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The Juxtaposition of Sorrow and Joy

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I was teaching a two week interim class at the Governor’s School of Science and Mathematics in Hartsville, South Carolina. My mom had been complaining of abdominal pain for a few weeks. We hoped it was her diverticulitis, but when antibiotics didn’t clear it up, the doctor talked about something more serious. They scheduled exploratory surgery the day I was finishing up class.

I hadn’t heard anything when the class ended. So I headed home along a dark rural road.  Suddenly my car lost all power. I clutched the steering wheel and navigated to the narrow shoulder of the road, as a massive eighteen wheeler whizzed by, shaking the car. Later, I discovered that my oil pump had failed, causing the engine to seize.

Almost simultaneously, my cell phone rang. It was my wife. Mom was out of surgery. She had stage three primary peritoneal cancer. I stumbled through a couple of questions, and ended the call.

I called a tow truck and settled in the darkness for them to arrive. The two events had happened so closely together, I could barely take them in. It all felt surreal. I was numb.

As I waited, I began to feel God’s presence. Slowly, but ever so steadily, I sensed the warmth of His peace. The feeling intensified to something I can only describe as joy. Not the kind which would cause exuberant celebration, but the deep joy of God being near, closer than a breath.

In spite of what had just happened, there was a strange understanding that everything was okay, no matter how things would turn out.

In His Presence is fullness of Joy. (Psalm 16:11b)

I learned from this experience that being okay is not a matter of my circumstances always working out, it’s about my being with God.

Redeemed

About a month later, my wife and I had church at Mom’s house one Sunday. 

After singing a hymn, we read portions of Isaiah 43.

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine (Isaiah 43:1b NASB).

When we finished reading, Mom said, “redeemed” in a way which made us think she had a new understanding of the word in this context.

Looking back I wonder if she’d first heard the word as a little girl, returning pop bottles at Coopers Grocery. I wish I’d asked her then.

Before that Sunday morning, she’d often ask me if she’d lived a good enough life to go to heaven. No matter how many times I reminded her that our “good life” doesn’t get us to heaven, she’d ask me the same thing later.

Seven months later, mom would be gone. Surgery and chemo left her weak and despondent. About a day before she died, my brother, sister and I showed up, unplanned, at her care facility. We were surprised we all picked the same time. We watched her unconscious breathing for a while. Each said our goodbyes, and walked out together. She would die before any of us would see her again.

After that Sunday morning, right after her diagnosis, she told me she was no longer afraid to die. Isaiah 43, and the presence of God’s Spirit, transformed her fear.

She believed that Jesus had lived that “good life” for her and that His death on the cross had redeemed her soul for eternity.

Even now, over twelve years later, this brings me indescribable joy.

Mom

Challenge

No matter what you’re going through right this moment, peace and the joy of the Lord’s presence are available.  

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7 NASB)

We can’t look for sustaining joy in our circumstances. The world offers much sorrow. Look instead to Jesus, the Sustainer of our souls.

The follow verse reminds us that God’s nearness is our ultimate good: But as for me, the nearness of God is my good. (Psalm 73:28b NASB 1995).

Sorrowful yet always rejoicing, (II Corinthians 6:10)

The juxtaposition of sorrow and rejoicing, in Paul’s life and in ours, captures the essence of faith

Prayer

Lord, thank You.  You make me aware of Your joyful presence no matter what I face. It’s so easy for me to try and find joy in how I’m doing. Thank You that You want more for me than that.  You give me deep, solid peace and joy which is unaffected by anything I face. Please keep me aware that You are my Delight, my Joy, my Life, my King.  Amen.

Please Check out the  Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in a city.

