Remember this?

“I walked away from yesterday's WOP trying to put words to what I was feeling about Joy!  As you know, my life scriptures are below! The Joy of the Lord is my strength...............and how do I get it..........by being in His Presence where I find FULLNESS of joy!

I was talking with my daughter last night and was frustrated about trying to put words to what I feel deep within my soul of JOY ......the joy that is FULL! Being raised in a home where children are not heard, I never was allowed to have an idea, or opinion (spoken of).....and therefore, I just "felt" without putting words to those feelings......  However this morning I was compelled to look it up and try to put words to it!!!!............I found out that the book of Ecc. speaks a lot of joy and how Solomon did everything he could to "attain" joy with servants, things, possessions, beautiful things, etc.......but in Ecc 2 he comes to the conclusion that he can have NOTHING apart from God!  I then Googled biblical definition of Joy and came upon a website bibletools.org under the fruit of the spirit joy! OMIGOSH It is awesome.   Guess what???  No wonder I cannot put words to it........It is toooooo INDESCRIBABLE for me to even put a word to it.........It IS the FULLNESS of the Lord living in me....and it comes out of me as gratitude…….pleasure….....delight….....contentment……..wonder.

of all that HE has done! I think it is where my  "wonder" comes from as I see a butterfly, smell a rose, see the early morning sunrise and late afternoon sunset........it stems from the ONE who lives in me. ...............I find my joy in HIM!!!!...........no matter what I have had to face!!! Although it has diminished at times in my life, it is always there deep inside of me........and it comes back as I "GET INTO HIS PRESENCE! and for me that is praise!

 ........anyway, I had to get this down for myself and wanted to share with you all. Thanks for letting me share it!

. . .And since we were also talking about purpose, I thought you would also be interested in this: "Biblical joy is inseparable from our relationship with God and springs from our knowledge and understanding of the purpose of life and the hope of living with God for eternity when there will be joy evermore. If God is actually present in our lives, the joy He experiences can begin in us (Psalm 16:11). Joy is the sign that life has found its purpose, its reason for being! This, too, is a revelation of God, for no one can come to Him and find the purpose of life unless He, by His Spirit, calls him and reveals it (John 6:44; I Corinthians 2:10).?

Biblical joy is bound up in our relationship with Him and our understanding of what is happening to our minds. We walk to the beat of a different drummer than this world because we understand God's overall purpose. We know we have been forgiven and have a place in His purpose because we now have His Spirit. No more life-changing experience can ever happen to a human than when God calls and understanding dawns. It forever alters our perspective on life itself and on the things we formerly trusted to give us satisfaction.

Henceforth our joys must arise from yielding to fulfill God's great creative purpose and seeing it accomplished. This is why we were born! Because of this, we can look forward to hearing Him say:  Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord. (Matthew 25:21)  Love, Judy"

Judy talks with emotion and feeling--and the ellipses (.......) that she uses in her writing actually convey that, so I included them.  She is a woman who has experienced a lot of life, and its sorrows, but knowing her as I do, I would say that it is true--'the JOY of the Lord is her strength!'  Joy has made its home in Judy, and where Judy is, there is joy.  

Good Day, Friends~ and may you experience the joy of the Lord,

Christine