Tag Archives: hope

Recognizing Threats to Knowing God's Love, The Love Which Holds

Rhythms: UP (What Threatens Us Knowing God’s Love?)

Leave a comment

If we really knew God’s love for us!.

If we understood, at a heart level, His quality of love which can’t be changed!

If we realized God delights in being with us. If we comprehended His  willingness to send His Son to die in our place.

If we learned to remain in Jesus’ love for us. 

If we really knew these things at a heart level – Our adversary’s schemes to persecute us would be shallowed up in God’s ocean of love. 

Since God’s amazing love for us is absolutely essential, It’s good to uncover  what threatens us knowing it.

Following are three threats.

God’s Love is Beyond Understanding

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God ( Ephesians 3:14-19 NASB).

God’s incomprehensible love for us doesn’t fit in our heads. We need to lay aside our desire to mentally understand it.

In the above verse, written to believers in Ephesus, Paul says God’s love surpasses our knowledge. Even though, as believers, we have Christ in our hearts, Paul prays Christ’s love would dwell (settle and pervade) there. He wants the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened[1], so that God’s love would expand more completely there.

Oh the vastness of His Love! Like an ocean, the dimensions can’t be grasped. However, as our hearts are enlightened, as awareness of His love grows, we become more and more “filled to the fullness of God.” 

Story: As I read about a love which is beyond my ability to comprehend, I’m thrust into a quandary. On the one hand I feel stuck. If I can’t understand it, how do I know it. 

I’m realizing that though God’s love for me surpasses knowledge, my heart can contain it. I join Paul’s prayer that, by His Spirit, I might grow in my awareness of the vastness of God’s love for me. 

May God’s love, which is beyond words come alive more and more in my heart that I might love others as Christ has loved me.

God’s Love for Us is Not Affected by How We’re Treated

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God,  *got up from supper, and *laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He *poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. (John 13:3-5 NASB)

Jesus didn’t entrust Himself to men.  He knew their hearts[2]. His confidence was in God’s love alone.

In the above verse, Jesus washed the feet of a man who would deny Him (Peter) and a man who would betray Him (Judas). And He knew it.

Hours later, He would perform the ultimate example of sacrificial love by dying to rescue mankind from the wrath of God.

Jesus didn’t allow how people treated Him to rattle Him. He didn’t need their love. He knew where He came from. He knew where He was going. And while He was on earth, since He knew His Father’s love, He had all things.

If, like Jesus, we don’t need the approval of people, we can love freely as He did, expecting nothing in return. As we dwell in Jesus’ love for us, how people treat us, though painful, won’t affect our value.

We are deeply loved by God. This is our value. 

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10 NASB).

Story: A few years ago I became aware that I’ve “required” love from the important people in my life. I certainly love them, but since my love cup was not full, I needed their love in return. I see now that this is not only unloving, but it kept me in bondage to the actions and feelings of others.

Occasionally, I still struggle with this when I feel rejected or unloved.  However, as the awareness of God’s complete love for me grows, the chains of “needing” the love of people are breaking and falling off. 

This frees me to love others purely and reduces the threat of doubting God’s love when people hurt me.

Our Enemy Does Not Want Us to Know God’s Love 

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.  We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2nd Corinthians 10:3-5 NASB).

At all costs, our enemy wants to keep us from knowing God’s love. Since he’s out to afflict us, the peace, hope and joy of us resting and walking in God’s love is the exact opposite of what he desires for us.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10 NASB)

Based on the truth about God’s love, we’re to disagree with his lies and agree with what we know is true. Agreeing with the truth, and not the lies, gives no foothold for our enemy to fortify within.

Familiar, life shaping lies we’ve agreed with in the past can be destroyed by God’s truth. The weapons of our warfare are “divinely powerful” (sourced in God and able to accomplish what is intended) for the destruction of all strongholds and speculations. 

Paul tells us to take every thought captive and to obey Christ by believing what He says.

The devil is like a roaring lion seeking always to devour. We resist him by casting our cares on the Lord, standing firm in our faith in His Love. [3]

Conclusion

Previously, we established that God’s love for us is eternal and can’t be changed. This quality of love motivated God to rescue us from His wrath by the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus loves us as much as God loves Him. His love for us chases away our fears and is the source of all our loving. God’s love roots and grounds our soul. It enables us to delight in Him and to love others as He’s loved us.

