The Joy Luck Club“Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10) The Joy Luck Club is a 1993 movie starring Rosalind Chao and Tamlyn Tomita based on the Amy Tan novel about Chinese-American women who bonded with their mothers. Luckily, we don’t have to be female or Chinese to experience the luck of joy. Joy is not a fuzzy, happy feeling we’re supposed to have every now and then when we can have it our way like at Burger King. Joy is much greater than that because joy is one of the most potent spiritual forces in the world. Joy is absolute pure strength, and that’s what makes it so crucial. We can’t live a life of faith in the Word of God without being strong in the joy of the LORD. In fact, when God wants to make us strong, joy is what He uses to get the job done. Even though we can buy Joy in various flavors, colors and sizes to wash our dishes, the Bible is replete with commands for us to be in a state of joy, to rejoice and rejoice always. Joy is far more powerful than happiness because although money can attempt to buy happiness, it surely cannot buy joy. Joy is not just a state of mind nor is it a fleeting emotion. Joy is priceless and permanent as a very real force, and if the devil cannot steal our joy, he cannot keep our goods. Just as fear has to yield to faith, disappointment has to surrender to joy. Since joy is one of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, we already have it residing within us along with peace and love. But to be in the joy luck club we must develop it, confess it, and live by it. No matter what circumstances we face, we can be full of joy as we rejoice and enjoy the fellowship we have with God. We can be strong in the LORD as we meditate daily on His Word and seek His face. We can enjoy the infinite supply of the Holy Spirit within us and come out joyfully on top every single time.Copyright © 2002 Eddy Ministries. All rights reserved. Subscribe/Unsubscribe: eddyn@earthlink.net
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