Every Day With Jesus Is Sweeter Than The Day Before

1) First, notice He says something about (His joy) “My JOY”

2) Secondly, notice He says something about “Our joy.”

What I want you to see HIS JOY and OUR joy is suppose to be the same.

God wants us to have the same kind of joy that He has. He wants that joy to REMAIN in us seven days a week.

The Lord gives us His JOY each day, but the devil tries to rob us of it each day. He generally use two things to rob us of OUR JOY.

(1)Sometimes he will use circumstances or things in our life to rob us of OUR JOY.

Illus: Makes me think of "Granny" Parker wshowas in her mid 70’s. She had trouble with her rooster!

She was a godly woman who could "pray heaven down." Like anyone, Granny has had her share of sorrows and pain. She had a rooster that she described by saying, “He was as mean as Satan himself.”

She said, “That bird had decided that I didn’t belong in the yard with all "his" hens.” Whenever she ventured too close to the hen house, he’d come flying at her with spurs thrashing and slashing. He got her a few times.

Sometimes she went to church with her legs bleeding from this rooster attacking her. When folks asked her what happened, she would say, "That blame rooster done it again!"

But granny was getting tired of that rooster. One day she ventured out the back door toward the hen house, calling, "Here chick-chick. Here, chick." The hens knew what that meant, and they all came on the dead run for chow. That old rooster came too. He was bent on protecting his territory, but he made a slight miscalculation.

You see, over seventy years of handling problems, weather, crop failures, depression and stubborn barnyard animals, made Granny a formidable foe with a hoe. She watched out of the corner of her eye as that rooster came squawking and flapping his wings she was ready for him. At the last second, Granny said "Make-My-Day" Parker sidestepped the leaping rooster and swung the hoe, and next Sunday he was Sunday dinner!!!

We all have our roosters. We all have those irritating circumstances of life that rob us of the joy of the Lord if we allow it.

But sometimes satan will use…

(2)People to rob us of our joy.

That is, he will use people to enter our life that takes great delight in stripping every ounce of joy that they can extract from our life.

They spare no effort:

• They will drive across town if there is something they can do to make our life miserable.

• They will walk in the rain and snow for miles, if there is something they can do to make our life

miserable.

• They will spend the last dollar they have, if they can do something to make our life miserable.

While circumstances and people might be doing everything they can to make our life miserable, each day the Lord Jesus does everything He can do to make our life JOYFUL.

Illus: A Hindu trader in India once asked a missionary, "What do you put on your face to make it shine?"

• With surprise, the man of God answered, "I don't put anything on it!”

• His questioner began to lose patience and said emphatically, "Yes, you do! All of you who believe in Jesus seem to have it. I've seen it in the towns of Agra and Surat, and even in the city of Bombay."

• Suddenly the Christian understood, and his face glowed even more as he said; "Now I know what you mean, and I will tell you the secret. It's not something we put on from the outside but something that comes from within. It's the reflection of the light of God in our hearts.”

Look again at John 15:11, we read, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

Even he Lord is telling the truth or He is lying to His disciples. I believe He is telling the truth.

The joy we Christians have within us is the JOY OF THE LORD that He has provided for us.

NOTICE, it does not say He gives us HIS HAPPINESS!

Some folks think that JOY and HAPPINESS are the same, but they are not.

Happiness come from happenings.

Illus: Some day we can get up.

• The sun is shining

• There is not a pain in our body

• Even the dog that normally takes one look at us and growls, is wagging his tail like he is glad to see us

Everything HAPPENS to fall in place, and we find ourselves HAPPY!