Delight yo bad self in the Lord! (turned out to be a word-study on Joy)

So, I have struggled with what to name this blog.

I love reading other people's blogs and I enjoy commenting.

I want you all to know, that I sincerely CANNOT write anything on this blog to make me famous.
The Lord will absolutely not let me.
Nothing comes out.

I have been so struggling with "finding" and knowing the Lord's will for my job situation and where I should serve, and what happens when you graduate and life does not turn out like you had always planned (see not getting married, or have boyfriend).

Last semester was filled with fun and joy. I was madly in love with the Lord. I hungered for His Word, I looked forward to hopegroup ALL week. Attending church on Sunday was the ABSOLUTE highlite of the week. I would rearrange my schedule all week, adjust my sleeping time, so that I would be ready in every sense of the word for the message.

Julie Weddle (J-wed) and I had dance parties, slumber parties, and pretty much an absolute blast all-the-time.

In so many ways, it was a semester of truly tasting and savoring and living the goodness of the Lord. Wow.

And then graduation hit and it seems like its all down-hill from there.
Priority #1: Get job.

Ok, so this sounds fairly simple, right?
Well, not if your parents are still supporting you.

Yeah, I know. So I dragged my feet in finding a job.. even a sub job.
But the Lord really convicted me of honoring my parents, which meant that as a college graduate I could no longer financially depend on them AND honor them at the same time.
Ouch.

So, I now sub for a living. My parents do not support me. It has been very rough "scaling down". Life would be SO MUCH easier if I got a check every month from my parents, and be able to go shopping with all the free time and money.
I would have almost twice as much money as I am making now. Which is not very much.

So, there you have the background info.

I do now in fact have a long-term sub job, which pays about 3 cents more than a regular sub-job.
Sweet.

I work in an area where I do in fact use my major.
I don't love working.
I have gotten unbiblically frustrated with my job a lot lately.
I sometimes wonder what the Lord's will for my life is.
I wonder what ministry I am supposed to be involved in.

But Paul exhorts us MANY times that he does it for the joy.

First lets define joy. (5 references)

1.The Bible-New King James Version
Habakkuk 3:18: A Hymn of Faith

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 The LORD God [a] is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.

2. And according to the Word Wealth at the bottom:Joy, gil (geel) To joy, rejoice, be glad, be joyful. Gil contains the suggestion of "dancing for joy," or "leaping for joy," since the verb originally meant "to spin around with intense motion." This lays to rest the notion that the biblical concept of joy is only "a quiet, inner sense of well-being." God dances for joy over Jerusalem and because of His people (Is. 65:19; Zeph. 3:17). The righteous Messiah shall rejoice in God's salvation with an intensity that the psalmist cannot find words to describe (Ps. 21:1). In turn, His redeemed citizens are joyful in their King; they praise HIm with dances, with instruments, and with singing (Ps. 149:2,3). Although everything is wrong in Habakkuk's external worlds, he is leaping for joy over his fellowship with Yahweh.


3. Mr. Dictionary.com:
1.the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation: She felt the joy of seeing her son's success.
2. a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated: Her prose style is a pure joy.
3. the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety.
4. a state of happiness or felicity.

4.D.L. Moody:
"I think there is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is caused by things which happen around me, and circumstances will mar it, but joy flows right on through trouble; joy flows on through the dark; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows all through persecution and opposition; if flows right along, for it is an unceasing fountain bubbling up in the heart; a secret spring which the world can't see and don't know anything about; but the Lord gives His people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to Him."

5. Thesaurus.com:

Synonyms: alleviation, amusement, animation, bliss, charm, cheer, comfort, delectation, delight, diversion, ecstasy, elation, exaltation, exultation, exulting, felicity, festivity, frolic, fruition, gaiety, gem, gladness, glee, good humor, gratification, hilarity, humor, indulgence, jewel, jubilance, liveliness, luxury, merriment, mirth, pleasure, pride, prize, rapture, ravishment, refreshment, regalement, rejoicing, revelry, satisfaction, solace, sport, transport, treasure, treat, wonder



Since this has popped up so much in the Word, it is of no coincidence that the Lord exhorts me to do it as well.

Rejoice always! I will say it AGAIN, rejoice. (Phili. 4:4)

2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb 12:2)

You mean he suffered for our joy?

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. (Phili 2:1-2)

If there is even a hint of good things and promises, then He is telling me that he will rejoice with me!

Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess 16-18)

So, you mean, its not God's will for me to be frustrated and hate what I am doing right now?

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the Desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

His purpose for me today is to take delight in him and what he is doing?

So, if any of you were wondering, Joy is a commandment, not a duty.

So, I challenge you all ( if you have read this far) to:

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will be the Desire of your heart!