Monday Moment of Joy in His Word

One of the things I’m thankful for in the summer is the slower schedule and the time to slowly savor God’s Word in the morning. This morning I was reading 1 Thessalonians and was encouraged.

Over the last few days, I’ve been thinking about the phrase “Relentless Positivity” that I got from the conference.  I’ve ALSO been thinking, though, about how much I want to enjoy this week and make it go slow because I am a bit nervous about how the new school year is going to go.

Change is hard.  I know it’s part of life, though, so I’ve been praying that I would find the joy even when things change.  This morning as I read 1 Thessalonians, I was reminded, once again that the joy comes from our God and Savior.

“We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thess 1:3 NIV

Look at that!!  Our endurance comes from hope in Him!  I don’t have to trust in my own strength to make it through life but I can trust in Him and find joy and hope in Him.  He is my Savior and Lord, and I can find strength and endurance in that.  Paul also was encouraging the Thessalonians because their labor was prompted by love.  That love comes from Him as well.  Is my labor prompted by the love of Christ?

I don’t have to go into this year stressed about all the change.  I can trust that He knows me and loves me and has a plan for me.  I pray that as you start this year that God would remind you to find hope and joy in Him and not in circumstances of life.

Monday Moment of Joy

Did you find one today?  Did you find a joyful moment?  One of mine was getting to sleep in!!  We had a delay because of the ice.  Definitely thankful for some extra sleep:)  Of course, it was a Monday AND we had a delay, so that caused some of my autistic students to have a hard time getting settled.   Although I was definitely exhausted by the end of the day, I could also see God’s hand at work.  In the middle of those meltdowns, one of the students asked for help in a way that we’d practiced over and over!  Yay for first times!  Another student excitedly shared how he had practiced and practiced a concept until he got it. The smile on his face was contagious.  (The best part was that he did it last night-a weekend, no less!!)

The beginning of my day didn’t start well, but a Christian friend who “happens” to be subbing in our building reminded me that “love is a choice” and that maybe we just need to move on from the hard situation.  Hmmmm….funny that one of my coworkers, who is NOT a believer had basically said that same thing last week about another situation.  Maybe God is trying to tell me something:).   Grateful for reminders that I’m not just here to teach but to share God’s love with those around me.  Where did you find your joyful moment?

Monday Moment

Monday Moment of Joy: did you find one today?

Tonight as I listened to Steve Green’s song “Oh I Want to Know You More,” I began to pray that I would want to know God more. So many times I get lost in the daily grind that I forget to stop and talk to My Savior. So, although I’m sure as I look back over my day, I can think of some things that made me smile, my prayer for tomorrow is that I look into His love and be stirred by His joy.

Check out “Oh I Want to Know You More” on YouTube or iTunes. Then get lost in listening to other Steve Green songs. A Mighty Fortress is Our God is one of my favorite!