Joy and Strength Are Our Choices…
Well, friends, we have arrived! Today we celebrate the completion of our 3 month series “Joy and Strength.” I hope that all of us can honestly say that we have had access to a little more joy and strength than we knew prior to our journey together...
No? Let’s not despair...
When it comes to experiencing consistent joy and strength (and any other fruitful states), it’s not about our circumstances. It’s about our attitudes. Joy and strength are daily choices. We have to decide to choose edifying, empowering thoughts because they ultimately dictate whether our emotions and actions will yield us rich growth mentally, physically and spiritually.
In fact, whoever said “Old habits die hard” was not kidding! It sometimes gets very tempting to throw in the towel and to succumb to our familiar patterns, even if they are stunting our development and progress. After all, change can feel so arduous and out of reach! But the good news is that Christ offers us a means to leave the old ways behind once and for all. He does this by renewing our minds, the messiest places for most of us - especially for me!
The renewed mind is actually Christ at work within us, orienting us toward God’s will and desires so that our choices can align with His. Each time that they do, God is pleased, as are we. And our strength, tenacity and joyful endurance to keep doing the next best thing day in and day out grow, just like a muscle exposed to exercise, infusing us with even more strength and abundant joy. Suddenly, we are new beings with new life-giving habits that have produced plentiful fruits of joy, strength, power, discipline and self-control simply because we made up our minds to remember who we are through Christ...
“I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13
In closing, friends, let’s take a cue from Joshua during his days as Israel’s leader. He defined and CHOSE his loyalties, values and priorities in advance...
“Choose this day whom you will serve,” Joshua declared. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15
This brilliant power of choice embraced by Joshua is just as much ours as it was his. It is actually one of God’s best weapons for fighting temptations and the tugs of old, destructive thinking. It reminds us that we don’t have to muster up any elusive willpower or motivation to live well. Everything that we need to be joyful and strong is already within us if we will only choose to claim it as our own and then set it free to serve us and others for God’s good purposes.
Joy and strength are indeed our blessed choices today and always. Let’s start living as if we believe it!