for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
Dear Lord Jesus,
You are my Lord and Savior, and You are my best friend. There is no one else who can share the depth of grief I may feel or the heights of joy I experience. You know every feeling I feel to its fullest extent, every single hair that is on my head, and Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely (Psalm 139:4). I love the intimacy that I share with You, Jesus! For You love each and every one of Your children as if there were only one of us!
"God is the most glorified in us when we are the most satisfied in Him." - John Piper. The latest news, TV shows, fantasy land, Tik Tok and Instagram reels, and entertainment are all Satan's substitutes for joy. The more joy I have in Jesus, the less entertainment I need to fill me up. All I need is Jesus if I want to have real satisfaction and peace in my heart. With peace and satisfaction comes joy. All I need is Jesus if I want to feel joy in my heart. I find joy in Jesus when I come to Him and spend time with Him. I find joy in Jesus when I do my work for Him. I find joy in Jesus when I open His Word and listen to Him. I find joy in Jesus when I love and obey His Word. I find joy in Jesus when I reflect on who He is and what He did for me. Jesus is all I need if I want joy. He is the epitome of joy. He is the source of joy. And with my joy in the Lord, comes strength!
Of course, my brothers and sisters in Christ bring me great joy too! I need them to help strengthen me in my faith and daily walk with Jesus. We all have our own personal walks with Jesus, but we are here for each other to help and encourage one another on our way to heaven. My walk with Jesus should never be kept hidden or concealed from others as if it were a secret. Like any other joy we share, our joy in Jesus will be the fullest when we share Him with others. "The greatest joy is to know Jesus. The second greatest joy is to make Him known." Steve Lawson.
Lord, I pray that You help me share Your truth in boldness and confidence in You. I ask that You help me to never be ashamed of Christ and to never shy away when the opportunity arises to say Your name with conviction or to share the gospel with those who desperately need You. Help me put others' eternal souls above my own comfort and worldly reputation. Help me to be loving and gentle when sharing the Truth. And also help me to never compromise on the hard or uncomfortable parts of it. Help me tell the whole Truth in love.
Lord, give me the grace to always be a blessing to others and to glorify You in everything that I do, say, and think. When I live for the glory of God, I live out my God-given purpose, and that is wonderful! It brings me joy to bring You glory! The glory of God is none other than the glory of Jesus Christ, for they are one and the same. I want to live for You because You died for me, Jesus. Although I will stumble, I desire to obey Your Word and walk in Your ways because I trust You! Your Word is good and perfect in every way. And I know that by Your grace You will keep me from ever falling away indefinitely. The Holy Spirit gives me the grace to walk in Thy statutes and is the guarantee of my inheritance in heaven (Ephesians 1:14). How comforting is Your grace! I am secure in Your arms for all eternity! Praise You! Lord, thank you for choosing me, cleansing me of my sins, saving me, setting me apart, and loving me with an eternal love. What. A. Gift. You are my everlasting joy, Jesus!
All glory belongs to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
Love,
Jenna
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:7-11).
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16).