AUGUST NEWSLETTER

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The Joy of the Lord  

NAACUS Women's Ministry Virtual Retreat Reflection 
By Nma Rose Nwoga

The Joy of the Lord 

The joy of the Lord refers to Christ’s love for His Father and the Father’s love towards Him. Christ’s joy  can be seen in the awareness of the father’s love and in the keeping of His Commandments.  All his actions, thoughts, emotions and purpose were in perfect harmony with the will of God. This unbroken communion with the Father is the the source of Christ’s joy. This is the joy He desires that we inherit as Christians.  As the Father loved Jesus, so also he has loved us His followers. He challenges us to remain in his love by keeping his commandments just as He kept His Father’s commandments and remained in his love. To be truly joyful then, one must pursue a life of personal holiness and relationship with Christ through prayers and sacrifices.

The Importance of Joy in Witnessing

As Christians, we are called to be witnesses and joy is an important aspect of witnessing if we are to make impact at all. The impact we make on others comes from the joy we radiate. So to be effective Christians, we must reflect and radiate joy in our lives, so that people can see us and be drawn to us and in turn, be drawn to Christ. To radiate joy to others means to radiate Christ to them. 

The Joy of the Lord is Contagious

There are people God has placed in our lives and we in theirs to build up one another. They could be our children, spouses, siblings or other family members. These are the people that are most impacted by our joy but on a smaller scale. This smaller group can in turn, witness to a larger group that they are part of like in the work place, schools, churches, neighbors and so on. From this perspective, the joy of the Lord is contagious and infectious.  If we possess this joy, we can infect the entire world like the Corona Virus, bringing Christ to others, our families, friends, communities, and the world at large. This is our calling.  This is our Christian Faith.

What is the Joy of The Lord Like?

Although, there are many other reasons or sources of joy, but the joy of the Lord should be our priority because it is perpetual, it is eternal and abiding. It is this unshakable confidence in knowing that we are loved by God unconditionally. Even in the midst of adversities, we are joyful, thankful and always praising God. We are aware of His presence in our lives, and recognize that he is the master and author of our lives no matter the situation we find ourselves. It is not like the joy of the world and Satan which is often short lived, partial, and fades away because it is derived from ignoring God and the gratification of the senses. The joy of the Lord flows from a deeply rooted conviction that all things work unto good for those who love Him and nothing can take this joy away from us.

 ...Click this link for additional reflections, group discussion excerpts, testimonies, videos and more from NWM Virtual Retreat (Theme: That my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete) in theRetreats tab. 

Prayer:  Father, please help me to radiate joy in my life so that others can see me and be drawn to me and in turn be drawn to You. Amen.

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