JOY-STEADFAST

 "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffereed a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." NIV 

"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." KJV

"In His kindness God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation." NLT

1 Peter 5:10

I want to be steadfast...the journey one day began.

After completing the use of the word steadfast and its meaning this is how the verse when expanded could read.

Expanded look at the verse after the study:  And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself, restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast, (established, He will lay a basis, or erect, consolidate, a foundation, substruction.)

My conclusion is: Jesus revealed God’s grace for us. He loved us so much that He calls us to this eternal hope for rich purposes. We have momentary troubles, but we all need to know, after the troubles He promises to restore us, makes us strong. Most importantly, we must be so sure that we believe at the core of our being there is a foundation established that no trouble or storm of life can destroy. When a storm is approaching, we REST ASSURED that God has prepared us, laid a basis for, a foundation of rock so strong nothing, I mean nothing can cancel that plan. The world is cancelling all sorts of worldly things that we have grown to depend on, things that we cannot even take into eternal glory with us, things that are not in the core foundation of God’s foundation of truth, from the beginning of time. The Lords asks us, Do you realize He’s got this?! You’ve got all you need to exist.

YOU DO NOT NEED ANYTHING ELSE UNLESS HE SAYS SO!

 Psalm 57:7 

"My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast" NIV

"My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident." NLT

"My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed.

The psalmist JOY overflows and he continues I will sing and give praise (make music).

This word of the soul brings us JOY and always gives us a sense of confidence.

JOY-DON'T JUDGE ME-ONE THING I KNOW

 "Don't judge me", I forced the words out in the middle of a hysterical laugh. I said this to a young gentlemen as I got to the window at the McDonalds drive-up. LOL! I had just waited in a line hyper focused on the  CRUMBL COOKIE box sitting in the passenger seat next to me. Like a dog waiting for a treat I was dreaming of biting into one of the deluxe cookie. I rolled the car through the speaker where I would have ordered, taking pictures of the box and content to send to my family members via text, for I knew I had beat them all by getting to the newly opened shop! I was so excited to brag that I missed the speaker and my order. 

I woke up to the reality of what I had done and all I could do is laugh hysterically. Thus when I got to the window I could pay for nothing because I had not ordered. The boy responded with a laugh, "I won't judge." I just had to come clean that I truly was in line yet forgot to order, "Can I order now?" "Sure", the boy graciously accepted my order and I paid.

Do I even ask you if you have ever done this?

"It is such a Lainey thing to do", declared all my family members!

Maybe a better question to get to the point. If you were given the opportunity to do anything in the world you wanted, what would you choose to do?

I am constantly writing about our fast paced lives filled with many choices. Like the amount of stores, restaurants, baked good shops and travel destinations.

David the psalmist wrote, "ONE THING I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple. Psalm 27:4."

David the man after God's heart sums up his existence by this catchy opener "ONE THING". This has got a grip on me since I read it a week ago. In fact I woke up last night with the phrase on repeat in my head. 

I'm sure you know someone who died recently, end of life situations is always a wake up call!

We must not race through the grieving process with out asking ourselves, "Death, what is after that?"

#eternitymatters

#crumblcookies is fun! God gave us fun! 

BUT

ONE THING, sums up what really matters.

Pray with me: Lord help me to put things in perspective with "One Thing." 

Don't get crumbled up in the lies that a job, food, travel, bigger house, better car etc. really really matters in the end.

JOY-BREAKING POINT

There are so many catch phrases racing in my mind right now for these days.

My plate is full.

I am at my breaking point.

I want to give up.

There seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.

Are you kidding me?

One more thing and I may pop!

It's the straw that broke the camels back.

We won't take it off-the joy of the Lord is my strength

Put on strength

joy

love and

don't take it off!

 “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (ESV).  Romans 13:14"

Abiding in Christ and pleasing Him first.

Stop the breaking point with this spiritual truth, "Put on!"

The only way things happen. 

JOY-HEALTH

 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

I head out on a walk with this on my mind. My goal; to draw near to God. 

Friends, my sin begins to bubble up. My examination begins. But guess what? It is not scary! I am at peace...I am walking with Jesus...I trust what He wants to do in me. It is not fearful...it is wonderful. I love Him. I trust Him. I surrender to Him.

I heard a sermon right before I left and the speaker said. "Love is always....

So Jesus is always on your side and loves you.

I left talking to the Lord about searching me and Love always is patient...Love always is generous.

Am I always generous with my love.  "Love begets forgetfulness of self and forgetfulness of self is health."

There are 15 love attributes that is written in 1 Corinthians 13. Today I will stick on these two...Patience and Generous. 

Another thing I would like to share is a another speaker I listened to said, "God doesn't call the equipped, He equips those He calls."

It is always good to stand on the word of the Lord. 

It brings health to your body, mind and soul!

The joy ride continues with celebration! Nehemiah finished the wall and the people declare, "because they now understood the words that had been made known to them." Nehemiah 8:12-13

The Israelites were so overjoyed at the festival of booths, they found branches and built themselves booths on their own roofs, or courtyards, slept in them for 7 days to remind them of their exile journey where they lived in booths and walked with God. "They had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great!" Nehemiah 8:17

Finally at the dedication of the wall, "And on the that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The woman and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be hear far away." Nehemiah 12:43

Friends just imagine such a celebration being heard here on earth far away. We need a revival of this magnitude!

Never have we experienced anything in life better than knowing Jesus and his words!

Generously God always extends understanding when we focus on HIM!