Day 28: Expectant Joy

"Consider it pure JOY, my brothers and sisters,

whenever you face trials of many kinds..." (James 1:2)

"REJOICE always" (I Thessalonians 5:16)

"Be JOYFUL in hope, patient in affliction" (Romans 12:12)

Hmm,

there is a theme here

that will always be a theme here on earth,

because GOD told us that

when things aren't the way we want them to be,

JOY is possible in the midst

"because

you know that

the testing of your faith produces

PERSEVERANCE" (James 1:3)

as you

"PRAY continually,

give THANKS in all circumstances" (I Thessalonians 5:17-18)

and

as you are

"PERSISTENT in PRAYER" (Romans 12:12).

It sounds like a lot of

PERSEVERING PERSISTENT work

for JOY to overtake you,

but what is the alternative~

to be joyless & hopeless & impatient

&

not communicating with the

ONE who asks you to

Be JOYFUL always

ans to

Be HOPEFUL

because you

PRAY

to the ONE

who is your

JOY & HOPE..

Oh how it is possible to be so consumed with

HIS JOY & HIS HOPE

because

PERSEVERANCE & PERSISTENCE

IN HIM

always finishes the race,

as your eyes are

fixed beyond what your eyes can see

in the here & now,

because you know that

one day that

being JOYFUL in trials

&

REJOICING in all circumstances

&

PATIENCE in affliction

will not require

PERSEVERING PERSISTENCE.

All because

one day

there will be

no more trials.

no more tears

no more fears

no more sorrows~

"For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long.

Yet they produce for us a glory

that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!..."(2 Corinthians 4:17)

Oh GLORY DAY!

For that is why

" we look not at the things which are seen,

 but at the things which are unseen;

for the things which are visible are temporal [just brief and fleeting],

 but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable"

Are you in the midst of a TRIAL?

Are you in the midst of a not so good CIRCUMSTANCE?

Are you in the midst of an AFFLICTION?

Oh I can answer YES!

And it is not fun.

But oh how

JOY BLOOMS

in the darkest spaces and places

when I remain

and when you remain

PLANTED IN CHRIST

for

HE IS THE JOY

that transcends all understanding

in the here & now

no matterwhat your here & now is.

Therefore,

 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer"

and

BLOOM JOY WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED

because

"THERE WILL BE A DAY"

(listen to the song below)