Inspired by . . . 31 days of JOY
Welcome!
I’m joining The Nester, and several hundred other bloggers, in the 31 days writing challenge (#write31Days).
We begin today!
Joy means the perfect fulfillment of that for which I was created
and regenerated, not the successful doing of a thing. ~ Oswald Chambers*
As many of you may already know, JOY is not the same thing as happiness. Happiness is a feeling, usually based upon and influenced by, our circumstances.
JOY is something that resides within. It is bigger, more powerful than our circumstances.
I feel like I need to say that again – out loud - in bold – JOY is bigger, more powerful than our circumstances!
If we extract a definition from the Oswald Chambers quote, happiness is based on success, and JOY comes when we are doing the will of God.
So, for what {or why} were we created?
In Acts 20:24 the apostle Paul said:
But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself,
so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus,
to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Paul was called to “testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Truly, this is the calling of all Believers, is it not? The High Calling. The reason we were created. The WHY.
The HOW, is different for everyone. Even those of us who may share the same vocation.
I’m pretty certain that God didn’t make another tent-maker like Paul!
Paul was also preacher, and a teacher.
He was the son of a Pharisee. He had trained under Gamaliel, the most highly-esteemed rabbi of all. All of this gave Paul a unique passion for the law, with a touch of grace. Only Paul could teach and preach like Paul. He was unique because of his past, because of his life experiences.
Just as each one of us are unique. Uniquely created. Uniquely called.
Being true to his calling is what brought Paul JOY.
Identifying our spiritual niche is the first step!
What does your HOW look like?
Are you a teacher? a preacher? a mom? a wife? an executive? a writer? a photographer? You get the picture! {wink}
I’d love it if you’d share about your spiritual niche below in the comments, or join the conversation on my Facebook page!
Blessings,
*Quotations taken from Called of God and Knocking at God’s Door, © Discovery House Publishers
Sharing inspiration here:
#TellHisStory
I am so excited about this series! I am JOY-full about this series. My spiritual niche . . . writing. Even though I doubt that at times God keeps bringing me back to it. But also being a wife and mother. I sense God pulling me to more of a focus on being a wife and mother. Anyways...processing what I mean by that. But looking forward to following along on your JOY journey. Love you. xoxo
ReplyDeleteI love your piece about JOY. I am slowly learning this too. Joy is through the cross and I can have joy in the worst circumstances. What a gift but hard to grasp for so many!
ReplyDeleteI'm so thankful we can have that foundation of joy, even when the waves on top of it are going crazy. This will be a great series. Thanks, June!
ReplyDeleteGreat reminder about Paul and how God designed his life to serve Him long before He ever sat foot on the Damascus Road.
ReplyDeleteMy niche has been as a coach and how I engage others in business. It's the world in which we've been placed. There are no coincidences in our Father's world!
Oh how I want to find and live into my unique calling! It will indeed be pure JOY! Wading through an in-between on the way there, but finding glimpses of that joy along the way.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your words, your beautiful blogpost today. So powerful. My word of the year is Joy. But I would I'd choose an other word.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with this challenge!
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