Devotionals & Poems

Posts tagged Joy

Joyful and thankful

Joyful and thankful

Philippians 4:4 says “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” The Greek word here for rejoice according to the original Greek is to be filled with cheerfulness and happiness.  And the word “always” means just that, being defined as “every when” or “at all times”; the importance of this in the Christian’s […]

The valued pearl (Parables of Jesus ...

The valued pearl  (Parables of Jesus part sixteen)

Jesus often used parables emphasizing the same truth but from a different viewpoint; perhaps this way more people would understand these truths, then too, repetition of a thing emphasizes its importance. Today we are returning to Matthew 13:44-46 where in our previous meditation we noted two parables pertaining to the value of the kingdom of […]

Two sons (Parables of Jesus part nin...

Two sons  (Parables of Jesus part nine)

In Luke 15:11-32 Jesus tells a story of a father with two sons. Since we do not have space in this meditation to talk about both sons we are focusing on the younger, who approached the father asking to receive his inheritance early. According to Jewish law at the father’s death the younger son would […]

Rejoicing in hope

Rejoicing in hope

  The first of Peter was written by this Apostle to first century Christians living in various places of Asia Minor and suffering rejection by the world around them, they were grieved or distressed by various trials which likely included persecution, etc. because they were followers of Christ. Following Christ is not always an easy road […]

Distress, pain, and worry

Distress, pain, and worry

Distress, a close relative of pain, anxiety, and grief, are among Satan’s “big guns” in his attack on Christians. It is on the opposite end of the spectrum from joy and gladness! Jesus wants His followers to be joyful, telling us, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, […]

Poverty (Beatitudes part one)

Poverty (Beatitudes part one)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, this is the first of nine blessed’s in Matthew 5:3-12. The Greek here means to be supremely blessed, and through extension to be fortunate or well off, the Amplified Bible using happy as an alternate or explanatory word. To be poor in […]

He is not here

He is not here

The story of Christ’s Crucifixion is brought to us by all four gospel writers, but would be incomplete without the accompanying account of His Resurrection. Atonement for sin was made through His Crucifixion and the shedding of His blood, but New Life is obtained through His Resurrection! On that Resurrection morning more than two thousand […]

What Joy What Delight

What Joy What Delight

Pleasure, that feeling of enjoyment and delight, or that which gives it to us; other words that describe pleasure include happiness, bliss, contentment, satisfaction, and gratification. In Psalm 16:11 David, speaking to God, shows us the place of lasting pleasure saying, “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of […]

Two Kinds Of Pleasure

Two Kinds Of Pleasure

Pleasure is a feeling that is joyful and delightful, bringing with it a sense of satisfaction; we could include enjoyment and happiness as synonyms. There are really two kinds of pleasure, the first we tend to chase through things the Bible describes as “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the […]

 Overflowing, Un-understandable, Exub...

 Overflowing, Un-understandable, Exuberant Joy

Peter, in his first epistle, addresses people who because of their commitment to Christ are suffering various trials and rejection by their fellowmen, with such opposition that in 4:12 he refers to it as a “fiery trial”. Yet in spite of all this Peter takes note of, and thus encourages them to continue in their […]