Today's Good News

January 2006

01/01                    Numbers 6:24-26
‘May the LORD bless you and protect you.  May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you.  May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace.’

BLESSING
We are blessed in Christ.  No matter the day to day difficulties and tragedies in life we are blessed.  The Lord is with us and gives us His peace and joy.

 

01/02           Psalms 20:5
May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory, flying banners to honor our God. May the LORD answer all your prayers.

ANSWERS
I keep a daily prayer guide.  I make a note of the Lord’s activity in my life day by day.  This activity encourages me when I am struggling with the unseen.  Jesus is here with us and if asked will give us His peace and joy.

 

01/03          Deuteronomy 27:7
Sacrifice peace offerings on it also, and feast there with great joy before the LORD your God.

CELEBRATION
Celebrate the presence of the Lord in your life each day.  The first thought of a new day can be joy.  The Lord has saved you, the Lord loves you and the Lord will be with you.  Celebrate the presence of the Lord in your life.

 

01/04          1Samuel 4:5
When the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD coming into the camp, their shout of joy was so loud that it made the ground shake!

CELEBRATION
I want to rejoice in the Lord’s activities in my life.  Joy is a powerful antidote to the malaise of the modern life.  We have a living Savior and He lives in each one of us.  Shout to the Lord with great joy and confidence.  The Lord is here with us.

 

01/05          1Kings 1:40
And all the people returned with Solomon to Jerusalem, playing flutes and shouting for joy. The celebration was so joyous and noisy that the earth shook with the sound.

CELEBRATION
This is the day the Lord has made.  It is a day for joy.  Jesus loves me and seeks my best good.  I can be confident in His strength and His presence.  I am not alone.  I have victory in Jesus.  The Lord is my joy.

 

01/06          1Chronicles 15:28
So all Israel brought up the Ark of the LORD’s covenant to Jerusalem with shouts of joy, the blowing of horns and trumpets, the crashing of cymbals, and loud playing on harps and lyres.

CELEBRATION
Celebration is also a community event.  I was placed in this place by the Lord to be used by Him to express His love and joy.  I am an encourager.  His promise and presence changes the unseen to the seen.  Rejoice in the Lord.

 

01/07          1Chronicles 16:32
Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst forth with joy!

CELEBRATION
The Lord is God and He is good.  His love for us instills in us joy and excitement.  What will He do next?  One thing we can know for sure is that in the midst of life the Lord is here and He is seeking our best good.  Rejoice in Jesus because He loves you.

 

01/08          Ezra 6:16
The Temple of God was then dedicated with great joy by the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the people who had returned from exile.

CELEBRATION
Celebration is a way of life and a response to life.  I can celebrate each day the Lord’s activity in my life and His deliverance.   He is Lord.

 

01/09          Nehemiah 8:10
And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of choice foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

STRENGTH
I may have nothing but if I have Jesus I have everything.  This world is passing away every day.  Jesus will never go away.  He is Lord and He is Lord of my life.  He will remove my sadness and replace it with joy.

 

01/10          Psalms 5:11
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Protect them, so all who love your name may be filled with joy.

REFUGE
The unseen seeks to overwhelm each one of us.  The Lord is our refuge when trouble comes.  Go to Him and pour out your heart.  He will walk with you and when needed carry you.  Joy comes from Jesus.

01/11          Psalms 9:2
I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.

JOY
The focus of our life is Jesus Christ.  When we know Him we spend time with Him.  Time with Jesus creates in us a declaration of adoration.  As we reverence and adore Jesus, His presence in us fills us with joy.

 

01/12          Psalms 16:9
No wonder my heart is filled with joy, and my mouth shouts his praises! My body rests in safety.

ETERNITY
I belong to Jesus.  Nothing can separate me from the Lord Jesus.  I cannot comprehend eternity but I can express my gratitude.  Eternity is a growing reality as I grow in Christ and age day by day.  I know my Savior lives and He is alive in me.  Joy and praise fill my soul.

 

01/13          Psalms 16:11
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

JOY
The presence of Christ enables me to live this moment with joy.  Joy is not based on circumstance.  Joy is Christ living in me.  Joy is the reality of Christ guiding, leading, equipping me to live my life with an awareness of my partnership with Him.

 

01/14          Psalms 19:8
The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight to life.

OBEDIENCE
One of the requirements for me to experience the joy of the Lord this moment is obedience to Christ.  His Word permeates my life.  Applying His Word to my life prepares me to live moment by moment with joy.

 

01/15          Psalms 27:6
Then I will hold my head high, above my enemies who surround me. At his Tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the LORD with music.

JOY
The world is not a joyful place.  At best we experience momentary glee that dissipates almost immediately.  When we live in Christ we experience joy that grows.  Jesus reveals His plans for me and my value to Him day by day.  Joy is the by-product of a growing relationship with Jesus.

 

01/16          Psalms 28:7
The LORD is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trust in him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

LIFE
Joy is part of the Christian life.  It is as normal for me to experience joy as it is to breathe.  My relationship with Jesus enables me to be joyful and experience the joy of the presence of the Lord.  My response is praise and adoration.  The Lord is good and I am His child.

