Wednesday, October 9, 2024:
Immersing in Joy (morning)
Hebrews 12:2-3
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Pondering Point
Whatever path God is calling you to, the race marked out for you, let the previous efforts of Jesus and the overwhelming approval of His Father concerning those efforts inspire you.
Jesus trusted the Father with His life and His death was followed with a resounding resurrection. That resurrection still resounds today and will culminate with every knee bowing and every tongue confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord. That’s approval!
So fix your eyes on Him and run with perseverance until you see the throne of God yourself – where with great joy and appreciation you will yourself bow down and joyfully confess Jesus as your Lord.
Pray aloud
Lord Jesus, I fix my eyes on You, the One who began and completes our faith. For the joy set before You, You endured the cross, scorning its shame, and now sit at the right hand of Father God’s throne. Help me find joy – even amid opposition – so that I don’t grow weary and lose heart.
Five Minutes
Use your GO TO JOYS and ANTICIPATED JOYS to fill a 5-minute window. Remember: use an alarm. If necessary, review the explanation.
Read the identity in Christ
statement aloud
We are people who find joy by fixing our eyes on Jesus (who endured the cross, scorned its shame, and now sits at the right hand of the Father), enabling us to endure without growing weary and losing heart.
Closing Prayer
Close with thanks to God for these moments together.
Ask Him to bless the upcoming day, then…
GO – in JOY, with JOY anticipating JOY
Wednesday, October 9, 2024:
Sometime During Your Day
Level 3: Savoring joys of the past.
Session A: Welcome to a third joy category: God’s Joy. We will tackle this as a theme later this month, but we get a taste of HIs joy in today’s verse also. Whether you think of one part of the Godhead individually or approach Them collectively, these verses show that God Himself is One of joy. As you build your joy list of golden moments, take a few minutes to appreciate God’s joy over you – and people like you. Again, note body sensations, mood changes, attitudes, etc.
If you can do so, recall a fond memory of an activity AND picture God’s smiling face over you in that memory. This can be a great way to spark a conversation with God about past memories. By the way, it can be done with hard memories as well. but that is for another day.
Journal Prompt:
Joyful memories involving activities (can you see God?)
Key Words:
Prayer
I am fixing my eyes on You as You continue to shape the faith You initiated in my life.
Let me learn from You how to endure.
Listening to Jesus...
With the joy of saving people and pleasing God the Father compelling Me, I endured the cross, scorning its shame, and now sit at His right hand. Let My joy-inspired endurance be an encouragement to you so that you do not grow weary and lose heart, even as you face opposition in life.
Immersing in Joy (evening)
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Hebrews 12:2-3
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Pondering Point
As you get ready to look back on your day for these 5+ minutes, remember that part of the joy can be enduring well or enduring with the help of others. Let’s jump into the discovering joy from the day. If you cannot find any, simply reach back further into your life and dwell on those joys.
Pray aloud
Thank You, Jesus, for showing us how to use joy to endure wearisome and disheartening trials. Help me keep my eyes fixed on You daily, even hourly.
Review
Scour the day for ANTICIPATED or SURPRISE JOYS. You are training your brain to look for joy. This builds the habit. Recall the body sensations and emotion.
This solidifies the habit. Remember: use an alarm
Read the identity in Jesus
statement aloud
We are the kind of people who find joy by fixing our eyes on Jesus (who endured the cross, scorned its shame, and now sits at the right hand of the Father). Doing so enables us to endure without growing weary and losing heart.
Evening Prayer
Thank God for blessing the day, ask for peaceful rest, then GO to sleep – in grateful JOY, anticipating new JOY tomorrow under His grace.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
~ attributed to C.S. Lewis (among others)