April 4:  Joy through Tribulation.

Worthy to Suffer for Him.
They called in the apostles and had them flogged.  Then they ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go.  The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.--Acts 5:40, 41, NLT

AS MEN SEEK to come into harmony with God, they will find that the offense of the cross has not ceased.  Principalities and powers and wicked spirits in high places are arrayed against all who yield obedience to the law of heaven.  Therefore, so far from causing grief, persecution should bring joy to the disciples of Christ, for it is an evidence that they are following in the steps of their Master....

In all ages Satan has persecuted the people of God.  He has tortured them and put them to death, but in dying they became conquerors.  They revealed in their steadfast faith a mightier One than Satan.  Satan could torture and kill the body, but he could not touch the life that was hid with Christ in God.  He could incarcerate in prison walls, but he could not bind the spirit.  They could look beyond the gloom to the glory, saying "I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."  "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."  Romans 8:18;  2 Corinthians 4:17.--Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 29, 30.

                                        And after you have suffered for a little while,
                       the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ,
                                  will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.
                                                                                                            --1 Peter 5:10, NRSV   

April 3:  Joy Through Tribulation.

The Joy of Suffering for Others.
I am now rejoicing in my suffering for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.--Colossians 1:24, NRSV

THE APOSTLES COUNTED not their lives dear unto themselves, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ.  Paul and Silas suffered the loss of all things.  They suffered scourging, and were in no gentle manner thrown upon the cold floor of a dungeon in a most painful position, their feet elevated and fastened in the stocks.  Did repinings and complaints then reach the ear of the jailer?  Oh, no!  From the inner prison, voices broke the silence of midnight with songs of joy and praise to God.  These disciples were cheered by a deep and earnest love for the cause of their Redeemer, for which they suffered.

As the truth of God fills our hearts, absorbs our affections, and controls our lives, we also will count it joy to suffer for the truth's sake.  No prison walls, no marty's stake, can then saunt or hinder us in the great work.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, 406.

                             The humble will see their God at work and be glad.
                                    Let all who seek God's help be encouraged.
                                       For the Lord hears the cries  of the needy;
                                       he does not despise his imprisoned people.
                                                                                          --Psalm 69:32, 33, NLT

April 2:  Joy Through Tribulation.

Strength Given to the Weak.
That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ.  For when I am week, then I am strong.--2 Corinthians 12:10, NLT

THE LORD'S CARE is over all His creatures.  He loves them all and makes no difference, except that He has the most tender pity for those who are called to bear life's heaviest burdens.  God's children must meet trials and difficulties.  But they should accept their lot with a cheerful spirit, remembering that for all that the world neglects to bestow, God Himself will make up to them in the best favors.--The Ministry of Healing, 199.

In all ages of the church God's appointed messengers have exposed themselves to reproach and persecution for the truth's sake.  But wherever God's people may be forced to go, even though, like the beloved disciple, they are banished to desert islands, Christ will know where they are and will strengthen and bless them, filling them with peace and joy.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, 227.

                                             He gives power to the weak
                                          and strength to the powerless.
                                       Even youths will become weak and tired,
                                         and young men will fall in exhaustion.
                                    But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.

                                          They will soar high on wings like eagles.
                                                  They will run and not grow weary.
                                                         They will walk and not faint.
                              
                                                                --Isaiah 40:29-31, NLT

April 1:  Joy Through Tribulation.

Not to Be Exalted Above Measure.
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.  Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.--2 Corinthians 12:7-9, NKJV

WHILE THE LORD has not promised His people exemption from trials, He has promised that which is far better.  He has said, "As thy days, so shall thy strength be."  "My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  Deuteronomy 33:25; 2 Corinthians 12:9.  If you are called to go through the fiery furnace for His sake, Jesus will be by your side even as He was with the faithful three in Babylon.  Those who love their Redeemer will rejoice at every opportunity of sharing with Him humiliation and reproach.  The love they bear their Lord makes suffering for His sake sweet.--Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 30.

