Day 11-"Help me be joyful." 1 Peter 1:8

"Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice, with joy unspeakable & full of glory" 1 Peter 1:8 (kjv)

rejoice- jump for joy, exult=glory
joy-cheerfulness
glory-to render, esteem=to set a high value on

This verse is telling me or showing me that I can be overwhelmingly, out of this world happy over something I have not seen, I should be able to or hold @ an even higher level of appreciation the things I can see. I see lots of good, great, and marvelous things, yet I still complain. I tend to sometimes focus on what's wrong instead of rejoicing & being joyful over what is good & right. Truth be told, I've learned that there is good in everyone and everything...sometimes I just pass things over too quickly without examination or assume the worst.

I'm looking at this verse another way. I see that it is because I believe that I'm able to be joyful. Regardless of what I see, faith=joy. Here, Jesus is the substance not seen, yet I love Him...I try anyway. I can't see Him but I believe with all my heart so I'm full of joy. I think what God wants me to do with this verse is substitute Jesus with something else to help me see if I'm really joyful. For instance, I can't see my future husband but I believe I will be remarried one day so I'm joyful in the hope that I wont be alone. I can't see the deed to the first property I will win @ auction but I believe it is God's will for me to do this line of work so I'm so joyous in the assurance that it will happen! With faith comes joy. I can't have one without the other. I think one can have joy before the substance of that joy is manifested. Take myself for example. I was so joyful over the purchasing of my house while it was in the process of being bought by someone else. The situation looked hopeless, but I believed which brought so much joy...I cried and shouted with tears of joy because I knew the house was mine.

So the two lessons; If I'm able to be joyous over a man I have not seen (jesus) then surely I can learn to be joyous over the things I can see. Just because I cannot see something now, by faith I can see it, which will bring joy in advance. WOW! One verse, two lessons.

Joy should remain always if one has faith in the Lord.

My Prayer-"Dear Lord, help me be joyful in what I can see and joyful in what I can't. Give me a faith that causes me to be joyful in any given situation that seems hopeless and/or impossible. For without faith, you said in your Word, that it is impossible to please you. Without joy, I am not pleased. Happiness is based on a moment of saticfaction; joy is based on a lifetime of assurances...help me be joyful In Jesus' name. Amen.