rejoice with joy unspeakable

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried in fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." {I Peter 1:7-9}

*LORD willing, June's posts will be centered around the topic of God's chastening hand through tribulation and trials. A subject I've personally been learning and wanting to understand better. Many of this month's past quotes will tie in well with those to come. (Please feel free to suggest topics for future months!)

impulsed by joy

"So I beseech you... go on your way rejoicing -- impulsed by joy. Jesus said it -- rejoice. This joy is not some great burst of ecstasy which happens once and then it is gone. Rejoicing is a common delight which sings as truly in December as in June -- a singer which never tires. It transmutes every dark cloud; it illuminates every sorrow; soothes every wound; gives new hope to every endeavour. Men may laugh at this but we know it is true. We are not pitiable. You have discovered a joy which has eluded most other people."

he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee

"Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." {Deut. 31:6}

Christ, source of courage

"May there be a spring in our step, and a song in our heart. Let us remember him therefore; the Christ of the virgin birth; of the virtuous life; of the victorious death and of the victorious resurrection. This is the source of our courage."

be of good courage

"Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD." {Psalm 31:24}

"Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep." {Romans 12:15}

we will be glad and rejoice

Perfect joys ahead: "But what indescribable joy will be the lot of the [brethren] in that day when it shall be said: 'Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation' (Isaiah 25:9)."

we do well to count our blessings

"There is a deep-down tranquility of heart, which comes from an implicit belief in the promise that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Couple with this the joy of anticipation such as sustained Jesus himself, who for the joy set before him endured the cross and despised the shame. Add to these the joy of receiving the Gospel, the joy of sincere allegiance to a faithful Lord, the joy of service, of progress in knowledge and in the development of a good conscience. Further, there is the joy of seeing the fulfillment of prophecy and the consequent approaching solution of all problems; the joy of worship and communication with those of like precious faith; the divine joy which comes from having obedient children, in the family and in the Lord--these and many more are present blessings we do well to count."

sing praises instead of dwelling in self-pity

"Paul and Silas had good reason to bemoan their lot as they lay in jail with their feet fast in the stocks, yet at midnight they 'sang praises to God'. In such straits their hearts were full of praise instead of self-pity. Their interets were lost in glorifying God and His vast plans with mankind. Consumed with this, they could despise present afflictions--as Paul wrote to the Romans: 'I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.'"

depends on the degree of gratitude

"Our inner happiness depends not on what we experience but on the degree of our gratitude to God, whatever the experience."

"Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." {Psalm 32:11}

God has joy in those who obey Him

"The Lord taketh pleasure now in His people; as He had a delight in the Fathers of Israel to love them, so He has joy in those who now obey Him."

happy are ye

"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified." {I Peter 4:12-14}

think it not strange... but rejoice

"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified." {I Peter 4:12-14}

take joy where God has placed you

"Paint a true picture of what you believe. Take joy where God has placed you for the work of ministry--and communicate your joy... as you walk along the way."

a merry heart

"A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken." {Proverbs 15:13}

things & sufferings are but temporary

"The knowledge we should have that the things and sufferings of this present time are but temporary, while the blessings of God's salvation are everlasting should be one of our chief sources of joy and comfort."

joy is the thought of the coming Kingdom

"...we are told that the Lord Jesus 'for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.' He looked forward to the consummation of God's purpose, and saw glory instead of shame, joy instead of sorrow, a righteous world in place of a wicked one, and instead of the crowd mocking enemies he saw a vast assembly of adoring brethren, every one of them saved by his sacrifice. The thought of the coming Kingdom was the power of God to help the Lord Jesus through the hour of trial, and so will it be with all his brethren. 'Fear not, little flock', he said, 'it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.'"

joy comes from serving in love

"Serving comes from loving; it is love's expression. Serving that is not inspired by love yields no joy. Love that does not serve is not love at all. The measure of self denial that one is ready to suffer is the measure of the love that is in one's heart. Love that will not sacrifice is only a sentiment, a fair blossom from which no fruit comes. Love is ready always for serving."

work is a condition of joy

"Work itself is always a helper of happiness. Indolence is never truly happy. The happiest man is the busy man. Even physical health depends largely upon regular occupation. No man, able for duty, who is not busy, can be truly or deeply happy. The idle man may be living a life of pleasure, but it is not a life of real happiness. Work is a condition of joy. It is a blessing that most people, when sorrow comes, dare not pause to indulge their grief. Their duties are waiting for them, waiting so clamorously that they cannot linger even for the tender sentiment of sorrow."

joy is inward

"What we mean by cheerfulness is a circumstantial thing, an external thing. The proper New Testament word for cheerfulness is a word translated 'joy' and is a very different thing. Joy is inward; it does not depend upon outward circumstances and can exist at times when cheerfulness would be impossible."

take joy home

"Take joy home
And make a place in thy heart for her;
And give her time to grow, and cherish her;
Then will she come and sing to thee
When thou art working in the furrow; ay,
It is a comely fashion to be glad;
Joy is the grace we say to God."

evil circumstances can bring joy

"'Good' and 'evil' circumstances are not always what they outwardly appear, and seemingly evil circumstances are often--in the deep wisdom of the Spirit--gateways to hidden and unsuspected joys."

spiritually-balanced discernment of joyfulness

"Surely the apostle's [Paul] greatest appeal and inspiration is in his wholesome, ever-cheerful, spiritually-balanced discernment of the basic joyfulness and goodness of the real meaning of life in relation to God, in spite of all its present storms and shadows and valleys of sorrow and care!"

setting the mind completely on the purpose

"Life seems to be made up of peaks and shadows. Moments of high resolve or courageous action, are often followed by fits of depression and weakness that bring one to the brink of despair. Only by setting the mind completely upon the purpose of God in Christ, or acknowledging at all times that we serve Him and not ourselves, will we be saved from the depression of our own passions."

rejoicing 'in the Lord'

"'Rejoice... and again I say, rejoice', he [Paul] reiterated in Philippians 4:4. But here and in Philippians 3:1 we note that the kind of rejoicing is qualified. It is the rejoicing 'in the Lord'. This phrase makes a difference. This is a rejoicing unrelated to worldly affairs; one that is at the foundation of being; one that has depth and height; one that stands back from the frittering worries and incidents of life. It was the kind of rejoicing that martyrs experienced in their suffering for their faith: a steady, exalted spirit that drew upon divine comfort, power and hope."

joy is found in God

"We are accustomed to say that the only true, deep, unfailing joy is that which we may find in God. The Bible has many promises of happiness, but they all point to spiritual and eternal sources. We read of the joy of the Lord, of rejoicing in God; Christ promises his own joy to his followers. Joy, therefore, is the inheritance of the Christian, --he has a right to claim it."

If the Lord so wills, May's posts will be centered around a part of the Fruit of the Spirit--joyfulness