God’s incredible love is beyond our understanding and is designed to be held in our hearts. As the eyes of our hearts are enlightened, and our awareness of God’s great love for us grows in depth of experience, the way people treat us and the lies Satan feeds us CAN’T change us in the slightest degree.

Prayer

Lord, the more my heart grows in true awareness of Your great love for me, the more my soul experiences Your peace, Your hope and Your joy. Yet, so many forces are at work to try and hide it. You’ve commanded me to remain in Your love. No matter how folks treat me or how hard my circumstances, Your love holds. Please teach me to judge every word or thought based on Your truth and nothing else. Help me to quickly recognize lies so I can disagree with them and agree with what You say. Thank you for loving me and wanting to be with me.   Amen.

Personal Study

Highlight Romans 8:31-39

Explain it in your own words

Apply it to your life

Respond to God in prayer 

 [1] Ephesians 1:18

[2] John 2:24

[3] I Peter 5:6-9

Previous posts in the UP series:

Amazing Love

Essential Love

.Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

Our Only Hope

Our Highest Joy (Fixing Our Hope )

5 Comments

Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (I Peter 1:13 NASB).

Our hope needs fixing; at least mine does. I’m guilty of tying my sense of well-being to my circumstances. I want to fix my hope on something more substantial than a smoother year in 2021. With the deep division in our country, the global pandemic and plenty of natural disasters, having our stability tied to temporal happiness is a recipe for an emotional roller coaster ride. As mentioned previously, we were designed to find our joy in Eternal God, not in how our life is going. Our health, our relationships, our finances, or our jobs are flimsy structures to hang our hopes on. Unless we fix our hope, our courage to face the day’s activities and challenges hangs in the balance.

The Link Between Hope and Courage

As a noun, hope is defined as a feeling of expectation and trust that a certain thing will happen. Dr. David Rubin wrote, “Hope is a critical component of the complete care of a patient.”[1] Hope is critical to the human psyche. Without it, discouragement sets in.

When we’re in the midst of difficulties, we can fear our lives will never get better. With our hope fixed on circumstances, nagging, long lasting trials can drain us and zap us of the joy our hearts so desperately need. 

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world (John 16:33 NASB).

When difficulties come, Jesus tells us to take courage.  Be encouraged, not because we hope things will get better, but because Jesus has overcome the world.

Fixing Our Hope on Jesus

In the first verse quoted above, Peter charges us to keep our minds unhindered.  This includes not attaching our sense of well-being to ANY situation, relationship, or temporal joy. He tells us to fix our hope COMPLETELY on the grace to be given us at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Don’t miss this. Our hope needs to be ONLY in Jesus.

Paul says the same thing in Colossians 3:1-2. He reminds us that since we’ve been raised with Christ, we should orient our lives from where we sit with Him above, not on how things are going on earth.   

Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.

Then he tells us how:

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory (Colossians 3:3-4 NASB).

It’s not about us. We’ve been crucified with Jesus and raised with Him in newness of life.[2] Jesus is our life. As believers, we’re free to rest in His life and not fret about ours. We’re in Christ and He’s in us. We’re enclosed round about and hidden in His life. The pressure is off for us having to keep trying to finding temporal happiness to remain hopeful.

But What do we do About our Sadness?

It’s great to be heavenly minded, but what do we do with life’s sadness? Some situations don’t seem to ever get better. I used to smile through them and deny their gravity, but this “grin and bear it” approach is not the answer. It produces an inauthentic, plastic kind of “joy”.

I’m learning how to embrace the fact that sadness is a part of life. And it has it’s place. When I feel sad, I cry out to Jesus. My grief becomes an invitation to call the Lord near. The pain is real, but in the midst, my Comforter brings a strange, unshakable joy.

Hardships can propel me to Jesus and keep me from fixing my hope on anything but Him.

Prayer

Lord, Your ways are so much higher than mine. I have no idea how You keep me encouraged through life’s trials. What a beautiful mystery. And because You’ve been my longstanding Comfort through it all, my Joy in You grows deeper every day. And I get to share what You’ve done for me with others.[3]   I pray I would always be more concerned about loving the people you bring my way than how I feel. I know you care about me and I trust You with my life.[4]

Amen.