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

Other posts in our series In The Moments:

As Sea Gulls Fly

The Gift of Presence

It is Finished

Behold the Moments

Tranquility

Stop Striving

Simplicity in Christ

Sentenced to Die, What it Means to be Saved

Good Friday – The Story of Us

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A young man squatted in a dingy prison cell. His features were hidden by the deep shadows of his dark imprisonment. Only a thin plane of sunlight penetrated the darkness, revealing countless dust particles floating around rows of disheartened men. The man was seated, away from the light, staring, motionless, into the darkness.

Outside the prison, upon a hill, stood the place of execution, where condemned men were put to death. Today would be this man’s turn. In a way, death was a welcome ending to his pain. However, more strongly, the condemned man felt the fear of death’s mysteries. His soul, it seems, had died long ago, but the fear of physical death consumed every fiber of his being.

As he waited in the cruel anticipation of a violent death, his mind raced across the span of his life. What would have made a difference? What could have changed his inclinations towards evil? The answers to these questions could only be tossed out into his universe of despair. Like always, he knew no answers would come. There was no hope, never had there been hope.

Slowly and ever more increasingly, the young man became aware of the sounds of a great number of voices. There were shouts and roars, but none of the words could be recognized. The sounds increased and erupted past him like a huge ocean wave. An enormous mass of shouting people had passed just outside his cell and were proceeding toward execution hill. The time was near. The man could not remember so great a crowd ever gathered to witness a death before.

Just then, the outside door of the prison was slammed open hard against the wall. Keys jiggled and the main security door was unlocked. Prison guards streamed towards his cell. The hopeless man trembled and recoiled in fear. Death was pouncing upon him.

The guards unlocked his cell and converged upon him like many wild tigers. They seized him, and drug him out into the morning sunlight outside the prison. When they had cleared the outside door of the prison, he was slammed face down hard on the ground. The impact knocked him into a daze. In a semi unconscious state, he waited for the first slapping sting of the lashing whip.

After a while, he senses quickened and he slowly opened his eyes, spitting dust from his mouth. He tilted his head slowly, expecting his flesh to be ripped open at any moment.

Amazingly, he was alone.

People were flowing in masses towards execution hill, but he was left unattended on the ground.

Slowly at first, but with increasing urgency, the freed man got up and made his way into an old warehouse, across the block from the prison. Looking around as he fled, he expected his fantasy to end at any moment. He made it to the abandoned building and flung himself sobbing to the ground.

After a long while, the man’s curiosity couldn’t be contained. He left the building and circled around the back of execution hill. He came up upon the crowd and mixed himself safely among the masses. With much effort, he fought his way through until he could see what the commotion was all about.

Three men hung dying on crosses, the pain etched across their faces. Two of the men he knew from his time in prison, but he didn’t recognize the man in the middle. This man seemed much weaker and closer to death than the others. He stood watching the dying man with blood gushing down the wood of the middle tree. A strange magnetism drew his soul, locking him in on the suffering criminal.

Their eyes met. Though he was among a mass of people, the man on the middle cross was looking directly at him. The dying man’s eyes were not desperate and frantic, but peaceful and loving.

After a few moments the freed man turned and walked away. As he fought his way back through the crowd, he overheard someone asking about the man on the middle cross, “Why are they killing him, what has he done?”

“He’s done nothing wrong,” the answer came. “He’s dying in place of a man set free.”

Exchanged Life

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him Second Corinthians 5:21

What would it feel like to find yourself in a prison cell, sentenced to die? Yet, being released at the last hour for another to die in your place. A man free of wrong, willing to die for you. This is our story.

Please Check out the  Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in a city.

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

A Stunning Comparison

Rubbish

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As unsightly and detestable as rubbish is, you’d be shocked to know what one man equates it to. 

There are many things we might take pride in as individuals – our ethnicity,  career status, education, passions, accomplishments, keeping of societal rules, etc. 

Around the time of Jesus, there was a man named Saul who could brag of all these things. He was proud to be a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin, a model Hebrew. He followed all the rules in his law with great zeal. He’d risen to the heights of his religion and considered himself blameless when it came to following rules. (See Philippians 3:4-6)

Then he met Jesus and this changed everything.  He was given the new name of Paul and his priorities were turned completely upside down.

