Sunday, October 13, 2024:
Blessing of Joy (morning)
Psalm 51:12 ESV
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Pondering Point
This is a follow-up to yesterday’s piece on repentant joy: We find David continuing his conversation with God in prayer, pursuing a blessing from the Lord. What blessing is he asking for? Restoration of Joy, quickly followed by the gift of a willing spirit to sustain him. There are a few more later in the psalm, but that is enough for now.
Pray aloud
Lord Jesus, like David, I desire to know the joy of Your salvation, and be upheld by Your Spirit as He grants me a willing spirit to sustain me.
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
In Christ and His salvation, we are restored to joy and upheld by a willing spirit that is given by His Holy Spirit.
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
The heavenly blessing is to be delivered from the law, sin and death; to be justified and quickened to life: to have peace with God; to have a faithful heart, a joyful conscience, a spiritual consolation; to have the knowledge of Jesus Christ; to have the gift of prophecy, and the revelation of the Scriptures; to have the gift of the Holy Ghost, and to rejoice in God.Top
~ Martin Luther
Sunday, October 13, 2024:
Sometime During Your Day
Level 3: Savoring joys of the past.
Practice seeing God in the present and past joys
We continue revisiting joyful memories recorded on your Golden Moments list. Look for God’s presence in the joys. Invite Him to share thoughts about joys you’re recalling. Again, notice body sensations, attitudes, heart rate, etc.
Journal Prompt:
Joy memory related to spring time.
Key Words:
Pondering Point
This material we have been diving into is based on creating this new normal multiple times a day. See how Joyful Journey talks about a new normal that results from the daily practice of joy building: Here is the third and final step:
Creating a new normal, step 3
The third step to a new normal comes by practicing five minutes of interactive gratitude three times a day for a month. Starting and ending my day with appreciation and throwing a dose in the middle helps my brain realize, “I can do this all day.” The marvel of our brain as a learning machine is that once it knows how to feel good, it can keep that good feeling going and have a good feeling any time of the day. It decides “I'll make this my new normal.”
~ Wilder, Kang, Loppnow, Loppnow, Joyful Journey, page 66.
From the book Joyful Journey:Top
Many of us do not know how to process our mistakes and failures with God, and that is why we tend to get stuck in our pain. We can review our painful events or memory in a safe way through Immanuel journaling, and it can give us wisdom and compassion for ourselves and others.
~ Wilder, Kang, Loppnow, Loppnow, Joyful Journey, page 44.
Blessing of Joy (evening)
Sunday, October 13, 2024
Psalm 51:12 ESV
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Pondering Point
This marks the end of two weeks of practicing joy regardless of your life circumstances. Let’s highlight other blessings David prayer for in Psalm 51 that would accompany his return to joy.
Psalm 51:13-15
- Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you. - Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. - Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
- Teaching transgressors your ways,so that sinners will turn back to God. (verse 13)
- Singing about God’s righteousness (verse 14)
- Declaration of God’s praise (verse 15)
Part of discipleship is helping others learn how to return to God after sinful choices. David didn’t just use words, but set an example for others to see. You can too!
Pray aloud
Thank You, Jesus, for restoring me to a right relationship with God. May joy over Your salvation and gratitude over Your sacrifice permeate my life.
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 have joy in Jesus because, through his sacrifice, we are forgiven of our sins and restored to a right relationship with God.
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.
“Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of Christ risen.”
~ Mother Theresa