 [1] The Importance of Hope in Medical Care – Gastro-Intestinal Research Foundation (giresearchfoundation.org)

[2] Romans 6:3-11

[3] 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

[4] I Peter 5:6-7

Previous posts in the series – Our Highest Joy:

Unmasking the Lie

Dealing with sadness and disappointment

Eternal Thanksgiving

Fueled by the Joy of Jesus

God with Us

.Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

A Firm Anchor for our Soul, Our Union with Christ

Our Source of Courage

17 Comments

I sought the Lord and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4 NASB)

A few days before the coronavirus changed our daily lives, I passed an advertisement for boots on a highway billboard. I was ahead of schedule, so I stopped to try a pair on. Amazed at how comfortable they are, I walked out an inch taller in a pair of brown, square toed Ariats. My love of Westerns on TV made me feel like a frontiersman, headed into wild, unchartered territories. Days later, the same adventurous spirit would be required for real life.

This tragedy is no surprise to our Lord. We have an opportunity to step into this global challenge with courage. A friend of ours[1]described it as a worldwide crack in the illusion that we can flourish without God. Rising fear is leaving folks in desperate need of peace and hope.

This season of uncertainty can be frightening for all of us. But it can also be a time of tremendous opportunity, but it’s going take more than cowboy boots and a six shooter.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; (Psalm 23:4a ESV)

 Circumstances are never to be our source of courage.

This virus has not created our need for the Lord, it’s revealing it.

No matter where you are in your spiritual journey understand that God has many names to describe Himself for you. The word Jehovah is His most holy and intimate name.

  • Rest deeply into Jehovah-shalom (the Lord our Peace). Peace is a Person. You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3 ESV)
  •  Trust Jehovah-rapha (the Lord who heals). Whatever is exposed can be healed. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, (Psalm 103:2-3 ESV)
  •  Rely completely upon Jehovah-jireh (the Lord will Provide). The Lord already sees our needs. And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 ESV)
  •  Depend totally upon Jehovah-raah (the Lord my Shepherd). He will guide our every step. The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name sake. (Psalm 23:1-3 ESV)

Lord, these tumultuous times call for great courage. We come to you with every fear, laying all our burdens upon You. Despite what we see around us, we know You love us. You Indwell us and are our Source of Courage. We trust you with our lives. May we boldly seize all opportunities to testify about You to everyone you bring our way. Amen.

[1] Stacy Hill

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures. Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

God's Greater Story

Peace, Joy and Abounding Hope

4 Comments

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NASB)

It’s been a battle this week to stay on higher ground. My prayer is to set my mind on things above and orient my life around God’s greater story, but lately, my heart’s been more invested in my circumstances and how my life’s going.

When this happens, I lose perspective and go into survival mode. I have little regard for others and am more concerned with how I’m doing.  I wrote the following in my journal:

As I got off work today my mood was sinking. It lingered as I dropped by Publix on the way home. The cashier, named Gage, was super joyous in his conversations. Normally, this is how I feel, but my gloominess was a stark contrast to his exuberance.

In recent years, I might have doubled down in self effort, wearing myself out trying to slay each hindrance to my happiness. But very difficult trials over the last few years have taught me that sustaining Joy can’t be found in how my life’s going. God, in His severe mercy, is peeling away my vice grip on worldly happiness and redirected my heart towards Him. Through circumstances I would have never chosen, I’m realizing my total completeness is in Christ. I can’t count on anything to controlling my feelings of well-being but Him.

My interaction with Gage reminded me that I’d lost sight of this life changing truth in the midst of day to day grind.

Asking God to recalibrate my heart. I got alone and read Romans 15 from our church’s reading plan. These words opened my eternal eyes:

  • Be about the good of others for even Christ didn’t please Himself.[1] As I hurriedly, transferred the items from my cart to the revolving rubber surface for Gage to scan them, I really had no concern for him. I wanted to be left alone in my gloominess. Gage’s kind words awakened me, revealing I was focused only on me, a joy sucking place to be.
  • Filled with all Joy and Peace, abounding in Hope in the Holy Spirit.[2] This whole incident fills me with Hope. Even when the battle before my eyes drains me and cause me to lose sight, God is with me. No matter what I face, He is my Peace, my Joy and my lasting Hope.