In his growing intimacy with Jesus, Paul was given clarity to understand what has real value and what does not. We’d be wise to consider and apply what he learned.

Counted as Dung

From a Roman prison, approximately twenty years after his conversion to Christianity, Paul wrote, “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, (Philippians 3:7-8 NASB).

In these mind blowing words, Paul compares his very impressive worldly resume as a net loss compared to knowing Jesus Christ as his Lord. In fact, he literally revalues what he once held dear as having the same worth as rubbish, or dung, compared to gaining Christ.

This is shocking. How do we get our heads around such a comparison, especially when it comes to what we work so hard to gain?

If we grasp the meaning of what Paul is writing, it can forever change the trajectory of our lives. If we can regularly see things from the perspective he’s offering, it can reduce stress and fill our lives with exuberant joy.

As believers in Jesus Christ, Paul is telling us that the earthly things we’ve poured our lives into are actually detestable compared to something of much greater value.

What is so much greater?

Gaining Christ.

By receiving Jesus as our Savior, and knowing Him more and more, we’ve been granted something so fabulous that everything else is like crap in comparison. 

If we’re able to adopt and maintain Paul’s new value system, our earthly “rubbish,” when surrendered to the cause of Christ, can actually be used to glorify God. 

Prayer

Lord, as I allow the truth of what Paul wrote to sink in, it changes everything about everyday. I see that my accomplishments, social standing, and influence are only valuable to the extend that they aid in seeking Your kingdom and loving those You bring my way.

Knowing You, and living all of my life to glorify You, is what really matters. Earthly credentials do not define me. I offer all I have and all You’ve allowed me to accomplish back to You for Your glory. 

I love you.

Amen.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24 NASB).

Please Check out the  Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in a city.

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. 

 

Robby Buck

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

 

Loving Along the Way, Seeking the Kingdom of God

In the Moments (Simplicity in Christ)

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The sun is breaking through the clouds on this chilly, late January morning. As I approach the house, from Jack’s mid-morning walk, the warmth lures me to stay outside. Jack is a twelve-week-old Australian Shepherd, who became a member of our family a few weeks ago.

But, by the time I secure Jack, grab my lawn chair, journal, and water, the sun hides behind the greyness of the day. Hopeful it’s just a temporary pause in my winter “sun bath”, I toss Jack a treat, sip some water, and open my Bible.

I turn  to the verse I’ve been draw to often this month. “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”  (II Corinthians 11:3 NKJV).

Paul’s concern for the church at Corinth is about them being deceived. I get it. I believe I’ve been deceived as well.

My life seems anything but simple. From the divorce of my parents, earning an IT degree, raising four kids, maintaining a home, owning a business …   Simple is not how I’d describe things.  

Maybe my definition of the word is part of the problem. To me, simplicity seems to mean freedom from the complexities of life, uncomplicated. This can’t be what Paul meant. A smooth life was never promised.   

The sun is peeking through again. A bit of warmth slathers my face.

Have I been wearing myself out seeking something that’s not possible? 

From Jesus’ very words, I get my answer.

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful (John 14:27 NASB).

Simplicity isn’t peace as the world gives it.

These things I have spoken to you, so 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).

Simplicity isn’t a life free of conflict and tribulation.

I know simplicity is possible, but I need understanding.  What does true, Biblical simplicity really mean?

Pondering the question, I’m struck by two things:

  • The word we translate as “simplicity” in the original Greek means singular focus, sincerity, God seeking and not self-seeking, mental honesty.
  • Our simplicity is ‘in Christ‘.

Jack is getting restless. I know I need to stop soon. I press into God, Lord, show me how to live this life Paul is referring to.

Seek First

Tossing Jack a toy, Jesus’ words come to mind. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33 NASB).