Through all our trials we have a never-failing Helper.  He does not leave us alone to struggle with temptation, to battle with evil, and be finally crushed with burdens and sorrow.  Though now He is hidden from mortal sight, the ear of faith can hear His voice saying, Fear not; I am with you.  "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore."  Revelation 1:18.  I have endured your sorrows, experienced your struggles, encountered your temptations.  I know your tears; I also have wept.  The griefs that lie too deep to be breathed into any human ear, I know.  Think not that you are desolate and forsaken.  Though your pain touch no responsive chord in any heart on earth, look unto Me, and live.--The Desire of Ages, 483.

March 31:  Joy to the World.

The Coming of the Lord Is Our Hope.
The hope of the righteous will be gladness, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.--Proverbs 10:28, NKJV

THE COMING OF THE LORD has been in all ages the hope of His true followers.  The Saviour's parting promise upon Olivet, that He would come again, lighted up the future for His disciples, filling their hearts with joy and hope that sorrow could not quench nor trials dim.  Amid suffering and persecution, the "appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" was the "blessed hope."--The Great Controversy, 302.

From the day when the first pair turned their sorrowing steps from Eden, the children of faith have waited the coming of the Promised One to break the destroyer's power and bring them again to the lost Paradise.--The Great Controversy, 299.

To dwell forever in this home of the blest, to bear in soul, body, and spirit, not the dark traces of sin and the curse, but the perfect likeness of our Creator, and through ceaseless ages to advance in wisdom, in knowledge, and in holiness, ever exploring new fields of thought, ever finding new wonders and new glories, ever increasing in capacity to know and to enjoy and to love, and knowing that there is still beyond us joy and love and wisdom infinite--such is the object to which the Christian's hope is pointing.--Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 55.

March 30:  Joy to the World.

Christ Our Guide.
O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot.  The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance.  I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons.  I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.--Psalm 16:5-8, NKJV

HAVE THERE NOT BEEN some bright spots in your experience?  Have you not had some precious seasons when your heart throbbed with joy in response to the Spirit of God?  When you look back into the chapters of your life experience do you not find some pleasant pages?  Are not God's promises, like the fragrant flowers, growing beside your path on every hand?  Will you not let their beauty and sweetness fill your heart with joy?--Steps to Christ, 117.

The road may be rough and the ascent steep; there may be pitfalls upon the right hand and upon the left; we may have to endure toil in our journey; when weary, when longing for rest, we may have to toil on; when faint, we may have to fight; when discouraged, we must still hope; but with Christ as our guide we shall not fail of reaching the desired haven at last.  Christ Himself has trodden the rough way before us and has smoothed the path for our feet.

And all the way up the steep road leading to eternal life are well-springs of joy to refresh the weary.--Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 140.

                       Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.  
                                             You guard all that is mine.
                              The land you have given me is a pleasant land.
                                             What a wonderful inheritance!
                              
                                                         --Psalm 16: 5, 6, NLT

March 29:  Joy to the World.

Enjoying Good Food With Moderation.
They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity--all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.  And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.--Acts 2:46, 47, NLT

EATING AND DRINKING in accordance with the laws of health promote virtuous actions.  But if the stomach is abused by habits that have no foundation in nature, Satan takes advantage of the wrong that has been done and uses the stomach as an enemy of righteousness, creating a disturbance which affects the entire being.--Counsels on Health, 577.

God is not honored when the body is neglected or abused and is thus unfitted for His service.  To care for the body by providing for it food that is relishable and strengthening is one of the first duties of the householder.  It is far better to have less expensive clothing and furniture than to stint the supply of food.--The Ministry of Healing, 322.

Let the table be made inviting and attractive, as it is supplied with the good things which God has so bountifully bestowed.  Let mealtime be a cheerful, happy time.  As we enjoy the gifts of God, let us respond by grateful praise to the Giver.--The Ministry of Healing, 385.

                          When you sit down to eat with someone important,
               keep in mind who he is.  If you have a big appetite, restrain yourself.
         Don't be greedy for the fine food he serves; he may be trying to trick you.
                              
