May He Himself be our joy

To summarize what Christine shared with me today over the phone before I forget, and Christine will add or correct when she gets less busy:

The Israelites followed the cloud column and the fire column in the desert when God led them out to the promised land. Where they stayed and for how long they stayed there was decided by God. Today, where we stay in a paticular situation and for how long we stay there is also decided by God, is also part of His plan. We often rely on God for He is a God of mercy and blessings, then we somehow rely on Him FOR His mercy and blessings, then what we really rely on is His mercy and blessings, not He Himself. Then we are actually joyful because of His mercy and blessings, not really joyful because of He Himself. Sometime, God our Father and our Lord plan situations for us to learn to be joyful solely because of Him, because He is with us. Like children we'll learn gradually to be joyful for the mother, but not only for her milk, for the Father, and not only for His blessings. Like Paul who treasured Jesus as most precious, nothing is worth a cent compared to Him. May the Lord strengthen us, for us to be lifted above the world's desires, above our dependence on comfortness and blessings, to be joyful no matter what, be joyful because we have Him, and He is with us always.