This was my co-worker, Chris Hahn’s staff email this morning. I wanted to share it. And i wanted it to be available to re-read from time to time.
“For this week, I have been led to challenge us with the simple word, “Joy”. It seems like much of what I’ve been reading and studying in the last 12 days has been emphasizing the fruit of joy in our lives as Christ-followers. I read a quote that says, “Joy is a person and His name is Jesus.” As I processed that, I felt the weight behind this statement. When I am not expressing joy, when I’m not walking in joy, when I’m not living joyfully, then I’m not expressing Jesus. I’m not walking in Jesus. I’m not living Jesus-fully.
Think about how joy is produced as a fruit in your life. If it helps, make a list of all of the ways you have expressed joy recently. Maybe on the other side of the page, make a list of all of the times where you have sensed zero joy….times when you expressed anything but joy. Which list is longer? What’s that say about the fruit of joy in your life? What’s that say about Jesus in your life?
This is our prayer focus for the week. Pray for joy. Pray for an indescribable joy that is seen on your face, in your eyes, in your responses to people, in your requests from people, in your actions with your hands and feet, in your thoughts. Pray that when people walk away from you, they are thanking God for the joy that they’ve experienced in you. Because, after all, if joy truly is a person and His name is Jesus, don’t we want more joy? More of Him?
Pray with all kinds of intensity this week that you will be a person of joy….that WE will be a PEOPLE of joy. The world (and even our co-workers!) needs to experience true joy and we have it. We just have to share it. Pray that Galatians 4:15 can never be asked about us – “What has happened to all your joy?”
Thanks for taking the time to pray this week. It is the most important thing we can do.
Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all JOY and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
1 Peter 1:8 – “….you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious JOY…”
#bestteamontheplanet
– -Chris