Lord, gloominess and difficulties cause me to long for You all the more. When I seek you in my darkness, Your splendor explodes into brilliant Peace, Joy and Hope within me. Please keep me focused on You. Thank You for sending Gage to awaken me from my stupor. May I see every event in life as an opportunity to do the next right thing, to speak Your words and serve in Your strength. May I live life fully from You and for You; all for Your glory. Amen.

[1] Romans 15:2-3

[2] Romans 15:13

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures. Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post once a week. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

God's Greater Purposes

Nearsighted? Corrective Lens not Required

1 Comment

From my distress I called upon the Lord; He answered me and set me in a large place. (Psalm 118:5 NASB)

My childhood was somewhat magical. We grew up with only an acre field separating us from our maternal grandparents. On late summer afternoons, my grandfather, Pop, would tell me to get my glove. My cousins would join me if they were around. He’d then hit pop flies to us in the field between our houses. We absolutely loved it.

On one such occasion, Polly, my older cousin, told me the baseball looked like a cotton ball to her because she was so nearsighted. I think it was the first time I’d heard the term. I would soon develop the condition myself. However, what impresses me today is how nearsighted I can be spiritually.

Nearsightedness – “A condition in which close objects appear clearly, but far ones don’t.”[1]

We’re told to set our minds on things above, where we’re seated with Christ in the heavenly realms,[2]  but eternal things are fuzzy. What we see with our physical eyes are temporal and momentary,  but they’re up close and clear and much easier to see.

Orienting our lives around what God is doing in His greater story is not as easy as putting on a pair of eternal glasses. We need Him to reveal spiritual truths to us.

As we seek Him, He’ll show us even our afflictions are producing something so valuable  our sufferings are less than nothing in comparison.[3]

God wants us free from ourselves. Free from  self-dependence, self-glorification, self-gratification and  self-worth. Self keeps us from fully experiencing Him, the source of all Joy.[4]

God wants us to orient our lives around what He’s doing  in each of us to give us the freedom to fully enjoy His nearness. He’s asking us to trust in His love, even when we don’t understand. As we glance His way, even during the most grievous difficulties, He’ll cure our nearsightedness.  He wants to open our eyes to see that He’s all we need. Ours is to trust in His everlasting love in spite of what we see and experience.

Lord, so often I lose sight of what you’re doing in my life and in the lives of those around me. You tell me to rejoice in You at all times, but this seems impossible. Only You can give me the sight to see Your work in the midst of earthly struggles. Please help me trust You even when circumstances are bleak.  Continue to show me Your ways. Reveal areas where I’m still looking only at what’s in front of me and not seeing your greater purposes. Help me see clearly that You alone are my Peace, my Joy, my Hope, my Life. 

[1] support.google.com medical information

[2] Ephesians 2:6, Colossians 3:2

[3] II Corinthians 4:16-18, Romans 8:18

[4] Psalm 16:11b

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures. Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

Exchanged Life, Freedom from Guilt

I’m for Single Payer

10 Comments

All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him     (Isaiah 53:6 NASB)

Stop.

This is not a political statement. I’m not talking about single payer government health insurance. I’m talking about something personal and completely effective, one Payer, one payment.

I have a dear friend who is often haunted by his past. He’s fighting to make wise choices going forward, but sometimes guilt swoops upon him. He says it feels like a nine hundred pound gorilla pinning him down.

I can relate. Regrets from the past can steal our peace and bring us into feelings of condemnation and obligation. The “woulda,” “coulda,” and “shouldas” of life give us feelings of deficit and defeat, especially concerning our standing with God. We try to do better, but on our own, our gorilla just gets bigger.

In God’s economy there’s a different story going on. In His eyes, we all have the same sin resume.’ The playing field is level. The big monkey has us all pinned down. Try as we will, nothing we can do will free us. We need a Rescuer. Someone to free us from the strangle hold we’re in.

God’s arrangement for our freedom is counterintuitive. Only a perfect Lamb can pay the price to set us free. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might take on His righteousness.[1] One payment, made for all; total, eternal forgiveness.

