Your Resource?

Today, as you do whatever it is you do, from what or whom will you seek security? What is your richest resource?  For some, the balance in their bank account is important. And let’s acknowledge the obvious- having enough money to secure our home, our transportation, our food is comforting. For others security is found in their relationship with another.  When I was a child, nothing made me feel more secure than standing next to my Dad!  Perhaps for you it is a spouse or a close friend that gives you a sense of well-being. Some trust their skills, others find safety in their home, still others build a reputation that provides their foundation.

There is a resource for the child of God that is inexhaustible, eternal, and available to everyone: God Himself!

In a complex story in Genesis, God asks Abraham to take a trip to Mt. Moriah to do a sacrifice. Isaac, his son, accompanies him on the journey and wonders aloud where the sacrificial lamb is. “Dad, we have fire, we have wood, but where is the lamb?” What the boy does not know is that he is to be offered on that altar. Yes, the story is hard for me to fully understand, but the ending is where I want us to focus today. “Lay down the knife,” the angel said. “Do not hurt the boy in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld even your beloved son from me.” Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering on the altar in place of his son. Abraham named the place “The Lord Will Provide.” (YHWH Yireh)" (Genesis 22:12-14, NLT)

At a moment of 'impossibility' the father of the faithful found the true resource – and named Him, “The LORD, my Provider.”   If you know more of Abraham’s story you will remember that when he made God his resource, he lived in blessings.  When he tried to take care of his own needs in his own way results were awful.

God desires to be our Resource for every need. In the story of Creation, we find that He made this world to be a place of abundance where every need of every person should be met. Human sin- greed, selfishness, exploitation – destroys the balance and creates poverty of spirit and body.  But, when we align ourselves with His way and will, we discover that He is for us, like Abraham, our Provider!

When Paul traveled the empire of Rome to share the message of Jesus – he lived in faith. His testimony is this - "this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19, NLT)

Let’s not make the mistake of thinking of ‘resources’ only in terms of wealth. That is a major temptation of our material culture that loves money above most all else. God’s provision is for the whole person. He provides salvation for the sinful, peace for the anxious, love to the unloved, an identity for those who are without ‘place.’  And yes, He can be trusted to provide what we need.  Knowing the difference between what I need and what I think I need can be a real challenge. 

How easily I confuse ‘I want that’ with ‘I need that.’ 
Does that happen to you, too?

The word from the Word today is Jesus’ reminder of our Resources found in the Father.  These words are taken from His sermon on the mount and I have used a contemporary paraphrase called The Message to help us to think them through. May the Spirit give us faith and understanding so that we will live richly in our Father’s love. Jesus, speaking of God’s care for birds and flowers goes on to say -  

 "What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax,
to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving.
People who don’t know God and the way he works
fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.
 

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.
Don’t worry about missing out.
You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. " 

(Matthew 6:31-33, The Message)   Lord, increase our faith.

 (Video of this blog at this link)

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Goodness Of God (CeCe Winans does this anthem so well. Be blessed!)

I love You Lord

Oh Your mercy never fails me

All my days

I've been held in Your hands

From the moment that I wake up

Until I lay my head

I will sing of the goodness of God

 

All my life You have been faithful

All my life You have been so so good

With every breath that I am able

I will sing of the goodness of God

 

I love Your voice

You have led me through the fire

In darkest night

You are close like no other

I've known You as a father

I've known You as a friend

I have lived in the goodness of God

 

Your goodness is running after

It’s running after me

Your goodness is running after

It’s running after me

With my life laid down

I’m surrendered now

I give You everything

Your goodness is running after

It's running after me

 

Ben Fielding | Brian Johnson | Ed Cash | Jason Ingram | Jenn Johnson

© 2018 Capitol CMG Paragon; SHOUT! Music Publishing Australia; Fellow Ships Music; So Essential Tunes; Bethel Music Publishing

CCLI License # 810055

 

Where do you find strength?

10 years ago I could not have imagined just how difficult and sad the next two years would be! Bev and I were enjoying life together and then came the cancer diagnosis, her long struggle with treatment, and her death. It was every bit as traumatic and dramatic as it sounds. Do I believe that I am unique in this world?  Of course not.  Life can be going along just wonderfully and bam! we hit a wall: sickness, death, divorce, business failure, a child who becomes troubled …   This proverb is surely true. "People are born for trouble as predictably as sparks fly upward from a fire." (Job 5:7, NLT) 

What choices will we make in those times? Will we fall apart, become bitter, retreat into self-pity or simmering anger at God and the world? OR, will we make the better choice?

David was anointed by Samuel to be the next king in Israel. While he waited to take the throne, he served King Saul as a brilliant military strategist, played his harp in court, and generally brought good to the nation. The people loved him and his growing popularity ate at Saul until his jealousy drove him into an insane (literally!) obsession with David’s murder.  David eventually became a fugitive and found himself living among Israel’s enemies, the Philistines.

A low point in his life came when David and his army returned from a campaign to find this had happened in their absence. "Three days later, when David and his men arrived home at their town of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had made a raid into the Negev and had burned Ziklag to the ground. They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone. When David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, they wept until they could weep no more. David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel, were among those captured. David was now in serious trouble because his men were very bitter about losing their wives and children, and they began to talk of stoning him.”  Take note of the fact that David was not above grief and sorrow.  He joined his men in ‘weeping until they could weep no more.’ He was no Stoic, unwilling to allow himself to feel or express his emotions. BUT, he becomes an example for us in what he did next.

“But David found strength in the Lord his God." (1 Samuel 30:1-6, NLT)  He knew his great resource was in the Lord YWHW, the “Great I AM” and so he turned to prayer. The details are spare but given what we know of David’s love for the Lord it is not hard to imagine that he went to be alone, taking his harp and singing the songs he had written over the years, songs we know as the Psalms.  Perhaps he wept as he sang.  Perhaps he choked on the words of faith as he gave voice to truths that seemed to be lies in the moment. Might he have sung this?

"Of David. A psalm. I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD." (Psalm 40:1-3, NIV)  

What we do know is that he found encouragement, comfort, and wisdom to move forward in leadership.  He rallied his men and with God’s help recovered all that was lost in a hard fought battle.

Do you know how to find your strength in the Lord?

Do you know the power of worship,
the value of quiet retreat to prayer?

Will you still your emotions and turn your mind and heart
to the Presence of the Holy?

For so many years of pastoral ministry, when I found myself wrestling with challenges or nearly overwhelmed by the human needs that came my way, I found such peace in the sanctuary.  I would go into the church, find a corner, and lay on my face in prayer, often just quiet, sometimes softly singing, occasionally weeping. What renewal I found in those moments, when I was like a child before his Father, acknowledging my need and His promises!

Jesus shows us the pattern of being ‘encouraged in the Lord’ in His Gethsemane experience. After the Last Supper, as he knew the Cross was just ahead, he did this. "Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing." (Matthew 26:36-44, NIV)  He prayed and prayed and prayed until His soul found peace in the will of God and then He went to give Himself on the Cross where He reconciled the world to the Creator!  Oh, Lord, show us how to find Your strength that we would fulfill Your will in our lives!

The word from the Word is both a challenge and a promise. Make your resolve today and always. "Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” But we are not like those who turn their backs on God and seal their fate. We have faith that assures our salvation." (Hebrews 10:35-39, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

A mighty fortress is our God
A bulwark never failing
Our helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe
His craft and pow'r are great
And armed with cruel hate
On earth is not his equal

Did we in our own strength confide
Our striving would be losing
Were not the right Man on our side
The Man of God's own choosing
Dost ask who that may be
Christ Jesus it is He
Lord Sabaoth His name
From age to age the same
And He must win the battle

And tho' this world with devils filled
Should threaten to undo us
We will not fear for God hath willed
His truth to triumph thru us
The prince of darkness grim
We tremble not for him
His rage we can endure
For lo his doom is sure
One little word shall fell him

Martin Luther, Public Domain

Make it beautiful

I like creating order out of chaos, even in such a simple thing as keeping my lawn mowed.  I’m a fan of a clean house and a washed car. There’s just something rewarding to me that flows out of making a little spot of order and beauty in the world that knows so much chaos. No amount of wishing, hoping, or talking can make any of those happen.  I have to get up and get at it, willing to expend some energy. The curse of sin brings weeds and decay our way, but with God’s help, we can make a difference, but will we?

A beautiful life of a Christian, a character marked by the Spirit’s fruit –  “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” - (Galatians 5:22)  requires the application of ourselves in spiritual disciplines. Christlikeness demands our daily attention and the work of the Spirit in us. Faith that survives the chaos is built by doing the small things that honor Him.

Here is a tough question - Is your life filled with chaos, unfinished business, unresolved conflict – all growing like weeds? 

Jesus in us, experienced in the life of the Holy Spirit, gives us the ability to make a new choice, to begin to live “on purpose.”  The chaos can be turned into beauty  - one choice, one day, at a time. Of course, we cannot control everything!  Storms and sickness visit us uninvited despite our best preparations and preventatives! However, those who have learned to walk with God are much better equipped to deal with those surprises, even to learn from them!

Theirs is a faith that is anchored in God’s unwavering providence. He says  "And do not forget the things I have done throughout history. For I am God—I alone! I am God, and there is no one else like me. Only I can tell you what is going to happen even before it happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish." (Isaiah 46:9-10, NLT)  And, from His promise, we gain inspiration to make a choice for beauty – of heart, character, mind- all of life!

Beware of two extremes that can deceive us in the pursuit of beauty. Some assume all the responsibility for living a life that is pleasing to God, creating crushing burdens of perfectionism. They are obsessed with religious rules, a slave to the Law, living joylessly. Tragically, those who pursue the beauty of the Lord in their own strength tend to become pretenders, unable or unwilling to admit their failures.

At the other end – there are those who refuse their responsibility – mistakenly thinking that God, the Spirit, will just make a beautiful life appear magically. Lacking sustained discipline that creates pathways for the Spirit, that lead to growth and greatness, their life gets cluttered with sin and is marked by an infantile faith.

The interdependence of our daily choice and God’s Spirit are nowhere any more clear than in Romans 8 where we read - "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. … Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. …  Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. … Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:1-2, 5, 12-13, NIV)

Let’s pray for the Spirit to be at work in us, even as we give ourselves to the work of creating beauty. Let’s choose to meet hate with love, division with peace-making, aimlessness with purpose, despair with hope, destruction with restoration – for the glory of our God, ‘Who makes beautiful things!’

Here's a practical word from the Word. Prayerfully read it, understanding that it is not a suggestion, but a Divine Imperative.

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.
Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.
Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:8-9, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Beautiful Things

All this pain,

I wonder if I'll ever find my way?

I wonder if my life could really change,

At all?

All this earth,

Could all that is lost ever be found?

Could a garden come up from this ground,

At all?

You make beautiful things,

You make beautiful things out of the dust.

You make beautiful things,

You make beautiful things out of us.

Hope is springing up from this old ground,

Out of chaos life is being found,

In You.

You make me new, You are making me new!

You make me new, You are making me new!

 

Lisa Gungor | Michael Gungor

© 2009 worshiptogether.com songs (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

 

God’s waiting room

It’s been a month of hospitals, doctors, needles, and exams. Waiting rooms are not where I like to be. How about you? I am truly grateful for the care but I’m ready to just get on with life!  Yes, I am growing in compassion for those who live with chronic illness even while I am impatient with my body. Yes, I pray asking my Father to live with grace, to experience peace and patience. It would be nice to report that I always hear His voice and feel His Presence. The truth is on many days there is only silence. I am in “God’s waiting room.”   Yes, my mind knows that "God has a plan," but my heart feels that it is slow in the development. My faith in God is not in jeopardy. I know Him well.  He is working on a different timeline than I would prefer.

Have you lived in an ‘in between’ time, when you waited for answers, wrestled with pain, and prayed to get on with life?   It is not unusual. St. John of the Cross called those moments the "dark night of the soul." I have heard others refer to the "dry desert journeying" when the soul is thirsty for God's love. The tempter attempts to turn our focus to ourselves, to make us feel as though we have caused God's silence, and when he succeeds a sense of false guilt is added to our sorrow! In fact, we cannot always know why God is silent and we have only to hold onto His promises while we wait. David’s declaration invites me to faith. "Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord." (Psalm 27:14, NLT)

I know that there are practical things that I can do while I wait.

I must not forget what He has said to me in the past and in His Word.  Ongoing trials must not cause me to forget to love Him or to love others, the two commands that are the foundation of all the will of God.

I must keep an eternal perspective.  Paul referred to his difficulties as “light and momentary.”  We are eternal beings and if we allow ourselves to forget that fact, we may bring even greater troubles to our lives by seeking some temporary comfort for ourselves in things that are destructive.

I must remember to go - "Steady on, to endure!" This is the directive of the Word for such times. "Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong." (Hebrews 12:13, NLT)

I must let myself know sadness, realizing that it not a lack of faith to know disappointment, even as I guard my heart from bitterness or anger. To question God's seeming absence is no sin. To wonder why we are not able to hear His voice or sense the comfort of the Spirit is quite acceptable. To rail on Him, to accuse Him of being uncaring, unloving, or unjust only creates a place for doubt to flourish and bitterness to take root. The Word warns that from that root of bitterness comes great and troubling discontent!

Are you in a hard time, seemingly stranded in God’s waiting room?  Then, I invite you to pray, with me, for faithfulness! This was what I asked of Him today that He would see my weakness and make it an opportunity to display His power, that He would defend me against the Destroyer and keep me faithful. Ask Him the same. He will do it, for His glory and His own Name's sake. Amen.

Meditate on this song from the Psalm today, our word from the Word. May God give us peace.

"Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

When I felt secure, I said, "I will never be shaken."
O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.

To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy:
"What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help."

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and
clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever."  (Psalm 30:4-12, NIV)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Lord I Need You

 

Lord I come I confess

Bowing here I find my rest

And without You I fall apart

You're the one that guides my heart

 

Lord I need You oh I need You

Ev'ry hour I need You

My one defense my righteousness

Oh God how I need You

 

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more

Where grace is found is where You are

And where You are Lord I am free

Holiness is Christ in me

Where You are Lord I am free

Holiness is Christ in me

 

So teach my song to rise to You

When temptation comes my way

And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You

Jesus You're my hope and stay

And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You

Jesus You're my hope and stay

 

Lord I need You oh I need You

Ev'ry hour I need You

My one defense my righteousness

Oh God how I need You

My one defense my righteousness

Oh God how I need You

 

Christy Nockels | Daniel Carson | Jesse Reeves | Kristian Stanfill | Matt Maher

© 2011 sixsteps Music; Sweater Weather Music; Thankyou Music; Valley Of Songs Music; worshiptogether.com songs

CCLI License # 810055

Always With You

A couple of months ago, I wanted to replace the top on my Miata. I knew that the job was close to impossible for me alone but I have a friend who is a genius at that kind of thing. Jacob consented to be the lead guy on the job which we tackled one day in his garage.  After about 6 hours of work, real work, my car had a new convertible top that looks great!  Most tasks are like that, aren’t they? They just go better when the work is shared, when there is someone present who knows how to accomplish the task.

Are you attempting to live the Christian life with determination, attempting to do the impossible on your own?  Let me remind you that the Way is impossible by yourself BUT there is a Promised One who lives in us, making us what we can never be on our own.  The night before He went to the Cross, Jesus sat with His friend for a long conversation that is recorded by John. Jesus told them He was going to leave them but that they would not be ‘orphaned.’ 

"It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (John 16:7, NIV) The Spirit is our “Comforter, Friend, Counselor, Advocate, and Helper." The word Jesus used to name the Spirit – Parakletos - was one used to describe a person who supplied the kind of support that I had in Jacob when we put on that new car top. A “paraclete” was a friend, coach, and advocate!

The secret of the joyful Christian life is the Spirit Life in us. When we make the Gospel into commandments, or a system of ethics, or a moral law, or liturgical worship, we become frustrated by our inabilities. Yes, Christians will worship, be ethical, live with a high set of morals but as a result of the inner life of the Spirit not as the result of their own rigid will.  

The late Eugene Peterson writes that ‘there is not a whole lot we can do here, any more than we can pitch in and work on the Cosmos or assist Jesus in salvation. But, there is a great deal that the Spirit will do; the Resurrection Community is the Spirit’s work. What we can do and need to do is this – be there to accept what is sent by the Father in Jesus’ Name. Be there, receptive and obedient. Be there, praying’ making yourself available to Him.  Memorize this promise that Jesus made - "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17, NIV)

When you sense yourself failing, or when you face the calling to some place of service or growth that appears to be impossible – breath in the life of the Spirit. Look away from yourself and thank God for the One who is not just with us, but who lives IN US.  Who is so broken that you have no words?  Who is mired deeply in sin and/or dysfunction so that you could conclude they are beyond redemption? 

Remember, God, the Spirit, is our Source, our Wisdom, our Power.  He is 'on call' 24/7!  If we are solely focused on our abilities and resources -  if we think we can do spiritual work with natural talents or abilities – we are destined to be ineffective, frustrated, and failing. 

Today, invite God to take the lead, to show you just how He can take your unique experiences, your personality, your situation and make you an effective ambassador of His kingdom:  in your home, your school, your place of work, your extended family, and in your church.  Invite the Holy Spirit to fill you, to renew you. You are a Gifted Child of God.  When you live in Him, you will find joy for the journey.

The word from the Word is rich in promise. "But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative—and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid." (John 14:26-27, NLT)   Ah, Spirit of God, find me open to Your Presence, receptive to Your guidance, and ready to be Your home.  Amen.

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Holy Spirit Faithful Guide

 

Holy Spirit faithful guide

Ever near the Christian's side

Gently lead us by the hand

Pilgrims in a desert land

Weary souls fore'er rejoice

While they hear that sweetest voice

Whisp'ring softly wand'rer come

Follow Me I'll guide Thee home

 

Ever present truest Friend

Ever near Thine aid to lend

Leave us not to doubt and fear

Groping on in darkness drear

When the storms are ragging sore

Hearts grow faint and hopes give o'er

Whisper softly wande'rer come

Follow Me I'll guide thee home

 

When our days of toil shall cease

Waiting still for sweet release

Nothing left but heav'n and prayer

Wond'ring if our names were there

Wading deep the dismal flood

Pleading naught but Jesus' blood

Whisper softly wand'rer come

Follow Me I'll guide Thee home

Marcus Morris Wells

Public Domain

Pushing Fear out of the Picture

When Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to the Presidency of the United States in 1932, his first inaugural address included these well-known words -  “Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”  It was great rhetoric becoming part of our history, but was it true?  Not really! 

There were very real reasons for people to feel fearful – a broken economy, the growing threat of Nazism in Europe, the conflicts in Asia between Japan and China – for starters.  In reading the text of his speech, we hear him acknowledge the real troubles of the nation and the world, however  …  the President knew that he needed to inspire hope, to stir people from their helplessness, to turn the country around - and he did. Whatever you may think of his policies and programs, Roosevelt’s ability to lead and inspire is unquestionably legendary. 

Are you fearful?  Fear is rampant in these United States in 2023. We are afraid of each other, of violence, most mistrust our government. Church leaders do not fare much better with nearly a third of Americans, especially those under the age of 30, convinced of corruption and/or hypocrisy.  The constant drone of the news channels makes us feel powerless, turning every challenge into a potential apocalypse. With the rapid social change that is reshaping our society, many of us have allowed ourselves to be disconnected from larger social groups – church, extended family, community organizations -  that could offer stability. This makes us even more vulnerable to anxiety and the resulting reactionary choices that are so destructive in the long-term.

It does little good to tell a person “Don’t be afraid!”  Ah, right.
Fear is not simply erased. It is replaced, pushed out of our thoughts by truth, by faith, by reason, and by hope.

David, the writer of the Psalm, declares: "The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord protects me from danger— so why should I tremble? … Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord." (Psalm 27:1,14, NLT)  See the refocus, the change of perspective in his song? 

Jesus asks us to think with faith so we can defeat fear. “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill the body; they cannot do any more to you. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill people and then throw them into hell. “What is the price of five sparrows? A couple of pennies? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows." (Luke 12:4-7, NLT)  His words are stark, arresting my attention – Fear God!  Yet … and then He reminds us of the heart of our Father – Who knows the plight of the sparrow and counts the hairs of our head.

The way to push fear away is to build faith, to ask the Spirit of God for eyes to see the hand of the Father that holds us securely.  We must not try to minimize the reality in which we live nor should ourselves to slip into the false peace of denial of the truth. There are very real issues to deal with - in your life and mine.  I am still wrestling with some physical things that are as yet unknown in their impact, but I choose to renew my hope in the fact that God has my life in His hands – now and for eternity – so I can know peace. What are you struggling with? What robs you of sleep in the small hours of the morning when you awaken in the darkness?  Take it to the Lord in prayer! Pray for faith to replace fear.

The word from the Word this day is a great Psalm, one I suggest you commit to memory. 
"Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence as clear as the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes." (Psalm 37:3-7, NLT)

That, dear friend, is God’s prescription for peace. Let’s live it!

(Video of this blog at this link)

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I Speak Jesus

I just want to speak the Name of Jesus

Over ev'ry heart and ev'ry mind

'Cause I know there is peace within Your presence

I speak Jesus

 

I just want to speak the Name of Jesus

'Til ev'ry dark addiction starts to break

Declaring there is hope and there is freedom

I speak Jesus

 

('Cause) Your Name is power

Your Name is healing

Your Name is life

Break ev'ry stronghold

Shine through the shadows

Burn like a fire

I just want to speak the Name of Jesus

Over fear and all anxiety

To ev'ry soul held captive by depression

I speak Jesus

 

Shout Jesus from the mountains

Jesus in the streets

Jesus in the darkness over ev'ry enemy

Jesus for my fam'ly

I speak the holy Name Jesus

 

Abby Benton | Carlene Prince | Dustin Smith | Jesse Reeves | Kristen Dutton | Raina Pratt

© 2019 Here Be Lions Publishing; Integrity's Praise! Music; BEC Worship; Raina Pratt publishing designee; Worship Coalition Songs; WriterWrong Music

CCLI License # 810055

Father!

This CoffeeBreak is one from the archives, but I felt impressed in my heart to remind you of God’s care today. Whatever you are going through, wherever you are, you need not feel alone, because you have a Good, Good Father. Read on …

I love the way my son, Sean, prioritizes family time, providing quality experiences and emotional for his children.  His faithful work in ‘fathering’ is giving his children real advantages in shaping whole and healthy lives. (PS- Moms are wonderful and I equally recognize applaud those women who love and care for kids heroically.) It is a fact that children who have a loving, involved Dad are doubly blessed. We know that children without an engaged, supportive father are more likely to live in poverty, to become involved with bad behavior, to abuse drugs and alcohol, and to drop out of school. We need to strengthen families, to help parents make their relationship strong so that children can reap the benefits.

Jesus in His model prayer begins, “Our Father in Heaven…”  Oh, that we would shape our prayers similarly.  More than God, or Lord, or Great One – He is relational; our Father! What a profound revelation. Of all the names and titles of God, Jesus reveals Him first as Father. In Matthew 7, that is expanded in meaning.  Jesus says  “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." (Matthew 7:9-11, NLT) I hope you feel His care, that you are able to lean on Him without wondering if He will show up or care!

Isaiah also teaches us about our Father. "O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." (Isaiah 64:8, NIV) 

When you pray does your heart open to a caring Father, or do you respectfully feel distance because you think of Him as King? Do you primarily think of Him as the “Boss,” fear Him as Judge, or beg Him because He is more like an ATM dispensing favors if the right code is entered?  

The wonder of our faith is that God knows us, cares for us.  With the faith to accept Him as our Father, we are ready to spiritually grow into maturity, able to trust Him, and we find a place of secure rest in our turbulent world.  Many who worship the Lord call Him “Father” but they do not love Him as such. Perhaps this is related to being ‘fathered’ poorly or not having an earthly father. Perhaps it is because of an abusive father. Or perhaps we just fail to understand what it means to trust His Fathering love. 

I often use the word, “Abba” when I pray, a word that Paul uses for God. Less formal, indicating a close relationship, it’s like calling God, “Dad.”  Here is the passage-  "You have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children." (Romans 8:15-16, NLT)  I grew up with a strong father who I naturally called, “Dad.” But, I grew into another relationship with my father-in-law over time. In time it became natural to call him, “Dad,” too. Similarly, we can grow from God, our Father;  to God, our Abba.

There is one more part of fathering that I want us to think about for a moment before we go today . In a solid parental relationship, it is not all ‘bless you, wonderful child.’ Parents show love by providing appropriate boundaries and discipline. Earthly Dads don’t always get it right. I know that some of the ‘discipline’ of my children happened less for their correction and more because they frustrated me or because I was fatigued and/or impatient. 

Our Abba never acts because He is in a bad mood.  He will discipline us, sometimes sternly when needed, but always for our best.  Here is the truth -  "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!" (Hebrews 12:7-9, NIV)

When you read of the Father-heart of God in the Holy Scripture, ask the Spirit to reveal the depth of Abba’s love to you.  That is one of the most healing truths in all of the Word.  Know this – God is not the dreaded Authority Figure who is watching for your failure so He can punish you.  He is the Waiting Father, (see Luke 15)  whose grace is amazing, whose mercy is deep and wide, and who acts always for your ultimate good. When that is settled into your heart and mind, you will pray with faith, live with peace, and find richer relationships in this world that rest in the security of your intimate love of the Father.

Our word from the Word is the prayer that Jesus taught us-

“Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us today the food we need, and
forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one." (Matthew 6:9-13, NLT)

__________________

Good, Good Father  

(a worshipful presentation of this song by HouseFires)

 

I've heard a thousand stories

Of what they think You’re like

But I've heard the tender whisper

Of love in the dead of night

You tell me that You’re pleased

And that I'm never alone

 

You're a Good Good Father

It's who You are

It's who You are

It's who You are

And I'm loved by You

It's who I am

It's who I am

It's who I am

 

I've seen many searching for answers

Far and wide

But I know we're all searching for answers

Only You provide

Because You know just what we need

Before we say a word

 

You are perfect in all of Your ways

You are perfect in all of Your ways

You are perfect in all of Your ways to us

 

Love so undeniable I can hardly speak

Peace so unexplainable I can hardly think

As You call me deeper still

As You call me deeper still

As You call me deeper still

Into love love love

 

You're a Good Good Father

It's who You are

It's who You are

It's who You are

And I'm loved by You

It's who I am

It's who I am

It's who I am

 

Anthony Brown | Pat Barrett

© 2014 Capitol CMG Paragon (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Common Hymnal Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

Worthless, Discarded?

The teacher broke the trust of the parents, the school, and the students in his choices. He was dismissed, faced charges, and was convicted. Discussing this with a friend, I observed that his very wrong decisions did not negate all the good he had done through the years. Should he face justice? Yes, because there are consequences for crime. Should his actions be recognized for what they were; wrong and abhorrent? Yes, again. Should he be tossed from memory, his good years erased?  As a Christian, I don’t think so.  I think we all struggle with how to relate to failure, don’t we?  How do we find justice, yet offer forgiveness? What is the ultimate aim of justice – vengeance or rehabilitation? 

Since the first decades of Christian faith, the balance between compassion and conviction, punishment and restoration, has proven to be difficult to find. It is even more difficult in this era of a ‘cancel culture.’ 

Are you wrestling with how to relate to someone who has sinned or failed, especially one who claims to be a follower of Christ? I hope these few words are helpful.

The church in the ancient city of Corinth at first erred on the side of compassion, failing to address grievous sexual sin in their congregation. Paul wrote to them demanding that the man be put out of the fellowship, reminding them that sin, if left uncorrected, spreads like yeast in bread dough!  Those Christians had mistakenly taken pride in their broad-minded tolerance, unable or unwilling to call the sin what it was. The apostle took them to task for that and they ultimately did put the man out of their church fellowship.  But that is not the end of the story! In his second letter to that church, Paul urges them to forgive the man, apparently because his excommunication had brought about repentance. "Now it is time to forgive him and comfort him. Otherwise he may become so discouraged that he won’t be able to recover. Now show him that you still love him." (2 Corinthians 2:7-8, NLT)

In the little letter to Philemon, Paul demonstrates compassion. While he was under arrest in Rome, somehow a man named Onesimus (oh-ness-i-mus), whose name means ‘useful,’  found him. They developed a friendship and Onesimus became a Christian believer. Paul had known him when he was a slave in the household of Philemon a Christian convert in Colossae. Onesimus had stolen from the house and run away to Rome, but the life of a runaway slave was one of fear, living in the shadows. Paul counseled this new Christian to go back to Philemon and make things right to escape the endless fear and to clear his conscience.  Was that an easy choice? Not at all. His punishment could be severe. He could be beaten or reduced to the lowest place in the household or even sold to some other household. The apostle, however, pens a letter to Philemon that is one of the most personal in the New Testament.  He becomes an advocate for both men, asking them in the name of Christ to go against social norms! He asks Philemon to forgive the man and to accept him into the household, not as a slave but as a brother in Christ!  In a play on the name of Onesimus he says "Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me." (Philemon 11, NIV)  What a letter of conviction, compassion, and restoration.

People will fail, fall, and disappoint us. We will sin against others in big and small ways.

Do you want to be reduced to that most awful moment, that terrible decision you made, judged as worthless, erased from life? 

Will you cancel all the good of another thinking only of the blot on the page as they were writing the story of their life?

Living in grace is a choice that frees us from becoming the judges of the world, that allows us to reach out to the one who has fallen flat on his face.

Grace does not require that we ignore or minimize wrong.  It means that every action, even justice, is framed by love, seeking God’s best for the one who has sinned.

The word from the Word invites deep thought, a balance of compassion and conviction in us. May the wisdom of the Spirit help us find our way.

"Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin,
you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path.
And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ."
(Galatians 6:1-2, NLT) 

Lord, fill us with wisdom, making us capable of being persons of both conviction and compassion equally, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

(Video of this blog at this link)

____________________

Graves Into Gardens

I searched the world but it couldn't fill me

Man's empty praise and treasures that fade

Are never enough

Then You came along and put me back together

And every desire is now satisfied here in Your love

 

Oh there's nothing better than You

There's nothing better than You

Lord there's nothing

Nothing is better than You

 

I'm not afraid to show You my weakness

My failures and flaws

Lord You've seen them all

And You still call me friend

'Cause the God of the mountain

Is the God of the valley

There's not a place

Your mercy and grace won't find me again

 

You turn mourning to dancing

You give beauty for ashes

You turn shame into glory

You're the only one who can

 

You turn graves into gardens

You turn bones into armies

You turn seas into highways

You're the only one who can

 

Brandon Lake | Chris Brown | Steven Furtick | Tiffany Hudson

© 2019 Brandon Lake Music; Maverick City Publishing Worldwide; Music by Elevation Worship Publishing; Bethel Music Publishing

CCLI License # 810055

How do I love Thee?

A line from a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning came to mind as I mused about loving God. “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”  Love is both simple and complex, expressed some moments with fervor and in others with quiet perseverance.  Perhaps you are old enough to remember that song - "Love is a many-splendored thing!” It is!  My prayer is to ‘love God’ more not less, to avoid the rut of a familiar relationship as I pursue an ever renewed knowledge of the Holy One.  How do I love Thee?  It is a question worthy of our thoughts, a response of faith to the words of Jesus who taught us that loving God with “heart, soul, mind, and strength” is the core of life. 

I was formed in the Pentecostal traditions of Christianity so my first thought about loving God turns to the emotions. From my youth I absorbed the idea that loving Him will include laughter, tears, passionate prayers; a very personal engagement. When my tribe prays for spiritual renewal what they usually mean, though perhaps unconsciously, is that God will grant an emotional encounter with the Holy Spirit. Such moments are to be treasured. However, loving Him is so much more multi-faceted – including obedient service, steady discipline, studious understanding, and stillness.

Are you 'in love' with Christ Jesus?
If you define that only by applying the romantic ideals about love taught by our culture, you will be disappointed.  Yes, we should be passionate about loving our God. Christianity without passion just isn't Biblical! But, there is so much more. It is not really about YOU, but rather about HIM.

Loving God is first a response to HIS love for you.  We cannot just work ourselves into loving Him, nor can we somehow stir up a passion for the Holy in ourselves.  “We love,” John says, “because HE loved us first!”

My favorite teaching parable of Jesus is recounted in Luke 15. It is about the Father’s love for me! It isn’t a pretty story but it is oh so wonderful in what it means for you and me.  A selfish and rebellious son willing to abuse his father’s good heart demands his inheritance and goes off to ‘forget’ who he is.  In a short time he succeeded in making a mess of life. Only after he wasted his fortune and ruined his life, as he sat hungry and alone, in his job as a pig feeder, did he finally begin to grasp the immensity of his offense and the value of the home he had abandoned. 

“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man.”  (Luke 15:17-19, NLT)  He expected judgment.  He found love! "And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him." That is compelling stuff! It defies logic, cannot be explained. It’s just love.

Yes, we love because HE loves us first, loving us to life, making possible our restoration to Himself at the cost of His Son’s life, promising us life in His forever home through the Resurrection.  We cannot love God apart from acceptance, through faith, of His grace and love. If we won’t start there with Him, with His love for us, our “love” will become an ugly imitation based in religious zealotry, duty,  attempted deals with Heaven, and calculations of appeasement.  God just wants us to respond to His declaration that He loves us and to weave that acceptance into every part of life, making it the foundation of every choice, every day.

Love is based in His covenant – it not a contract. God granted us life, not based on our performance but as a gift.  Engrave this truth in your mind and let this inspire love: "But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms—all because we are one with Christ Jesus. And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-7, NLT)

Ah, friend, do you love Him?

If we love Him, we will stop playing “let’s make a deal” with God.  Our theology of love will go way beyond the idea that if we believe some facts, then we get the key to Heaven.  Our love will be a tumultuous discovery of a Person, a weaving of His life into ours, surrender, acceptance. In the process, we will start to think as He does, acts as He wills; not because we must, but because we have become of His heart.

The word from the Word this Friday is a song of praise. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." (Ephesians 1:3-6, NIV)  

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge … So, “that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."  (Ephesians 3:16-19, NIV)\

Amen.

(Video of this blog at this link)

____________________

My Song

Why should I sing of lesser things

And things that pass away

When I've a friend like Jesus now

To sing about each day

 

I have no song to sing

But that of Christ my King

To Him my praise I'll bring

Forevermore

His love beyond degree

His death that ransomed me

Now and eternally

I'll sing it o'er

I find no more delight

In other songs

My melody of love

To Christ belongs

I have no song to sing

But that of Christ my King

To Him my praise I'll bring

Forevermore

 

He is the theme of angel song

That fills the heav'ns above

Should I not join their chorus sweet

And praise the Lord I love

 

John W. Peterson

1954. Renewed 1982 John W. Peterson Music Company

CCLI License # 810055

 

Just a big kid?

One of my greatest joys is observing my children in their maturity, capable, strong, productive adults who are part of rich relationships, making bright places for those who live around them. Each is amazingly unique in personality and ability, but they are all truly grown up!

Oh yes, I loved when they were cute little kids who needed so much care and guidance. I liked their teenage years less when they looked like adults but still lacked true wisdom. I watched, with some trepidation, as they wandered into their 20’s offering counsel as needed and watching them learn maturity in trial and error.  Now they are in mid-life and I see mature people, who are living their best lives.  

What does your Heavenly Father see in you, my friend?
Does he see an infant, a growing but yet undeveloped young Christian, or does He delight in your spiritual maturity?

When I see a toddler having a tantrum, I smile indulgently knowing that a frustrated 2 year-old has a very limited ability to understand his own emotions or to exercise self-control.  When I see a man losing it my response is not nearly so charitable. That little girl who loves 5o ‘pretend’ at being a little princess is sweet and we smile at her innocence. A woman who is still lost in fantasy land is a sad person, for whom we feel pity. 

Do you know that it is quite possible to ‘grow up’ without becoming a mature adult?  Chronological age does not have a direct correlation to true maturity. Our bodies grow into adulthood without much conscious thought. True maturity is developed, cultivated, and learned.  In difficult moments, in times of confusion, when the world goes upside down we are all so thankful for the person who is the ‘adult in the room,’ the one who capable of seeing the situation, providing insight, steadiness, and courage, as they provide a guiding hand.

Maturity is marked by awareness of life, by understanding of our own strengths and weaknesses, by the ability to press through hard times, by self-control and wisdom. A mature person is capable of play, knows when to laugh and when to cry, and is, above all, a person who can be trusted to hold his place in the world – whatever comes. Maturity is demonstrated by a wholeness of person – with emotions, values, and spirituality aligned – that allows for a rich character to develop in us.

Here is the key question – am I maturing in Christ?

Paul, writing to the Christians of Corinth, lamented their immaturity. "Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:1, NIV)  Their community was marked by fighting over position, selfish displays of ‘spiritual’ gifts, and refusal to develop the character of Christ Jesus. God, by His Spirit, urged them to grow up and become useful to His purposes, not focused on themselves.  

 Peter also addressed the issue of spiritual immaturity.  I wonder if he was reflecting on his own immaturity and impulsiveness in the early days of his Christianity when he wrote this:  "make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:5-8, NLT)

The young pastor, Timothy, was struggling in his work in the church. He was intimidated by false teachers, facing critics from his congregation, and wobbly in his leadership. His mentor/spiritual father, Paul, urged him "Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness. Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next." (1 Timothy 4:7-8, NLT)  Train yourself for maturity!

We grow in maturity as we make those day to day choices that require deferred gratification, as we do ‘right things’ even when we do not want to do them, when we learn truth and apply it. What a rich harvest that wise maturity provides in our lives, sparing many a foolish decision, keeping us on course when we are tempted, and allowing us to lift others when they are stumbling under the weight of the world.  So, will we just ‘grow up’ or will we become mature in emotion, faith, love, and hope?

The word from the Word points to a critical part of developing real maturity.  The community of faith, mentors and leaders gifted by the Spirit, is our training ground. Christians are not solitary giants, they are strong together, when they give encouragement and share wisdom. "He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ," (Ephesians 4:11-12, NLT)   God calls us into His Church and gives us spiritual ministers so …"that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ. Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth." (Ephesians 4:13-14, NLT)

Ready? Let’s grow on into the beauty of maturity in Christ!

(Video of this blog at this link)

____________________

Build My Life

 Worthy of ev'ry song we could ever sing
Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring
Worthy of ev'ry breath we could ever breathe
We live for You

Jesus the name above ev'ry other name
Jesus the only one who could ever save
Worthy of ev'ry breath we could ever breathe
We live for You We live for You

Holy there is no one like You
There is none beside You
Open up my eyes in wonder and show me who You are
And fill me with Your heart
And lead me in Your love to those around me

I will build my life upon Your love
It is a firm foundation
I will put my trust in You alone
And I will not be shaken

Brett Younker | Karl Martin | Kirby Kaple | Matt Redman | Pat Barrett

© 2016 Kaple Music; Capitol CMG Genesis; Housefires Sounds; Said And Done Music; sixsteps Music; Thankyou Music; Vamos Publishing; worshiptogether.com songs; Martin, Karl Andrew; Bethel Music Publishing

 

CCLI License # 810055

Joy In the Journey

Are you so focused on some goal, some destination, some accomplishment – that you have forgotten that there is joy to be found right here, right now? Bev and I drove across the United States in the Summer of 2011 and what a trip it was. We took our time, driving only 300 or 400 miles a day. We actually got off the interstate and ate in local little restaurants. We fully appreciated the beauty of the Moab desert as we drove along the Colorado River, stopping to gaze over that unique landscape. We walked a mountain meadow near the Continental Divide, breathing the air at those heights. There was even a kind of wonder in the wide and vast Great Plains. We knew we had to ‘get home’ but we let ourselves enjoy the trip! That is not always how I travel! Sometimes, I get ‘on the road’ with a single-mindedness. I drive fast through long days to ‘just get there.’ 

Let me ask you – how are you living your life? Are you letting yourself enjoy the journey or are you looking only to some future hope of happiness or anticipating trouble down the road?

Jesus wisely counsels us to live today. “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." (Matthew 6:34, The Message)  I promise you that your experience of life will be much richer and certainly more joyful when you choose to be fully present to the people and things that are happening all around you. 

Joy does not ‘just happen’ for the most part. We discover it as we are intentional in our ways.  As a little boy, I learned a Sunday School chorus: “Jesus, Others, and You; what a wonderful way to spell JOY.”  I didn’t really understand the profound truth of those simple words then, but I do now.  Put away Ego and selfishness. Turn upward and outward, giving yourself away.  When we let go of our tenacious grasp of our ‘plan,’ and give ourselves away, choosing to serve, refusing self-centeredness and replacing that we selfless serving, JOY grows inside out. 

The culture in which we live insists that our happiness can only be found if we are dedicated to Self.  We are told to “Find yourself.”  “Do what makes you happy.” The wisdom of God is exactly opposite. We are called into the Body of Christ where we can be most alive only when we deeply connected to others in interdependent relationships.   

Peter points to this radically different way of life when, by the Spirit, he tells us to “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.  Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 4:9 NIV)  The word “hospitality” in that verse translates the original Greek text that speak of ‘loving the other.’  Hospitality is not just prepping a meal for someone in your home.  It is a choice to invite others into your life, to be a welcoming serving person, who is ‘enjoying the trip.’

Beyond that, Peter tells us to “use your gifts to serve!” Some use their gifts to gain influence. Some use them to find favor, others with the desire for applause.  If we want to find joy in the journey we will take God’s gifts to us – big and small – and give them ways - “faithfully administer”- Peter says.  The most joyful Christians that I know are those who are connected and who embrace opportunities God presents to them to make their world a better place.  Those who roll up their sleeves and get to work to serve Jesus, His Body, and the world in His Name have the potential to become content, fulfilled, steady people.  Oh yes, I am realist. Fatigue may come. Criticism will show up, especially from those doing the least. However, the “company of the committed”  are focused on Another’s praise. They are joyful, not because of great results or constant recognition, but because they love God and others.

This Monday morning as you go off to your responsibilities, pray to find joy in the journey.  Choose to accept and serve, to pause and reflect, to listen with true attention.  As you live with this awareness of God’s Presence and other’s needs, you will know a difference in your own life, a kind of joy that flows from the Spirit. Oh that others would say of us what Paul wrote of his friend, Philemon. "I myself have gained much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because your kindness has so often refreshed the hearts of God’s people." (Philemon 7, NLT)

Here is a word from the Word, a Psalm that uses ancient images to convey the joy of community.  Though they may be somewhat lost to us in their fullness, the sense of full joy still seeps through these words Read them, live them.  Find Joy today.

"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard,running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore." (Psalm 133, NIV)

Oils, precious and refined, were poured on the heads of the priests symbolizing the Presence of God.  The fragrance spread to those watching. Everyone was enveloped in the experience, part of the rite even through the sense of smell!

Mount Hermon, the highest peak in Northern Israel, was the place from which the waters of the Jordan flowed, bringing life to the desert areas of Mount Zion in Jerusalem.  God gave the snowfall that fell on that high peak. As it melted and flowed down into the Jordan the whole region was watered, the fertility of the ground preserved.  All were blessed by something happening far away. When God's people work together, sharing grace, loving – it is the best of the best, spreading out to touch many lives.

Lord, spread the fragrance of Your goodness through our words and actions today. May we be a refreshing presence to those whose souls are parched.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

(Video of this blog at this link)

___________________

Joy In The Journey

There is a joy in the journey

There's a light we can love on the way

There is a wonder and wildness to life

And freedom for those who obey

 

And all those who seek it shall find it

A pardon for all who believe

Hope for the hopeless

And sight for the blind

 

To all who've been born of the Spirit

And who share incarnation with Him

Who belong to eternity stranded in time

And weary of struggling with sin

 

Forget not the hope that's before you

And never stop counting the cost

Remember the hopelessness

When you were lost

 

And freedom for those who obey

 

Michael Card

© 1986 Birdwing Music; Mole End Music

CCLI License # 810055