Sorrow Turned To Joy





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“A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.” (John 16:16 NKJV)



20 Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. 21 A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. (John 16:20:22 NKJV)


Today I am continuing on the topic of peace and joy He offers His children. I wrote earlier about how He offers us His peace and we choose a troubled heart. Then the next post I wrote concerning our joy in the presence of the Lord.


You may access my previous two posts here if you life:

Peace or a Troubled Heart

Joy in the Presence of the Lord


Almost 2,000 years ago the most important event happened since creation. Many in the world are happy right now because they deny this event believing whatever is truth to them is correct, thus they can make a god in their own image. They fool themselves in believing they may do away with the consequences of sin and live life for earthly pleasures. But this happiness will come to an end. Anytime our happiness is based on this world and not God, it will come to an end.

In the verses above Jesus was telling His disciples they would experience sorrow, but their sorrow would be turned to joy which no one would take away. In John 16:16-22 Jesus was talking about His death, burial and resurrection. Some believe “and again a little while, and you will see Me,” (John 16:16) refers to the day of Pentecost and others believe it refers to the second coming. Whatever the case may be, what Jesus did almost 2,000 years ago is the most important event in history. Jesus paid for our sins! As the apostles’ sorrow was turned to joy when they saw the resurrected Jesus, we may also have joy in His resurrection. We will stand before God with every sin we committed washed clean, that is if we have come to the cross for forgiveness. Because of this, no matter what suffering we are experiencing, it is only temporary. Even if our suffering lasts the rest of our lives, it is only temporary.

What great joy it is to know our sins are forgiven of us. When we are suffering we should look up and say “thank you Jesus, I am saved!” No one can take our salvation away, so let us rejoice because our names are written in Lambs Book of Life. Let us boldly go through life praising our Lord and Savior and experience His joy. Let us rejoice in what we have instead of morning about what we do not have.

Excellent Video!

Follow Jesus on Twitter
I saw this earlier today on another blog and thought it was awesome.
I am sure you will be blessed to view.
Thank you Jon for sharing. http://laboringinthelord.com/

Joy in the Presence of the Lord

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

(John 15:11 NKJV)

In my last blog post I wrote about how Jesus offers us His peace and we let ourselves have a troubled heart. If you have not read it, please click here to do so if you like. Today I will take this subject a bit further because He not only wants us to have His peace, but His joy. In these days many are suffering and lacking His joy. Experiencing His joy seem unlikely especially during times of suffering. However, even in our suffering, peace and joy is available to us. A perfect example of this would be the Apostle Paul who wrote the book of joy (Philippians) from prison. You may find this interesting; I did a quick key work search using the New King James Version for the words joy and peace just in the Book of John. Joy came up 9 times and peace another 3 times. In the whole Bible joy 188 times and peace 384 times. So Jesus definitely wants peace and joy for His followers. I believe this to be important to Him.

First off, what His peace and joy is not. Get saved, say a prayer and live happily ever after. Now we have nothing but smooth sailing here forward. Actually just the opposite is true, Jesus promises tribulation. "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Believers will get sick and loved ones will die. In much of the world, believing in Jesus can cost you your life. Persecution of God’s children has been quite common since the beginning of time.

At the top of this post I started off quoting John 15:11. Notice what Jesus said here. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” What things is Jesus talking about? Let’s take a look. At the beginning of the chapter He said something very critical we must not overlook.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (John 15:1-5)


First thing to notice is Jesus is the true vine, His Father is the vinedresser and we are the branches. Here lay’s the first key to having His peace and joy. When you look at a vine you will notice the branches are always attached to the vine. If it is a bright and sunny day, the branch is attached to the vine. When the worst of storms arises, the branch is attached to the vine. Likewise for us, when everything is well, we need to be abiding in the Lord. When the storms arise we are already there abiding in the Lord. Our source of joy is not in the things of this world but God. Our joy is not because we are experiencing smooth sailing in life, but we are rejoicing because we are in the presence of the Lord.

You will show me the path of life;

 In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)

Stay tuned, the Lord willing, I plan to write more on this subject.

