DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT THURSDAY – IS THERE A HOLE IN OUR BUCKET? The Conclusion.

"May not a single moment of my life be spent outside the light, love and joy of God's presence and not a moment without the entire surrender of my self as a vessel for Him to fill full of His Spirit and His love." - Andrew Murray.

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation." With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. – Isaiah 12:2-3. TNIV

JOY COMES FROM HAVING THE HOLY SPIRIT!

The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in Christ, and they are the by-products of Christ's control, we can't obtain them by trying to get them without his help.

If we want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us, we must join our life to His in 4 ways, in accordance with the commandment of Jesus...

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. - John 15:4-5.

WE MUST KNOW HIM! I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, - Phil 3:10.

WE MUST LOVE HIM! Love Him, with all of our heart, soul and mind! - Mk 12:30.

WE MUST REMEMBER HIM! Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, - 2 Tim 2:8.

WE MUST OBEY HIM! "If you love me, keep my commands. - John 14:15.

We can be joyful in spite of our circumstances. It seems strange that a man in prison would be telling a church to rejoice, but Paul's attitude teaches us an important lesson: our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outward circumstances. Paul was full of joy because he knew that no matter what happened to him, Jesus Christ was with him.

Several times in his letter, Paul urged the Philippians to be joyful, probably because they needed to hear this. It's easy to get discouraged about unpleasant circumstances or to take unimportant events too seriously.

D. L. Moody was to have a campaign in England. An elderly pastor protested, "Why do we need this 'Mr. Moody'? He's uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?" A younger, wiser pastor rose and responded, "No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody." - Source Unknown.

If we haven't been joyful lately, we may not be looking at life from the right perspective, and we might be living life with A HOLE IN OUR BUCKET! Ultimate joy comes from Christ dwelling within us. Christ is near, and at his second coming, we will fully realise this ultimate joy. He who lives within us will fulfil his final purposes for us.

Loving Father, Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to draw water from the wells of salvation, with joy. I ask this in the mighty Name of Jesus, my Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY