What is next to love in the Christian’s character?

Few things match being among friends and telling old stories, just enjoying life. Deep laughter rolls from the depths of a person’s being. Oh yes, there is a canned kind of laughter, too. It’s hollow and forced. This kind of ‘laughter’ actually makes me sad. Then, there is mocking laughter, cynical and scornful. It makes me angry, for it is a joy purchased at the expense of another, cruel and exploitative.   

Real joy that rises up in us is a gift. There is healing power in genuine joy.

There was an evening among a group of friends that stands out in my memory. We started telling stories on ourselves, bloopers, dumb mistakes we had made, absurd situations in which we found ourselves. The laughter built until we were breathless. It was clean, wholesome, and we were renewed.  Though we were each carrying burdens of life that night, we went home refreshed in joy. Do you know how to laugh?  There are some of us who are so ‘deep,’ or who take ourselves so seriously, it’s nearly impossible to get a laugh, never mind one of those belly laughs that leave us breathless.

God says that next to love, JOY reveals the life of the Holy Spirit in us.  A “joyless Christian” is a contradiction. Does this mean we have to be merry folk, laughing through the day, practical jokers all?  Of course not. The Holy Spirit living in us will give us hope, strengthen faith, and fill us with His Presence however.  And the inevitable result is a person who has a joyful heart, in every circumstance. It’s not a quality worked up; it’s a gift that flows from the inside out!

We must choose joy. Suffering abounds on this broken globe. War and disease, death and disappointment are all around us. But, so is new life, victory over sin, healing provided by the Lord, and the beauty of His work.  So, where will you choose to live – in the sorrow or in the joy?  After preaching the convicting Word to the people of God, Nehemiah saw them broken-hearted over their sins. In a well-known passage, he told them that God was ready to renew the covenant with them and that they needed to celebrate His goodness.  “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10, NIV)

David sang about the doubts that were replaced with faith. The result?  "You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound." (Psalm 4:7, NIV)  When the crops were abundant people of his day rejoiced. Famine was always just one harvest away.  The joy at a bumper crop was real.  David says that an even deeper joy comes to those who trust in the Lord, who know that He loves them.

God’s people were broken by the destruction of their nation. The Assyrians invaded, carried off the best as slaves, tore down the Temple, and stole the treasures.  Could they ever be joyful again?  Isaiah said yes! "The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away." (Isaiah 51:11, NIV)  We bring that promise into our day. Evil steals life. We are enslaved by sin. But, Christ came and paid our ransom. He frees us and we enter the Kingdom.  IF we understand the fullness of that salvation, joy will overflow.

When we engage ourselves in the work of God, looking beyond the scramble to pay the mortgage, keep the house in order; know that life is more than daily duty – we will find joy, too.  Jesus sent out the disciples to preach the good news of His new Kingdom. When they returned to Him, they were excited at the results. As they reported, the Lord Himself experienced something we can know, too. "At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." (Luke 10:21, NIV)  Jesus was full of joy because He was doing the Father’s will and taught others how to live it.  Nothing, Christian, makes a person more joyful than radical obedience to the Father.

Here’s my prayer, a word from the Word. "Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope! " (Romans 15:13, The Message)

"We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!" (1 John 1:3-4, The Message)

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I Want The Joy

I want the joy of the Lord to come down!

I want the joy of the Lord to fall now!

I want the joy of the Lord in my life.

I want the joy of the Lord to lift me!

I want the joy of the Lord to change me!

I want the joy of the Lord in my life.

It's time I started dancing

Over all these graves.

It's time I gave You, Oh, my Lord,

The highest praise.

It's time to lift my voice,

Oh, and beg for this blessing to fall.

Rita Springer

© 2002 River Oaks Music Company (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

A Turtle on a Fencepost

Tuesday's elections brought a ton of hubris into full view in our politicians. The winners are crowing like roosters on a bright morning, acting as if they are about to usher in a perfect age. The losers are spinning, desperately trying to convince us all it did not really happen. 

 What's hubris?  "Excessive pride or self-confidence, arrogance," is the definition! 

Oh, for some humility. Oh that they would be 'public servants' not just in name, talking and listening, working not just for the next election but for the good of the nation.

Hubris is a common human sin! Success is a dangerous thing for most of us because we tend to forget God's blessings as well as those who helped us along the way. 

 Have you heard about the 'turtle on the fencepost?'  Somebody wisely pointed out that "if you spot a turtle sitting atop a fencepost, you know it didn't get there by itself."

Humility is a character trait that must be cultivated. 

Pride makes us an enemy of God, who will not share His glory or authority! "Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." (1 Peter 5:5, NIV)  We live in a culture where the proud are often admired, at least for their power and influence.  Scripture teaches us that God, the Almighty, is near to those who remember that they are fragile, as well as those who have been crushed by life. "The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: "I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts."(Isaiah 57:15, NLT)

Impressed with yourself?  Or, hiding out in a kind of reverse pride that causes you to protect yourself from all possible risk of criticism? Humility, true submission to the Lord and His purposes, is the answer.  The Word asks, "Who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" (1 Corinthians 4:7). And then offers, this counsel,  "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."(Philippians 2:3)

 Hubris or humility? What will it be? 

Take the wisdom of Jesus with you today as you meditate on this word from the Word. "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3-4, NIV)  
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I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice

And it told Thy love to me.

But I long to rise in the arms of faith

And be closer drawn to Thee.

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,

By the pow'r of grace divine.

Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope

And my will be lost in Thine.

Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,

To the cross where Thou hast died.

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,

To Thy precious bleeding side.

Fanny Jane Crosby | William Howard Doane

© Words: Public Domain

It's not morbid to remember your mortality

Do you think about dying?  Cheery thought, isn’t it?  While I waited to go into the operating room for a procedure yesterday, I joked with Bev that if I didn’t make it, she could find all the information she needed in a file in my computer.   A joke?  Yes, but mortality is a fact that can help us to live a better life.  Every year I lead funeral and memorial services. Most of those who have died are mourned by friends and family who remember kindness, love, generosity, and all the little things that make life richer.  Occasionally I stand in a room where the prevailing attitude seems to be relief. Eyes are dry and words are few.

So, what does mortality produce in me?  

First is the proper perspective and a steady course of Christ-centered service. The realization that the only commendation that really matters is that of the Righteous Judge, the Lord Jesus.  At the moment I step into eternity, I hope to be welcomed home with this greeting, "Well done, Jerry, enter the joy of my Presence."

Second, I want leave a legacy of finished business - all relationships up to date and obligations met.  Paul counsels us to "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. … And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed." (Romans 13:8,11, NIV)

Third, knowing mortality helps us to live TODAY with purpose, not deferring the hard choices, the tough stuff, to another day!  "Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom." (Psalm 90:12, NLT)  Being aware of our mortality need not be morbid or fearful. 

If we are alive to Christ, we are already living eternally. For the Christian, death is an end, but not the end.  That moment, Paul says, is just a change of address.  Here’s the word from the Word - "We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:7-11, NIV)

Take a few moments to add it all up. Ask yourself, while inviting the Spirit of God to bring clarity to your thoughts, "if I were to die today, would there be a lot of dangling threads, disappointed people, words unspoken, obligations unmet?"  Live well! How? "Love God totally... love others selflessly!"
_______________________

Here's a thought to ponder today -

"He has achieved success who has lived well,
 laughed often and loved much;
who has enjoyed the trust of pure women,
the respect of intelligent men
and the love of little children;
who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
who has left the world better than he found it,
whether by an improved poppy,
a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
who has never lacked appreciation
of Earth`s beauty or failed to express it;
who has always looked for the best in others
and given them the best he had;
whose life was an inspiration;
whose memory a benediction."

- Anonymous

________________________

Go! Make a choice!

The polls are open today.  The election hype this year is a lot like the last few elections - dire warnings that come from both sides promising that the U.S. of A. is doomed if the other guys are elected. Are there differences between the parties? Sure there are. Will the election of one party or the other really affect the way my grandchildren live? Yes, there are consequences that come from the choices made – one ballot at a time, millions of times over! Public policies will be changed.  Different judges will be appointed.  Funding priorities will shift.  But. . . .

Time and again, God makes it known in the Scripture - "I am in charge of history!"   Does that make me a fatalist? Should I just sit home today and sing whatever will be, will be?

Consider Daniel. He was taken from his home in Jerusalem to Babylon to be a slave in a pagan system! where he was put in the service of a pagan emperor.  Did he struggle to reconcile his belief in God as the Lord of All  and the fact that his homeland was in ruins? Possibly, and yet he stayed faithful. Daniel remained God's man.  For decades, through 4 regimes, he was Yahweh’s spokesman. In chapter 2 of his book, we read that the king, Nebuchadnezzar, demanded that his counselors tell him his terrifying dream and its meaning. Impossible? Sure it was. But, Daniel went to prayer, received the revelation, and went to tell the king what God was saying to him. God said, “I am in charge.”  Remember that dream? It was a large statue with golden head, silver chest, bronze belly, iron legs, and feet of clay. It represented the kingdoms of men. The key part of the dream was the Stone that was cut out, not with human hands, that smashed the statue. The meaning? All earthly kingdoms will come to an end when the King of Kings sets up His reign.

Later in the king's life, he dreamed of a great tree in the center of the earth. It was cut down by a heavenly messenger, but the stump was left. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that it was a message that he was about to be cut down because of his arrogance. "They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. "And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules." (Daniel 4:25-26, NKJV)

God rules! Christians are responsible, proactive, and engaged even as they remember they are servants of the Most High God, that they are not in charge. They are partners with Him, building His kingdom, extending His reign, and seeking His glory.

Disciple, trust that revelation today. Steady yourself in faith in God, that He is capable of keeping you in the palm of His hand, no matter what happens to our economy, no matter who controls the Congress after this election or who is sitting in governor’s mansions across the nation. God has not left us to ourselves. Pray for eyes that see what God sees and a mind that thinks as He thinks as the Spirit gives revelation.

In this election year when there is so much anxiety about the future of this country... remember the Truth!
"Blessed be the name of God, forever and ever. He knows all, does all: He changes the seasons and guides history, He raises up kings and also brings them down." (Daniel 2:20-21, The Message) He has charged us with responsibility to pray for His will to be done, and then we will obey Him and live with heart-deep faith and rock-solid assurance.

"This, then, is how you should pray:
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one." (Matthew 6:8-13, NIV)

Now, go vote as you pray for the wisdom of the Spirit.

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God, bless America;

Land that I love.

Stand beside her

And guide her

Through the night

With a Light from above.

From the mountains,

to the prairies,

To the oceans,

 white with foam

God bless America,

My home, sweet home.

Irving Berlin