I have not always been the type of person to put others first.  I’ll admit that many times in life I have been extremely selfish.  That was before I understood the definition of joy.  Joy, is something I want in life, and before you start thinking joy is the same as happiness think again.  Joy comes from our Heavenly Father, but it comes when we operate in the mindset of J-O-Y, Jesus, Others, Yourself.  Putting things in that perspective and order in life will truly bring you “joy”.

Biblical tools.org explains joy this way,

“Biblical joy is a fruit, a byproduct, an additional blessing, not the end in itself. It flows into and grows within the person whose life and energies are not focused merely on being “joyful.” The lives of those in this world who are so zealously chasing after it prove this point. If they are still chasing it, they must not yet have it. God’s Word also substantiates this.”

I don’t know about you, but I am willing to do what it takes to be joyful. I want to sing to the top of my lungs the song from my childhood, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, where, down in my heart, where, down in my heart, I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, where, down in my heart to stay” and mean it with my whole heart. What about you?

Girls,  How many times has your momma said this, “Because I said so.” When my momma said it, she backed it with a promise.  She meant business.  I knew  my mom meant business, but she also modeled obedience for me.  She expected me to obey, but she also obeyed God.  She modeled this for me.

She made time for me.  She made his teachings a part of our daily life.  God’s commandments in my home were rules to live by, not just because my mom said so, but because God said so.  God says the same thing.  He expects us to do things because He says so.

The Bible says in Ephesians 6:

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise – that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

Ephesians 6:1-3

You see, God tells us to do something and He backs it up with a promise. And you know what?  God keeps His promises. How many times have you promised someone something and NOT kept your promise?  Or maybe someone promised you something and they didn’t keep their promise.  But with God, He ALWAYS keeps His promises.

He tells us to obey our parents, and our parents must obey God.  He also gives them a command, it is found in Deuteronomy 6

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them  when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”  Deuteronomy 6:5-9

We as parents are to teach our children to love God,  as a result of this love our children will learn to honor and obey God,  this will cause them to learn to be obedient.  Honor comes through obedience.

When we learn to obey and honor our parents we are being obedient to God and we will therefore receive His promises.

Parents will often make promises to us as well.  As parents we must follow through with our promises in order to help our children to learn obedience.  My parents were ones to keep their promises whether it was a promise of punishment if I disobeyed or a promise of something I wanted or was wishing for.

I had to first learn to be obedient.  Even when my momma said, “Because I said so.”