JOY

So, when I was younger, I learned about JOY in Sunday School. JOY is putting Jesus before Others before Yourself. Corny as it is, it's true. But true as it is, it's hard. It's easy to have YJO, YOJ, and maybe even JYO; but how many times do we put ourselves last and live out JOY? Our calling to be ambassadors of Christ is three-fold, just like JOY. J - We are ambassadors of Christ; O - we are ambassadors to this world; Y - we are ambassadors.

Paul tells us that to live this out, we need to live for the glory of God, first and foremost. But next in line is "not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved." We should be careful not to cause anyone to stumble, whether they are in Christ or not. That's really hard for me to do, I realize. All I focus on is what I need and what I want, and when that comes in direct contradiction with what someone else needs and wants, I am likely to disregard the other. But when we remember not only that there is joy in being last but that there is purpose in putting others before ourselves (so that they may be saved), there is even greater joy.