God's Gift of Joy
Romans 14:12-23
"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
(ROMANS 14:17)
Sometimes it's truly hard when the difficulties of life rise up against us to find joy or to enjoy the "new life" that Christ has secured for us. My colleague, Harold Sala, describes joy as "the flag flown over the castle of your heart when the king has taken up residence and rules from your heart's throne." God's Kingdom is within us, and as we live out our relationship with Him, His touch on our life yields His spiritual blessing. Joy comes when we discover Someone who makes a difference for us. That is the most obvious advertisement of our Christian faith.
In 1975 several U.S. service personnel and a few of us missionaries traveled to a retreat center in northern Okinawa. We'd set off on a weekend to rediscover God in a special way and enjoy fellowship together. What a joyful time it was! We knew that in spite of the war in Southeast Asia raging and casting a shadow over everything, all was well between the Lord and us. May you know God's gift of joy today, even in the battles of hard circumstances.
About the writer:
We welcome back longtime Haven friend and Anchor writer, Rev. Dick Johnson. Through a long career as a hospital and law enforcement chaplain, Dick has seen many a troubled heart through life's difficulties and on to joy in the Lord. He and his wife Linda live near Santa Cruz, California and testify there that despite the tragedies of life, the Lord has indeed made them glad.
INSIGHT
GOD'S GIFT OF JOY IS BASED ON HIS UNCHANGING PROMISES AND THE SPONTANEOUS WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN US.
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
1 Chronicles 14-15
Proverbs 31
Revelation 18-19
Romans 14:12-23
New International Version (NIV)
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.
22 So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.[a]
Footnotes:
a. Romans 14:23 Some manuscripts place 16:25-27 here; others after 15:33.
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Our culture tells us that everyone has a soul-mate, that romance is what matters most in marriage, and that remarriage is a good way to start over. There is just one problem ... God's Word disagrees.
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