March 7, 2016 – I Corinthians 15:58

For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:7-8When we are thrown down by life, these words give us hope.  When we feel exposed to the fiery darts of evil, we need a hiding place.  The assurance of the words above, hope and a hiding place…give us joy.  And He never gives up.  His peace is always there to shield us. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.  I Corinthians 15:58For years, I wondered about the following verses. Not until life and death happenings began to happen around me – did I understand how we can be tested and meet trials of every kind and still find joy.  How?  Believing and trusting in Jesus.  It is a lifetime of learning and knowing Him.  It is a minute by minute series of choices to follow Him.  When you think you know, something will happen and you go back to the beginning to believe again.  Living ‘in the world, but not of the world’ takes a lot of faith and prayer and ‘the joy is out of this world’.Our world has been drowning in all kinds of ‘reality shows’, and the only reality is a life in Jesus.  Choosing our reality through the words of Jesus, our Reality, each day brings us encouragement and riches of full assurance. ^“...that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,  in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”  Colossians 2:2-3Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. James 1:2-3