A double-shot of joy!

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Living with Joy”

Our Bible verse for today: “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “A double-shot of joy”

Chuck Swindoll is one of my favorite preachers and Bible teachers. Not only is his preaching and teaching deep, insightful, and very applicable to the issues of everyday life, but his illustrations are usually colorful and fun.

Perhaps the illustration from Chuck that had the most impact on me personally is one that comes out of his personal life. In addition to being a great preacher, teacher, and spiritual guide, Chuck is a lot of fun. He has a gregarious personality, he loves to laugh, and he gets great joy out of living. He once wrote a book about Paul’s letter to the Philippians (the letter of joy). The title of Chuck’s book was “Laugh Again: Experience Outrageous Joy.” I love that book! (Both of them – Paul’s book of the Bible “Philippians” and Chuck’s book about Paul’s book). On the back cover of Chuck’s book there’s a picture of him and his wife Cynthia sitting on Chuck’s Harley Davidson motorcycle. They’re both dressed in black leather with big smiles on their faces. The personalized license plate reads “The Sermonator!”

We live in an angry and contentious world today. There are wars around the globe; more humanitarian crisis’ than we can count; political upheaval in many countries; serious cultural differences that are dividing societies, friends, and families; and in our own country, we’re in the middle of a mean-spirited political season. There’s not a lot of good news out there right now and that could lead us all to become negative and even a little depressed.

I suspect you’re like me in that you could use a good shot of joy. In fact, how about a double-shot? The good news is that there is joy to be found in the Lord. In the early part of John chapter 15 Jesus was revealing elements of the relationship God wants us to have with Him. In verse 11 Jesus was clear that from that relationship God wants us to experience great joy.

All this month we will explore the idea of finding our joy in God and then living with joy. Perhaps you don’t own a Harley Davidson motorcycle, a complete set of black leathers, and a personalized license plate with a tongue-in-check reference to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character “The Terminator.” But I do hope you, and I, and all of us will learn to live with more of a light-hearted spirit and with a great sense of joy.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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