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Peace or a Troubled Heart

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27 NKJV)


I was reading John chapter 14 when I came to verse 27 and I noticed something which hit me. Jesus said “Peace I give you…Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” What caught my attention was while He gives peace, we let our heart be troubled and afraid. Jesus was telling His disciples this because He had just informed them He is going to depart and go to heaven. I would like to put ourselves in the disciple’s shoes for a moment. They had walked with God in human flesh who loved them unlike anyone else was capable. They saw Him walk on water, calm the storms, raise the dead, give sight to the blind and heal the lepers. No one had ever spoken with the wisdom or authority Jesus had. The disciples were on an adventure which parallels none. Now the adventure most likely appears to be coming to an end and Jesus is going to die and go to heaven! That must have been overwhelming and very troubling. Look at ourselves when we either suffer loss or know we are fixing to. It can be devastating, yet consider the loss being the Son of God! Of course we know Jesus was going to give them the Holy Spirit and He would never leave or forsake them. But Jesus would be in heaven and they would not see Him in the flesh anymore. The point I want to get to here is, Jesus told them "let not your hearts be troubled or afraid." That means, even in this, they let their heart be troubled. This applies to us also. Jesus gives us peace; we let our hearts be troubled and afraid. Most likely our situation is not greater than that of the disciples. Do not take me wrong, I do not want to minimize our situation because it is real. But His peace is available to each and everyone who is a child of God, no matter what our situation is.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Tim 1:7 NKJV)

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Pray Without Ceasing

With the death of two people in my life recently, one considers the eternal a whole lot more. Oh it is so, so important to draw closer to Jesus and live life to bring Him glory. So much of the time I think about the here and now wanting a problem free life. I want my comfort, my happiness and my peace. .. I seek to secure my future while at the same time wanting some fun. These things are not necessarily bad in their proper place, but it is most important to have our focus both upward and outward more so than inward. Something the Lord is laying on my heart is to pray more. Yes, I pray every morning and at other times. But Jesus saved me for a purpose. He saved me to do good works. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” *(Ephesians 2:10) Prayer is one of them good works He wants His children doing. Not only that, but an extremely important good work. The day is coming when I will stand before Jesus. I know I am saved, but I want to hear the words ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ (Matt 25:21) What I do not want is to get into heaven and see everything burnt up. "If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." (1 Cor 3:15) I realize I cannot earn God’s favor or His love for “we are all like an unclean thing, And all righteousnesses are like filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6) Not only that, I already have His love and Jesus has applied His righteousness to my account. But the work He has given each and every one of us is so vitally important.

The world is full of hurting people and many are perishing without Jesus. Believers need our prayers too. I live in a country where many people want to throw Jesus out. Evil and sin is abounding. There are so many things one could be praying for and action to be taken as the Lord leads. I cannot solve all the world’s problems, but I sure can pray and be a brighter light for Jesus.


If you have a few minutes, please check out the video I found on You Tube form Open Doors. I am sure it will bless you and it is a perfect example of the power of prayer.

Always Too Soon

Last Saturday I attended a memorial service for the wife of a good friend of mine. Then this morning an elderly man who was close to my girlfriend when home to be with the Lord. In addition to this, his wife is very sick and may very well be on her last days. To top it off, my girlfriend was also in a car wreck today. Thanks be to Jesus she if ok. She is a little banged up, but will be fine. However, her car is most likely totaled.




One thing the pastor said in the memorial service which made so much since. It went something like this: “If you could choose how long would you live, what would it be, 200 years or what? But who would want to live in this body to be 200 years old. The thing is, no matter how long we live, death is always too soon.”



Death is always hard to deal with. Then we have other trials and tribulations we go through in life. This life can be very hard at times; we may feel overwhelmed and emotionally drained.

Here are the verses the Lord gave me today:

1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

4 And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:1-6 NKJV)



None of us want to cut our lives short by any means, but it is so refreshing and reassuring to know when that day comes we have a mansion awaiting us in a kingdom where there is no more death. Let’s keep looking up and moving forward living our lives with the expectation of that day coming.

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Lazarus

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25:26 NKJV)

Over the last few days I have been reading the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. This is one of those passages when I read, tears come to my eyes. I think what it must have been like for Mary and Martha, the hurt they felt with their brother’s death. They knew Jesus could have healed him, yet He was not there. I am sure people must have been asking “why Jesus, why?” When Jesus arrives Martha comes to Him, but Mary stays behind. Martha tells Jesus “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus tells Martha that her brother will rise again. Martha believed this to be true, but in the resurrection on the last day. Then Jew’s were saying “See how He loved him!” And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:36-37 NKJV)

People may have been questioning why Jesus did not come and save Lazarus. But Jesus had a plan. Not just a plan, but a mission. Could you just imagine what the people thought when Jesus said, “Take away the stone?” It is not everyday someone rises from the dead, so they question Jesus again. Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” (John 11:39) But this day God would be glorified and Jesus would be glorified through it. He did this that His disciples would believe. (See John 11:4, 15) Our last enemy is death and Jesus proves He has power over death.

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” (John 11:43-44)


This just blows me away. I am in total awe when I read this. WOW! What is our last enemy? It is death and Jesus defeated it! Thank you Lord Jesus, Thank you! You showed You have power over death and then You defeated it on the cross at Calvary.

Read the rest of the passage: John Chapter 11

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