From the Heart by B.Demaere

For Goodness Sake….Wake up! (Mark 16:15-16)

The Right to Obey: A spiritual law (Exodus 34:10-11)

Christmas: An Opportunity for Joy (James 1:2) : Christmas and trouble have almost come together in one package every year.  It's almost like a cartoon character dropping off a bomb at my doorsteps and walking off to see it explode.

  Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. (James 1:2) Christmas and trouble have almost come together in one package every year.  It's almost like a cartoon character dropping off a bomb at my doorsteps and walking off to see it explode.  Who might that be, I wonder? Christmas has obviously become an opportunity for joy for me.  This Christmas is no different as one of my family member is aging gravely.  I find it very painful to watch. Presently though, I find great comfort in the thought that even during that first Christmas there were also troubles.  For example, no room in the inn and long travel on a donkey while being pregnant.  Those were all opportunities for joy.  The greatest event of joy had been the proclamation of the angel to Mary (figuratively, on the mountain top) but now during the actual pregnancy she had to go through the valley of humiliations and loneliness. The beauty of the Christmas story ringing in the b

  Though you have not seen him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.       (1 Peter 1:8 NIV) Don't you ever think that joy came easy for me.  Like I said before, I have a mental illness and Christmas was always a depressing time for me.  On top of all this, was the passing of my father around Christmas 2015. No joy, didn't come easy for me.  I am a fighter and I am motivated to fight for something as precious as joy.  If the Bible calls it unspeakable, then I am willing to fight for it and leave all the darkest memories behind. Strangely though, joy didn't come to me right away.  It came upon my Bible study on the Presence of God.  My eyes opened by God and hope came to me.  Hope was not it though, I had to learn to focus on love first.  Love is the greatest over faith and hope.  Without love you can have them but, you still are nothing.  Love is the cherry on top of the cake.  Joy comes as a resul

  By the way! Did you say JOY? I got this answer from the site "gotquestions.org":  "The joy of the Lord is the gladness of heart that comes from knowing God, abiding in Christ, and being filled with the Holy Spirit.  When Jesus was born, the angels announced "good tidings of great joy" (Luke 2:10) The definition of the Merriam dictionary is: The emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desire: DELIGHT The question, though, it is not whether we believe that we can have joy during this Christmas, but rather which joy to have? That's right! There are two joys we can choose to have: The temporary one (depends on us) or the one that depends on God. Have you ever worked at being joyful?  I have, it's awkward, I tell you! But in Psalm 16:11: David said "...in your presence there is full ness of joy" Jesus said: "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your j

By the Way! Did you Say Joy? (Luke 2:10) (Psalm 16:11) (John 15:11)