Joy Is A Choice!

Joy Is A Choice
2 Corinthians 13:11-14 (NLT) 13:11 Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet each other with Christian love. 13 All of God’s people here send you their greetings. 14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

What would you say to someone knowing that it would be your last words to them? We might say, “Hang in there” or “Good Luck” or “I’m praying for you,” etc. Those are all good but notice what Paul tells the Corinthians:1- Choose Joy 2- Keep growing 3- Be an encourager 4- Live in peace. In doing these things he gives a promise that the God of love and peace would be with them. We all make choices in our lives whether good or bad. It’s interesting though that Paul tells us that Joy is a choice that we make for ourselves. Life might be hard or perhaps life has thrown you a lot of curves. Choose joy. Decide to keep growing in the Lord. Keep giving of yourself to others. Make it your highest priority to live in peace. Finally – Paul says… “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”