Time with God – Kerry Crawford

My joy is in the Lord

‘In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name.’ Psalm 33:21 

We have an amazing God who promises lasting joy for all those who believe in Him. This kind of joy stays with us despite our problems. I have been involved with Anchor Boys for 32 years and it’s truly one of my best achievements. God has trusted me with these young boys to teach and guide them into becoming young Christian men.  My heart is filled with joy each year as I see my Anchor Boys move up to Juniors, then to Company and to then watch the very proud parents pin The President's Badge, and then The Queen’s Badge on their armband, which is now of course the King’s Badge.

‘Rejoice because your names are written in heaven.’ Luke 10:20

The above verse means that we should rejoice in our relationship to God and our salvation rather than in gifts and experiences, that our names are written in heaven by God’s grace. There are so many resources available now compared to 32 years ago. Mobile phones weren’t a big thing then, and there was no mention of the World Wide Web. Over the years my teaching methods have changed purely only to keep the boys' attention. They love stories on our overhead and pictures to stand up and hold, baking and playing games. We are telling them about this special person who lives up in Heaven all the wonderful stories throughout the Bible. About Jesus our Saviour who came to earth to save us from our sins, that He suffered while hanging on the cross, nails in His hands and feet, a crown of thorns on His head. But yet they don’t need any proof that this did or didn’t happen, as they know by our teaching that the word of the Bible is the truth.

The following Bible verse reminds me of this:

‘Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.’ 1 Peter 1:8-9

The source of all true joy is found in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again. When we express gratitude to God for His blessings, it leads to a deeper sense of joy in our lives.

Written by Kerry Crawford

Officer at 2nd Castlederg BB