when I'm faced with stressful situations and I have no doubt that you are all in the same boat with me on that one! When I experience a lack of peace, I try to take a little bit of time to talk to Jesus, the Provider of the most blissful peace. Even if I just shoot up a quick prayer that goes a bit like "Jesus, please grant me peace right now as I face and deal with this situation.", it almost always helps to calm me down because I know that Jesus will help me to handle whatever stress I'm under. It is also a good idea to have a few verses to keep in mind in chaotic or stressful situations. (Mine are Joshua 1:9 and Romans 8:37-39.) When you take a bit of time to consult with God or His Word when you are lacking peace, He will grant you peace and help you with your situation.
Love
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." - 1Corinthians 13:4-13
The type of love that these verses is referring to is not the love that you usually think of when you hear about love. The love that
Paul is talking about in this passage is agape love which is defined by Dictionary.com as "selfless love of one person for another without sexual implications (especially love that is spiritual in nature)". It is sometimes difficult for humans to demonstrate agape love because we have trouble with the whole selfless aspect of it. It's natural to us to put ourselves first, but we need to take note of the perfect example of agape love that is demonstrated by God in the verse John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (NIV). My prayer and my challenge to all of you is for you to take the characteristics of agape love that are listed in 1Cor. 13:4-13 and demonstrate that kind of selfless love towards everyone in your life.
Paul is talking about in this passage is agape love which is defined by Dictionary.com as "selfless love of one person for another without sexual implications (especially love that is spiritual in nature)". It is sometimes difficult for humans to demonstrate agape love because we have trouble with the whole selfless aspect of it. It's natural to us to put ourselves first, but we need to take note of the perfect example of agape love that is demonstrated by God in the verse John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (NIV). My prayer and my challenge to all of you is for you to take the characteristics of agape love that are listed in 1Cor. 13:4-13 and demonstrate that kind of selfless love towards everyone in your life.
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