Posts with the category “99-joy”

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?" Devotional Thought:And so here we are. Five days of looking at the joy that expands the kingdom, the joy that thrills heaven, the joy that causes the Lord Himself to shout over us as we celebrate the one. It all begins with...  Read More

"Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, 'This man receives sinners and eats with them.'" In Jesus' day there was a group called the Haverim, the associates of scrupulous people. They were devoted to purity beyond what God had ever asked of them. When the Old Testament law said not to boil a young goat in its mother'...  Read More

"looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." There was a man who once left the comforts of heaven, the security of His throne, and even, though temporarily, the relationship to His Father... just so He could celebrate the return of those who were lost...  Read More

"The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." If God is the source of all joy, then what makes God show great joy? What makes Him rejoice? Because if we are carrying His Spirit inside of us, whatever moves Him should be moving us too.So what I'm seeing is this... all...  Read More

"Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." We talk a lot about joy in the church. We sing about it, we preach about it, we tell people they should have it. And most of the time when we think about joy we think about our own well being, our own happiness, our own peace of mind. That's not wrong,...  Read More