Let God's Joy Surround You

Let God’s Joy Surround You “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1: 2 Do you have pure joy in your life? I have been reminded of this scripture for the past year or so, as I have a dear friend who stands out in our church and is always bubbling over with the joy of the Lord. About two years ago he seemed to have everything together in his finances as his business was flourishing and everything was rosy for his future. However, almost as quickly as everything had increased, his business began to grow sour and his revenues began declining. Several members of the church counseled with him to help him in any way we could, but were not able to do much to help him get out of his dilemma. The result was that he lost much of his wealth and his business was basically lost. Through all of this trouble however, the joy of the Lord still shown through him and still does today. His faith has not wavered and the joy of God still shines from him for all to see. The Bible tells us in Psalm 16:11 “you will fill me with joy in your presence.” The presence of the Lord is still with him during his times of trouble as it was with him in his times of plenty. I believe this is what the presence of God can do in our lives when we have given our life over to Him. Even though we may still have troubles and trials in our life, His presence is still there with us. This is the situation that David was in throughout his life. He had troubles and trials and also had his good times, but the presence of God was always with him. I would encourage each of you that when you feel like your joy is beginning to wane, to get into the presence of God and He will restore you, and will fill you with joy and give you the strength to withstand your troubles. My Daily Devotional Volume III April 29 Ribert William Brock, Jr.