Ours is to trust, to commit to and to rely upon the Lord Jesus Christ, our Payer. He saved us, not only to cancel our debt and rescue us from eternal separation from Him, but also to make us whole; to free us to live lives of peace, hope and joy.[2]

The blood of Jesus paid for every sin: past, present and future. When we believe, we become God’s beloved child.[3]

When we make our final car payment, we receive our title. The car is finally ours. No more payment is required. If we try and pay again, the payment will be rejected. There’s no debt to apply it to.

As children of God, our debt too has been paid. Payments of religious activities, or any other ways we try and earn our place with God, can’t be applied. We’ve already been redeemed. The title of Eternal nearness to God is already ours. We can enjoying it now.

Lord, so often I feel as if you want me to do something to solidify my relationship with you. But you truly have paid it all. You don’t want me to strive. You want me to rest and allow your Spirit to have full reign of my life. Please remind me, when the world is too much with me and guilt and shame once more press in, that the gorilla is dead. You paid the price. I’m free. I’m free.

[1] II Corinthians 5:21

[2] Romans 1:8-9

[3] John 1:12

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures. Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

Eternal Joy, God's Greater Purposes

Done Trying to Fix Life? (Embrace God’s Greater Story)

8 Comments

Lost in a Temporary World

Have you ever been so into watching a movie or TV series you forgot about the ‘real world’ for a while? I suppose that’s part of the appeal. For a period of time we can get so lost in what’s happening on the other side of a screen, we forget about the duties and challenges we’ll face when we’re done. Or maybe we’ll watch another episode.

First Thing Happiness 

In his book, A Different Kind of Happiness,[1] Larry Crabb awakens us to the fact that we’re all part of an eternal reality which supersedes what goes on before our eyes. This larger story, orchestrated by God, will not be thwarted. Crabb calls us to stop focusing on the temporary world and our endless pursuit of happiness. He calls this kind of circumstantial happiness – second thing happiness.

Rather he urges us to travel the narrow road of seeking what he calls first thing happiness or joy. First thing happiness is unaffected by how our lives are going because it flows from God’s larger story. He says loving like Jesus is what keeps us in the flow of God’s greater purposes.

“Loving like Jesus, self-sacrificially and not self protectively, produces first thing happiness.”[2]

Loving Like Jesus 

The night before He was crucified, Jesus demonstrated His love by washing the disciples’ feet, a duty typically done by the servants of the house. Jesus even washed the feet of Judas and Peter, whom He knew would betray and deny Him. Later that same night, He gave one command, which if we obey it, will keep us in His love and complete our joy.

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you (John 15:9-12 NIV).

There are amazing facts in these verses:

  • Jesus loves us as much as God loves Him (Verse 9)
  • Jesus commands us to remain in His love, then he tells us how (Verse 9, 10,12)
  • Jesus says if we love others as He’s loved us, we’ll remain in His love (Verses 10,12)
  • Jesus says these things to give us His Joy and to make our joy complete (Verse 11)

In Summary 

If we love others sacrificially, as Jesus has loved us, we’ll experience His joy, a joy not based on circumstances, a joy fueled by His love.

Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2b NASB).

As Crabb puts it:[3]

  • Determine to walk life on the narrow road, not focusing on temporary happiness.
  • Live your life in the larger story of what God’s doing
  • Engage the battle for a better love, loving as Jesus has loved us
  • Look at life from above the sun, not from under the sun

The way Paul states this last point is: Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory (Colossians 3:1-4 NASB).

See II Corinthian 4:16-18 for another great example of living in God’s larger story.

Personal Experience 

These rhythms of focusing on God’s eternal story and not being so concerned with my own happiness has been a real paradigm shift in my life. I have a long way to go, but the shift is gaining traction. What helps is when my focus and prayer of the day is, Lord, who do you want to love through me today?

Throughout these days I can be tempted to leave this focus and go back to fighting for smooth circumstances and pleasant moments. However, when, by the abiding Holy Spirit, I keep the duties as the second thing and focus on the people, the results are most encouraging.

Through this evolving process, trusting in God’s sovereignty and His greater purposes produces growing hope and joy, even during personal difficulties.

And, not having to fight for own my happiness is extremely freeing.

As this new journey on the narrow road unfolds, the duties are not the main thing, but the pathways to the people God wants to love through me. The difficulties bring me into the flow of God’s larger story of freeing every human heart to find satisfaction and contentment in Christ alone.