                                                         --Proverbs 23:1-3, GNT

March 28:  Joy to the World.

The Joy of Hospitality.
He told them to celebrate these days with feasting and gladness and by giving gifts of food to each other and presents to the poor.  This would commemorate a time when the Jews gained relief from their enemies, when their sorrow was turned into gladness and their mourning into joy.--Esther 9:22, NLT

GRATITUDE, REJOICING, benevolence, trust in God's love and care--these are health's greatest safeguard.  To the Israelites they were to be the very keynote of life.--The Ministry of Healing, 281.

At their sacred feasts the Lord had directed that "the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat, and be satisfied."  Deuteronomy 14:29.--Christ's Object Lessons, 220.

These feasts were occasions of rejoicing, made sweeter and more tender by the hospitable welcome given to the stranger, the Levite, and the poor.--The Ministry of Healing, 281.

These gatherings were to be as object lessons to Israel.  Being thus taught the joy of true hospitality, the people were throughout the year to care for the bereaved and the poor.  And these feasts had a wider lesson.  The spiritual blessings given to Israel were not for themselves alone.  God had given the bread of life to them, that they might break it to the world.--Christ's Object Lessons, 220.

                         "At the end of every third year, bring the entire tithe of that year's harvest
                             and store it in the nearest town.  Give it to the Levites, who will receive
                       no allotment of land among you, as well as to the foreigner living among you,
                          the orphans, and the widows in your towns, so they can eat and be satisfied.
                                    Then the Lord your God will bless you in all your work."
                                                                                  --Deuteronomy 14:28, 29, NLT

March 27:  Joy to the World.

The Joy of Israel.
The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.--1 Kings 4:20, NIV

ISRAEL HAD HAD ABUNDANT OCCASION for rejoicing.  The land to which the Lord had brought them was a land flowing with milk and honey.  During the wilderness wandering, God had assured them that He was guiding them to a country where they need never suffer for lack of rain.--Prophets and Kings, 135.

God brought the Israelites from Egypt, that He might establish them in the land of Canaan, a pure, holy, and happy people.  In the accomplishment of this object He subjected them to a course of discipline, both for their own good and for the good of their posterity.  Had they been willing to deny appetite, in obedience to His wise restrictions, feebleness and disease would have been unknown among them.  Their descendants would have possessed both physical and mental strength.  They would have had clear perceptions of truth and duty, keen discrimination, and sound judgment....

God might as easily have provided them with flesh as with manna, but a restriction was placed upon them for their good.  It was His purpose to supply them with food better suited to their wants than the feverish diet to which many had become accustomed in Egypt.  The perverted appetite was to be brought into a more healthy state, that they might enjoy the food originally provided for man--the fruits of the earth, which God gave to Adam and Eve in Eden.--Patriarchs and Prophets, 378.

March 26:  Joy to the World.

God Uses the Elements to Produce Food.
You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.  You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for the people to use.  You allow them to produce food from the earth.--Psalm 104:13, 14, NLT

GOD HAS BOUNTIFULLY PROVIDED for the sustenance and happiness of all His creatures; and if His laws were never violated, and all acted in harmony with the divine will, health, peace, and happiness, instead of misery and continual evil, would be experienced.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, 368.

It is by the mighty power of the Infinite One that the elements of nature in earth and sea and sky are kept within bounds.  And these elements He uses for the happiness of His creatures.  "His good treasures" is freely expended "to give rain...in his season, and to bless all the work" of man's hands.  Deuteronomy 28:12.--Prophets and Kings, 134.

                                 You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
                                             they flow between the hills,
                                       giving drink to every wild animal;
                                       the wild asses quench their thirst.
                         By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation;
                                    they sing among the branches....
                               You cause the grass to grow for the cattle,
                                         and plants for people to use,
                                     to bring forth food from the earth,
                                  and wine to gladden the human heart.
                              
               --Psalm 104:10-12, 14, 15, NRSV