“Regeneration is the point from which all true pleasure commences; you never live a cheerful day till you begin to live to God.”
~ John Flavel
“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
~ Psalm 16:11
“Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord”.
~ Philippians 3:1a
Prayer Life Pause: Dear Lord, may I always and at last rejoice in You. When all else may fail, when this world might seem to overwhelm, let my heart settle itself near to my Lord Jesus and rejoice in Him. In Jesus’ name, amen.
“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”
~ Philippians 2:1-2
Prayer Life Pause: Heavenly Father, fulfill the joy of Your people by giving us like-mindedness, affection and love for one another as the Body of Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.
“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now”
~ Philippians 1:3-5
Prayer Life Pause: Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for the readers of this site. Bless and keep each one in Your sovereign loving care that their joy and fellowship with You might be complete. In Jesus’ name, amen.
“I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore”.
~ Psalm 16:8-11
Prayer Life Pause: Heavenly Father, help me to always set You before me that might heart remains glad and I can rest in the hope of enjoying Your presence and pleasures forevermore. In Jesus; name, amen.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
~ Galatians 5:22-23
Second in Paul’s list of Spiritual fruit is joy. But what is joy, Biblically speaking? Simply defined, we might say Spiritual joy is the solace and contentment that comes from knowing, loving and serving God. This kind of joy is not derived from temporal things, events or circumstances. Therefore, Spiritual joy is not easily removed from the heart of the true believer because our earthly conditions change. Joy that is a fruit of the Holy Spirit undergirds and consoles God’s people in the midst of their adversities, trials and tribulations. Joy, even in these situations, is evidence you belong to Him.
~ apl
Prayer Life Pause: Oh Lord, please grant me a profound and intense joy that can only come from Your precious Holy Spirit that I might not be to quickly moved to grief or sorrow because of things in this world. In Jesus’ name, amen.
“Be of good cheer! It is I…”
~ Mark 6:50
What a pronouncement! Such a blessed introduction! ‘It is I, thy Lord and Savior!’ Whenever Jesus comes to us, it should illicit cheer. His near presence in our lives is the only true source of peace, comfort and joy. The disciples feared the winds that had arose against them that night on the sea, but the Lord’s voice in a time of trouble brought calm to their souls. May we remember those wonderful words apply just as much today as they did when Christ first spoke them. He desires to be our delight and to bring serenity to our soul. Christ Jesus aspires for His presence in our lives to be the most celebrated thing about us. So be of good cheer, Jesus is here!
~ apl
Prayer Life Pause: Lord Jesus, continue to make Yourself the ever-flowing source of my hope and happiness. May the things of this world never replace the eternal joy of knowing, loving and serving You! In Jesus’ name, amen.
“For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.” ~ Psalm 149:4
What a splendid thought that the Lord takes pleasure in His people! God is not some mean ogre sitting in heaven with a scowl on His face merely seeking to consume us. No indeed! He takes great joy and satisfaction in the salvation of His people. And why not? It was the glorious work of His own Beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that accomplished it. Such marvelous truth and amazing love adorns and beautifies those who truly humble themselves and earnestly come before Him.
~ apl
“If each year should see one fault rooted out from us, we should go quickly on to perfection. But on the contrary, we often feel that we were better and holier in the beginning of our conversion than after many years of profession. Zeal and progress ought to increase day by day; yet now it seemeth a great thing if one is able to retain some portion of his first ardour. If we would put some slight stress on ourselves at the beginning, then afterwards we should be able to do all things with ease and joy.”
~ Thomas a’ Kempis
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.
~ Mark 10:45 (NKJV)
The life and ministry of the Lord Jesus was to serve others. Jesus came to serve, and to be an example of what it means to live a life serving, loving and helping others. Though Jesus was, and is, God in heaven, in coming to the earth, He took on the form of a servant. He came not with pomp and glory, but as a man in humble life. He practiced self-denial on their account, and for them was about to lay down his life.
Jesus came to us in the form of a servant in order not only to show us the importance of serving others, but also ultimately to give His life for us – the greatest act of sacrifice and servitude. We have to choose this day whom we are going to serve. The Lord or ourselves? Jesus wants us to take on the heart of the servant. To find fulfillment, peace and joy in serving others just as He did during this ministry. Pray to the Lord to grant you a servant’s heart. A pure desire to see the needs of others even above your own. To think and esteem others before yourself. To humble yourself before God and man that you might better others through your acts of service. For, in the final analysis, when we really let our heart dwell upon it, is this not what Christ has already done for you?
~ apl
A Prayer Life 