[1]Larry Crabb,  A Different Kind of Happiness (Baker Books, 2016)

[2] Ibid, p 21

[3] Ibid, p 222

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

Rob Buck

What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?  Beyond Time

By finding two undelivered letters in a old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains

Joy in the Midst

No Lose Situation (Even with ….)

3 Comments

 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21

Wikipedia states that “in game theory, a ‘no win’ situation is when no player benefits from any outcome.” The game has reached a point in which nothing good can happen for anyone involved.  How about the game called life? Most of us have experienced a time when we feel completely cornered and trapped. A step in any direction seems detrimental, producing feelings of hopelessness.

Consider my friend Chris. A successful business man with a loving wife and two God honoring sons, he found out in February of 2015 he has brain cancer. This news devastated us all. You hear about folks dealing with cancer, but when it happens to your family it hits home. I say “family” because Chris is my brother in Christ. We’re both adopted sons of the Lord Most High, bought and paid for by the precious blood of Jesus. We’re brothers on the same commission:  to live and speak the love and grace of Christ to everyone God brings our way.

Long before the cancer, loving like Jesus  was Chris’ heart. Having made multiple trips to India, he was gripped with love for the people of this crowded country. So much so,  he and his wife Sharon moved their whole family to an apartment complex, where many of his Indian business associates lived. Chris did it to be near them. He taught them to swim and loved them in ways the Holy Spirit directed him.

Though the news of his cancer was certainly devastating, Chris and Sharon have clung close to each other and trusted God in the midst. Amazingly, Chris sees this whole situation as giving him a unique platform to continue his commission. Chris is a walking example of someone who sees God as his Good, no matter what circumstance he faces. Chris is a vessel of the Lord’s joy and his life speaks of God’s nearness, infusing courage to others on a daily basis.

He shared with me that the dire spiritual conditions of some of his family is far tougher for him than dealing with cancer. Chris knows where he’s going and his faith in the truths of his future centers him and gives him eternal hope. He’s ready to see Jesus, but he knows some of his family members are not.

With conviction, he recently told me  we Christians are in a ‘no lose situation’. As adopted children of the King, given the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance[1], our lives on this earth are our journeys  home. We know how our story ends. We literally can not lose. This brings joy inexpressible and full of glory.

Chris’ life reminds me of the following verse, Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. II Corinthians 4:16-18

Challenge:   What ‘no win situation’ do you feel like you’re in right now? Do you feel trapped, like no move could can get you out? If Chris had focused on his cancer, he might have felt this way. And maybe he did for a while. But Chris has ongoing conversations with his Savior. He and Sharon have drawn close to the Lord and Christ is his life.

What’s your situation? Bring it to the Lord.  See it as  an opportunity to trust the Lord with more of you.

Prayer: Lord, I must confess I’m not where Chris is when it comes to such a frightening word as cancer. But I want to consider my life as loss compared to gaining more of You.  I give all of me to you, Lord Jesus.  You are my life.[2]

[1] Ephesians 1:13

[2] Colossians 3:4

Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

Subscribe below to get email notifications of new posts. We post a few times a month. Thank you for reading. 

 Novels by the Author:

What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for?  Beyond Time

By finding two undelivered letters in a old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains

Joy Required, The Joy of the Lord is my Strength, The Nearness of God

Is Joy a Vital Part of a Healthy You? (Part 2)

Leave a comment

Have you ever considered the fact that we need joy? Have our hearts been designed for it, but we didn’t realize it? Is joy a required part of our overall health?

When the Israelites heard the words of the Lord, after years of exile, they began to weep. Nehemiah, who had become their governor, told them not to grieve. He said the joy of the Lord would be their strength.[1]

What did he mean?  Nehemiah meant the gladness of heart which comes from the nearness of God  fuels our lives by giving courage and strength.

Our hearts are fueled by joy. We have to have it. It’s fundamental to our well-being. We’ll keep on searching for it down whichever life path seems most promising. When one way comes up empty, we’ll look for it in another. Deep within our hearts, there’s an unquenchable craving for something more.

God has set eternity in the hearts of men.

Consider the etymology of the word “heart”. The Latin word for heart is “cor”. From it, we get our English word “core” – the core of an apple, our core exercises, the essence of who we are. The French modified it to “cour,” from which we get the word courage.

