Family Devotion: He is Joyous!

Text: John 15:11 - “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

Also read Psalm 16:11
There are a lot of things that can happen in our lives that give us joy. Things like a new baby, a wedding, a family reunion, or a new friend. Joy makes our hearts feel good, even when we have problems in our lives. Others will see the joy in our hearts and wonder why we are joyful. Joy is deeper than just a happy feeling. Happiness is a fleeting feeling, which can change depending on what is going on around us. Happiness escapes easy when my big brother is picking on me, but joy goes beyond that.
As a Christian, joy is a deep down peace and contentment you experience even when things may not be going so well around me. While the joy you experience from this world will eventually fail, the joy God supplies will last forever. One person described joy as Jesus Overflowing in You. The reality of God’s presence and great love will always bring deep-down joy. God’s love truly dwelling within will manifest itself in not only loving God in response to His love for us, but also loving those around us. When God’s love is showing itself through us, our joy compounds and becomes full, for we are obeying His commandment (John 15:11,12). Another great acronym for joy is Jesus first, Others second, You last.
Are you a little short on joy? You don’t ever need to be short on joy! Start by growing in your relationship with God. Get to know Him and His great love for you through reading the Bible and prayer. As you remain in relationship with Him, your life will begin to show the fruit of His Spirit working in you, which is love. His love working in your life and flowing to others will bring great joy.

• How are joy and happiness different?
  
• Where does real and lasting joy in the life of a Christian come from?
  
• If you are short on joy, what can you do? 
  

Family Devotion: A Different Plan

Text: John 2:5 - “His mother said to the servants, ‘Whatever He says to you, do it.’



Also read John 2:1-11, Proverbs 3:5-6

Mary was Jesus’ mother and she submitted to His ways of doing things. Mary did not understand everything about Jesus, but she knew that He was the Son of God. While attending a wedding in Cana, Mary became aware that a problem existed; there was no more wine at the wedding party. Instead of trying to solve the problem on her own, she submitted to Jesus and allowed Him to deal with it as He saw best. She did not know if Jesus would perform a miracle, but she did know that He was capable of anything, and she put her trust in Him. She told the servants to do whatever Jesus asked them.

When you have a problem, do you try to deal with it on your own? Or do you bring your problem to Jesus so that He can deal with it as He sees best? We may think we know the best way for God to fix our problem, but He is much more wise than we are. It is wise for us to submit our lives completely to Him, like Mary, and allow Him to deal with the problem as He sees best.

Proverbs 3:5-6 is a great exhortation to those who need God’s help and direction for life-- through the daily circumstances we face and the major decisions we make. In these verses, we are reminded to not only to trust the Lord with our whole heart, but to acknowledge Him in all our ways. What does acknowledge mean? Make God a vital part of everything you do, every move you make. Like Mary, be content to leave your plans in His hands, and God’s plan for you will unfold.

• How did Mary show she trusted Jesus to do what He thought best?

• What are some ways that you can acknowledge Jesus in your life?

• According to Proverbs 3:5-6, what will happen to those who trust God with all their heart and acknowledge Him in all their ways?

Brand New Series: Miracles Of Jesus

We are excited about this brand new series we are starting this week called "Miracles Of Jesus."  Throughout these lessons we are going to explore some of the miracles of Jesus and see how we can trust God in all circumstances.  Our memory verse for the first 4 weeks of this series is Psalm 136:4 "Give thanks to the only one who can do great miracles."