The Joy of Jesus

by Leonard Ravenhill

 Joy! What a scarce commodity that is. There are many who say that they are abiding in Christ. There are few who show that they are abounding in Him. Joy! How elusive. How indescribably blessed is the believer who has his soul filled with it.

Isaiah had predicted, “With joy shall ye draw waters from the wells of salvation.” Our blessed Lord in His high priestly prayer requested from His Father for His disciples, “That they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.” He prayed this for every soul that should ever believe on Him. “. . .for them also which shall believe on me through their word.” (John 17:20).

Joy is not created by possessions, or by positions, but by a Person—Him! Let me add, however, that joy is not an inflexible, unvariable thing. It is not a deposit placed in the soul after salvation without any chance of deterioration. It can stand all pressures satan or circumstances bring against it; but, and ponder this well, the sun of joy in the soul can be eclipsed by our own disobedience.

Joy requires at least two conditions: submission and service. “If ye abide” --submission—means staying put when it might seem smart to quit. It means believing God when it appears far wiser to believe everybody else. It means defying one’s feelings and fears and saying triumphantly, “Thy will be done!”

Joy comes through service. Most Christians are activists; they get caught up in some kind of church work. But not all of it is good. Not all of it is essential. Even missionaries find themselves tangled in lesser things than winning the lost. Unprayerful souls soon get diverted from the supreme task He appointed for them.

Exceedingly Precious

They shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; (Malachi 3:17)

But what will the honor be for us poor creatures to be reckoned by the Lord to be His crown jewels! This honor have all the saints. Jesus not only says, "They are mine," but, "They shall be mine." He bought us, sought us, brought us in, and has so far wrought us to His image that we shall be fought for by Him with all His might. C.H. Spurgeon 

Blind Skiers

"I will guide them ... I will not forsake them."

Isaiah 42:16 NIV

One day when he was skiing in Colorado, author Peter Lord saw some people wearing red vests with the words 'BLIND SKIER'. He thought, 'I have a hard enough time skiing with two good eyes, how can they ski successfully with none?' The answer was - they had a guide whose instructions they totally trusted and followed! As the guide skied beside them, he'd tap his ski poles together and assure them he was there. Then he'd say, 'Go right! Turn left! Stop! Slow! Skier coming up on your right!'

What a picture. Life is like skiing downhill blind. We can't see even five seconds into the future. We can't see the struggles to come or all the other skiers who might run into us, or over us. And those fears are heightened when we recall how often we've been blindsided by people we trusted and circumstances we didn't see coming. Humanly speaking, it leaves the strongest of us feeling vulnerable. And that's when we must place our confidence in the God who never changes and never fails. Here's what He has to say to you today:

'I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them' (Isaiah 42:16 NIV).

What is it that gets you through the unfamiliar places, the dark places, and the rough places in life? God's rock-solid promise: 'I will guide [you] ... I will not forsake [you].' And His assurance is all you need! Bill & Debby Gass

Bulldogs and Poodles

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you"
James 4:8 NKJV

The story's told of a bulldog and a poodle who were arguing one day. The bulldog was making fun of the poodle, calling him a weak little runt who couldn't do anything. The bulldog said, "I challenge you to a contest. Let's see who can open the back door of their house the fastest and get inside." The bulldog was thinking he would turn the doorknob with his powerful jaws, while the poodle was too small to even reach the knob of his back door. But to the bulldog's surprise the poodle said, "I can get inside my house faster than you can. I accept the challenge." So with the poodle watching, the bulldog ran to the back door of his house and jumped up to the doorknob. He got his teeth and paws around it and tried to turn it, but he couldn't get enough grip on the knob to do it, so he finally quit in exhaustion. Now it was the poodle's turn. He just did what he'd been doing every day for the last several years. He went up to the door and scratched a couple of times, then waited patiently. Within a few seconds his master not only opened the door, but picked him up in his arms, patted him on the head affectionately and carried him inside.

The difference was in the relationship. Some of us are bulldog Christians. It's all grunting, growling and trying to please God. Give it up! All God asks us to do is, "Draw near to Me and I will draw near to you."  Bill & Debby Gass