Courage is vital for each day, especially when we face life’s challenges. The antonym of joy, sorrow, can disheartened us. When this happens, we need to be encouraged, filled with courage. A spark of joy, in the midst of discouragement, gives us hope and strength to keep taking breaths and stepping forward.

Joy is more than an optional “add on” to our lives. In fact, you may even call it the sustenance of our souls. And though we experience joy in God’s creation around us, especially in our encounters with people, God himself is the source of all joy.

Speaking of God, David wrote, “In your presence is fullness of Joy.” Psalm 1611b

The more we know God, the more joy, courage and strength we experience.

Challenge: What circumstance has stolen your joy? What lie has blocked your awareness of the Lord’s nearness and love for you? Is there anything you believe will give you more Joy than the Lord Himself? Answer these questions honestly before the Lord. Embrace the joy of His presence and the courage He brings to your heart.

Prayer: Lord, you alone are my great joy. I’m so sorry for desiring any relationship, any circumstance more than you. Thank you that right now you indwell me and are closer than breathe. Your love for me cannot be shaken in spite of anything in heaven and on earth. I embrace you and ask you to strengthen my heart with the joy of your presence. Amen

Is Joy a Vital Part of a Health You (Part 1) 

 

 

[1] Nehemiah 8:10

Nothing Else Needed, Peace that passess understanding

Completed

3 Comments

For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete [filled to the brim, fully accomplished, perfect], and He is the head over all rule and authority; Colossians 2:9-10

I’m feeling undone. Life is too much with me right now. The pains and cares, seek to pull me under. Heart ache, people I love hurting, brokenness surrounds me. I feel detached from my Prince of Peace, my Life, my Glory, my Hope, my Source of Joy, the Lifter of my Head.

It’s close to midnight, but I decide to take a prayer walk. Prayer walks, prayer get a-ways, have always been a staple of mine in times like this; pulling away from all, alone with God.

I don’t always remember to surrender my troubles to God. Far too often I forget that apart from Him I can do nothing.[1] I forge ahead in my own strength, aggressively striving to “fix” my life, leaving carnage all around. Trusting me and not God is never a good idea.

As is my pattern, I take a left out of my drive way and head up the hill toward highway 6. I pry my grubby fingers off of each angst and deliver them one by one to my Father. I think of Peter’s words when he tells us to cast our anxiety upon God because He cares for us.[2] Sometimes I can forget God is trustworthy. He has my best interest in mind. With my words, I release every care to my Good Father.  Turning my palms upward, I peer into the cloudless, starry night.

I cross the highway and enter a dead end road which completes my “walk out”. I hear a sound.  Four deer, who were grazing in an open field, scamper away. God’s creation all around. A small wooded cul-de-sac boomerangs me back toward home.

As much as it’s in my ability to do so, I’ve surrender all my burdens. As I cross the highway again, I begin to sense Peace. The problems seem overshadowed by the Lord’s nearness.

I ponder the marvels of being God’s son. Paul says I’m complete in Christ. In Him, I’m fully accomplished and rendered perfect in every conceivable way. I’m filled to the brim with Christ, needing nothing.

Filled to the brim with Christ.

As I descend the hill toward home, I marvel at the ramifications of this truth. If He’s filled me, what else do I really need?  Do I need people to respect me and honor me? Do I need earthly security? Do I need smooth circumstances? As I ask, I know the answer.

If I’m filled to overflowing with Jesus, which I am, only one concern remains: loving others as He’s loved me. All the pressure’s off. Jesus lives in me. As I yield, as I abide, He loves through me. This is my only concern. “Me” is not mine to worry with anymore.

Lord, what an amazing realization. Releasing my cares to You, I’m suddenly aware of Your nearness and my completeness in You. Please help me not to take back those angsts I’ve delivered to You. You complete me, nothing else is needed but to love. I worship You. I Praise Your Great Name.  Amen.

 Challenge: What do you need to surrender unto the Lord’s care today? In what areas do you feel lacking? Christ completes what you lack. Whatever it is. Walk in your completeness in Christ. Experience the freedom of being filled to the Brim in Him.

Take a prayer walk.

[1] John 15:5

[2] I Peter 4:7

Experiencing God in the moments of our lives