Good Morning Girls!  Yesterday we learned that in order to have sustainable joy, not only do you need God in your heart, but you need His Word in your heart as well.  We also learned that it is even better if we understand God's Word.   It is much easier to keep something close to your heart if you understand it.  If you simply memorize it, it is stored more in your head than in your heart.  Can you guess what you can do to increase your joy even more? You can obey God's Word!  When you obey His written Word, and the direction He gives you individually, you increase your joy.  Obedience leads to so many rewards.  It gives you boldness, hope, excitement. It allows the Lord to bless you in ways you never thought possible.  It increases your faith.  It gives you confidence to go before Him in prayer and believe you will receive whatever you ask for.  All of theses these in turn increase your joy.  Picture a dog.  Think of how excited they are when they follow your direction.  Their tail is wagging.  Their eyes are sparkling.  They can hardly sit still they are so excited.  They sit there begging for a treat until you reward them.  They expect the treat, and will follow you around until you give them the proper reward.  Now picture a dog that has had an accident of the floor. (if any of you cannot imagine these things, come over and I will introduce you to Max).  What happens when you try to get them to follow you to the "scene of the crime"?  They look the other way, and pretend they do not hear you.  They refuse to follow you.  When you drag them, they sink their bodies like they weigh 500 pounds.  After you have punished them, they walk away with their tails between their legs and pout in the corner staring at you with those pathetic sad eyes until you finally say "okay boy", and they feel back in your good graces.  Do either of these "dogs" sound like you?  I want to be the first one!  I want to obey God and then approach him with my tail wagging, eyes sparkling and say "where is it, where is it, gotta have it, where's the blessing?"  I am not saying this in a "God owes me something" way.  It is in the "I excitedly wait in expectation kind of way".  Now for those of you who currently feel like the naughty dog.  You need to hear me.  If you are pouting in the corner with sad eyes feeling that God hasn't forgiven you and said "okay girl", you need to go back to last week and read about God's love again.  I know someone is in the corner right now, because once again I have gone in a direction that was not intented.  So, naughty dog:  there is no "pile" big enough to lose the love and the grace of God.  Whatever you did is not only forgiven, but forgotten.  You are still "God's best friend".  Now give that tail a little wag, return to your Master, and let Him love on you!

Psalm 119:1-2  Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.  Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.

Love you all-
Jen