 

01/17          Psalms 30:5
His anger lasts for a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes with the morning.

JOY
The human experience is a journey of disappointment when separated from Christ.  No matter the pain or desperate moment when I focus on Christ, joy will come.  As I go through the valley of the shadow of death I still belong to Him.  Once my heart catches up with my faith I will experience joy.

 

01/18          Psalms 30:11
You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,

JOY
Joy is a gift from Jesus.  He created me for fellowship with Him.  When I spend time with Jesus I will experience joy.  His love, His life, His presence blesses me.

 

01/19          Psalms 31:7
I am overcome with joy because of your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul.

LIFE
Our relationship with Jesus is a moment by moment journey.  It is daily.  It deals with the things that makeup a normal life.  Life is a demanding experience and in Christ we can face each one of those demands with peace and joy.

 

01/20          Psalms 32:2
Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

FORGIVENESS
I am forgiven and I know it.  The enemy accuses me and I simply turn that accusation over to the Lord.  Jesus is my security in the spiritual realm.  I cannot see evil but I can combat evil in Christ.

 

01/21          Psalms 32:11
So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!

JOY
Joy is an emotion of the soul.  Peace and security for eternity equipment me to defeat disappointment, discouragement and disaster in the here and now.  Today is the day of the Lord.  Rejoice in Jesus and live life to the fullest.

 

01/22          Psalms 33:1
Let the godly sing with joy to the LORD, for it is fitting to praise him.

PRAISE
Praise helps me to put life in proper perspective.  Jesus is Lord and my praise acknowledges that and claims it.  The Lord of my life is Lord of the universe and I claim that.  Jesus is holy and complete and good.  He is Lord.

 

01/23          Luke 15:10
In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

SIN
The disastrous impact of sin in my life is that it separates me from Father.  However the Lord has made provision for the forgiveness of my sin.  I claim it when I acknowledge my sin and ask Jesus to forgive me of my sin and save me.  I am birthed into the kingdom when I am saved and there is great rejoicing in heaven at this new birth.

 

01/24          Luke 19:6
Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.

JOY
Real joy is to know who you are and to whom you belong.  Jesus is Lord and I belong to Him.  Jesus is Lord of my life and I live for Him.  With Christ in my heart there is joy in my soul.

 

01/25          Romans 4:7-8
“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord.”

FORGIVENESS
Forgiveness is a gift from the Lord.  It gives me life and liberty.  Forgiveness prepares me for service.  As I live and serve I must remember to come before the Father and seek forgiveness for my disobedience.  Sin impedes growth.  Everyday I am called to change and grow.  Every day I need forgiveness.

 

01/26          2 Corinthians 6:10
Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

JOY
In my heart and in my life I can have joy if Christ resides in me.  If I am in prison, defeated, facing a bleak future I can still have joy.  Joy is a result of Christ in me.  The Lord brings joy and enshrouds me with His strength and peace.

 

01/27          2 Corinthians 8:2
Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, their wonderful joy and deep poverty have overflowed in rich generosity.

JOY
When Jesus is in control my life will exude joy.  I will have an awareness of eternity in my soul and a conviction that I am God’s property and on mission for Him.  This is my Father’s world and I can rejoice in it.

 

01/28          Galatians 5:22-23
But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.

FRUIT
Note that Paul doesn’t give us an option for Holy Spirit living.  The fruit is not a pick and choose activity; it is all of the characteristics listed.  Love covers a life that is not in conflict with the Lord.

 

01/29          Philippians 1:25
I am convinced of this, so I will continue with you so that you will grow and experience the joy of your faith.

FAITH
Faith is the living out in daily life of what the Lord puts in us.  We need time with Jesus.  Time with Christ puts joy in our souls.  Our lives are not our own for we are hidden in Christ for service and abundant living.

 

01/30          Philippians 3:1
Whatever happens, dear brothers and sisters, may the Lord give you joy. I never get tired of telling you this. I am doing this for your own good.

JOY
I can claim joy no matter what I am going through.  Today Lord give us your joy so that we can become more like you.  When joy is in my heart, victory will be my daily experience.  In a Roman prison Paul reminded his friends and you and me of the joy we have in Jesus.

 

01/31          Philippians 4:4
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice!

JOY
Christ fills me up with His joy.  Hope covers me and this present age does not discourage me.  Joy is mine in Christ.  His joy is powerful and changes the way I see my life.

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Clay Corvin

Clay Corvin is currently a Bible Teacher and occasional preacher at Bethel Community Baptist Church in New Orleans. He is the retired VP Business and Professor of Admin at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary after completing 38 years as their Business Administrator. He was the pastor at the Brantley Baptist Center for twenty-five years. He is married to Carol Corvin and the father of three children and has three grandchildren. He ministers today as Co-pastor of the Bethel Community Baptist Church and seeks to share the Gospel with everyone. Jesus is Lord!