Joy

What is joy? Well, I know that joy and happiness are not the same thing. I was hurting by the way some people treated me and I was not very happy. I was joyful however because I have the Holy Spirit in me and I will not be sad because Nehemiah 8:10 says the joy of the Lord is my strength and that is so amazingly true. As a follower of Jesus Christ my Lord I can rejoice in my heart, and trust in His holy name, as Psalm 33:21 says.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:1-5. This shows us that we can have joy in Jesus Christ.
But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
1 Peter 4:13. This shows us that we can still have joy in the Lord even in troubling times. When the world filled with haters are putting you down, you can have joy in the Lord, and He will continue to renew your strength every day.

God's Love

One thing I know about God the Father Almighty is that He loves us. He loved us so much that He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to come to earth and save us from an eternal separation from Him and condemnation which we would have received if it was not for the love of God. Jesus Christ showed us His love by sacrificing His perfect, sinless God-honoring life on a cross at Calvary, so we can be called Sons and Daughters of the Most High God. There have been some unkind words pointed in my direction by people that were my friends at one point in my life, but God has reminded me of His wonderful love and His amazing grace that He has bestowed upon me, so now I will move on from the hurtful words and I will focus on loving others as God has loved me. God says in John 17:22-23 "The glory which you have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that you sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me." When I read that passage of Scripture I am blown away that the Lord God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, the One whom we all owe our praise and glory, would love me as much as He loves His only Son. As President Barack Obama has called for change in our nation, I also pray for change in our nation. My prayer is that we can put aside our selfish desires, and grow in love toward our fellow human beings and respect them for the person that God made them to be. I pray that God will bless our Armed Sevice men and women who are sacrificing their lives, and time with their families so that the United States of America, the nation that they love can have freedom. I pray for those called by God in foreign countries who put their lives on the line every day to preach the Gospel of Jesus Chris and His perfect love to those who have never heard of the glorious name of Jesus Christ our Savior. I pray that we will take the time and put in the effort needed to help out those in need of love or a person to talk to on a hard day, and that we can be a light that brightens up their day.
God is love,
Mark Cannon