Anne Graham Lotz - The Joy of My Heart: Meditating Daily on Gods Word

The
JOY
OF MY
Heart

ANNE GRAHAM LOTZ

MEDITATING DAILY ON GODS WORD

2004 Anne Graham Lotz.

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Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 1465 Kelly Johnson Blvd., Suite 320, Colorado Springs, CO 80920.

Compiled and edited by Terri Gibbs

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The New International Version of the Bible (NIV). 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Other Scripture quotations are taken from the following sources:
The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. The New King James Version (NKJV), 1979, 1980, 1982, 1992, 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

Cover designed by Jack Kotowicz, Velocity Design Group.
Interior designed by Robin Black, UDG|DesignWorks,
Sisters, Oregon.

ISBN: 978-1-4041-0116-6

Printed in China

Your statutes are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.

PSALM 119:111

GODS WORD IS THE JOY OF MY HEART...

Many years ago I began a pilgrimage to know God, and that pilgrimage continues to this day. I dont know Him today as well as I want or should, but I know Him better today than I did twenty-five years ago. I know Him better today than I did one year ago. I am growing in my knowledge of God, and I say without hesitation or qualification that knowing God is my joy and reason for living. He is...

the Wind beneath my wings,

the Treasure that I seek,

the Foundation on which I build,

the Song in my heart,

the Object of my desire,

the Breath of my life

He is my All in all!

And His Word is the joy of my heart!

Please join with me in this life-changing discovery as, day by day, we learn more about our God.

Anne Graham Lotz

Contents

To know God better
is to love Him more.

JANUARY 1
THE GOD OF ETERNITYS BEGINNING

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

GENESIS 1:1 NKJV

The glorious dawn of Gods story begins with the stunning yet profoundly simple statement that in the beginning He created everything (Genesis 1:1)which means that in the beginning, He was already there. He is eternal.

It is impossible to comprehend eternity. Its been defined as three stages of time: everything before Creation, everything that has taken place or will take place from Creation until the end of the world, and everything that will take place after the end of the world. It stretches back further than the human mind can reachwhether through anthropology, or geology, or archaeology. It stretches ahead farther than the human mind can imaginewhether through science fiction, or scientific observation, or telescopes. God as Creator is eternal and therefore not bound by time. That means He is in your future, and He is in your past, and He surrounds you at present! Would you worship Him now for His eternity?

Gods Story

JANUARY 2
Putting Holes in the Darkness

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

MATTHEW 5:16 NKJV

One night, when Robert Louis Stevenson was a small boy, his nanny called him to come to bed. Oblivious to her summons, he was staring at something outside his nursery window. The nanny walked over, stood at his shoulder, and inquired patiently, Robert, what are you looking at? The little boy, without taking his eyes away from the window, exclaimed in wonder as he pointed to the lamplighter who was lighting the streetlamps, Look, Nanny! That man is putting holes in the darkness! You and I may not be able to change the world, but surely each of us can put a hole in the darkness! Turn on the Light! Share what Jesus means to you and give Gods Word to someone else!

Just Give Me Jesus

JANUARY 3
HEAVEN IS MORE

Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered
into the heart of man the things which God has
prepared for those who love Him.

1 CORINTHIANS 2:9 NKJV

The Creator who created all the earthly beauty we have grown to love...
the majestic snowcapped peaks of the Alps,
the rushing mountain streams,
the carpets of wildflowers,
the whir of a hummingbirds wings...
this is the same Creator who has prepared our heavenly home for us! If God could make the heavens and earth as beautiful as we think they are todaywhich includes thousands of years of wear and tear, corruption and pollution, sin and selfishnesscan you imagine what the new heaven and the new earth will look like? It will be much more glorious than any eyes have seen, any ears have heard, or any minds have ever conceived.

Heaven: My Fathers House

JANUARY 4
GOD SAYS SO PRAYERS

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you
will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

JOHN 15:7 NKJV

Prayer is a conversation. We speak to God in prayer, then listen attentively as He speaks to us through His Word.

Do you think the promise that Jesus gave His disciples was like handing them a divine genie in a bottle? And that if they would just rub the bottle with enough faith, the genie would pop out and grant them their wishes? As ludicrous as that is, it actually is the way some people view prayer. And when the genie doesnt pop out of the bottle, they become offended with God and resent Him for not being at their beck and call.

One major prerequisite to receiving answers to prayer is that our requests line up with Gods will. How will we know what Gods will is? By abiding consistently in His Word. Instead of basing our prayers on I hope so, our prayers are based on God says so. And if we are saturating ourselves in His Word, then His desires will be ours.

My Hearts Cry

JANUARY 5
MY HOME IS HIS, TOO!

You comprehend my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.

PSALM 139:3 NKJV

Recently as I prepared my house for a visit by my father, I began to clean and straighten my house. I even bought fresh flowers to place around the rooms. I wanted my home to look as inviting and pleasing to his eyes as I could make it. Then it struck meif I felt this way about my earthly fathers brief visit, how much more care I should give my home every day, since my heavenly Father lives here.

I am not a good housekeeper. But motivated by the thought that my house is His home also, I try hard to keep it clean and neat. It is not professionally decorated, but it is as pleasing to the eyes as my time and budget will allow. I want those who walk through my door to know that the Lord God lives here. And I hope the reality of His presence is evident to all by the beauty of the outward appearance and an inner atmosphere of warmth and love.