The verses before this warn us against having a narrow focus on the world and the necessities of life. Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things (Matthew 6:31-32 NASB).

Jesus tells us to have a singular focus on God, His righteousness, and the reign of His ever-unfolding kingdom.  

This seems hard, but God empowers us every step of the way. “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 NASB).

Love as He’s Loved us

Hours before He was crucified, Jesus said, “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. 12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you (John 15:9-12 NASB).

Jesus boils things down to simple terms.

Love.

How do we love? As He’s loved us.

How much is that? As much as the Father loves Him.

And He tells us if we love others as He’s loved us, two amazing things happen:

  • We abide in His love
  • We receive His full joy

Wow, This is the kind of life I want.

Challenge

What’s crowding your mind this very moment? What thoughts and emotions seem to keep swirling around in your soul? It could be feelings of hurt, illnesses, concerns for loved ones, money problems …

Would you trade it all for a singular focus of seeking God’s kingdom by loving others?

Use the following verses as a type of vacuum cleaner for your soul, giving everyone and everything to God.

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (I Peter 5:6-7 NASB).

Linger in the ever presence peace of Christ.

Prayer

Lord, like Eve, I’ve been deceived. I’ve too often allowed the cares of this life to be my focus. I’ve allowed circumstances to make my life feel complicated and anything but simple. Peace as the world gives it is never possible. You are my Peace.

You have given me understanding and insight.

With you working in me, I have all I need to live a life of simplicity in You.

Please remind me quickly when I allow the worries and distractions of this world to draw me from pure and simple devotion to you.

Keep me in the narrow focus of seeking Your kingdom as I love those You place in my path. May I view the challenges and duties of life, not as distraction and bothers, but as ways to serve you and love others.

With all my love, Amen. 

Other posts in our series In The Moments:

As Sea Gulls Fly

The Gift of Presence

It is Finished

Behold the Moments

Tranquility

Stop Striving

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. 

Please Check out the  Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in a city.

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

Fearless

The Cake Maker’s Blunder

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The bride had waited for this moment since she was a little girl. She’d be marrying the man of her dreams. And she had the perfect verse for her wedding cake, There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear (I John 4:18 NASB).

She struggled with fear and wanted God’s perfect love to cast it out.

The week of the wedding came, and the final preparations were being made when she got a call from the cake maker. “Are you absolutely sure you want I John 4:18 on your wedding cake?” he asked.

“Very sure. It’s one of my favorites.”

“Okay,” the baker responded. “It’s your wedding.”

The bride didn’t have the brain space to give the call much thought, but later she wished she’d followed up.

 The cake maker wasn’t familiar with the Bible. He thought 1 John meant the first book of John he came across. So, the surprised bride got John 4:18 on her cake instead, “for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.”

The bride was mortified. But over time, as the pain of embarrassment wore off, the cake maker’s blunder became a story of laughter for the couple. And they  continued to ask the Lord to show them how perfect love casts out fear.

How Does Perfect Love Cast Out Fear?

Perfect Love

The Greek word John used for “perfect” means completed, finished, lacking nothing.

God’s love is perfect, like a swaddled child, safe and warm in its mother’s embrace.  God’s presence yields a transcendent peace which surpasses all comprehension in the face of any fear [1].

Paul describes the quality of God’s perfect love, in Ephesians 3:14-19. He prays we might comprehend it, though it surpasses our knowledge.

For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.

When I read Paul’s description of God’s love, I picture a love as deep and long and wide as the ocean and as high as the sky.

God’s perfect love truly surpasses our knowledge. Paul prays that what won’t fit in our heads will come alive in our hearts, our love receptor. [2]

Disagreeing with Lies

God’s love grounds us. So, it’s no wonder our enemy uses doubt and feat to try and block our awareness of it.

As much as God is love, Satan is fear. He’s a defeated foe and his tactics don’t change. He relentlessly uses deception and empty fear to try and lure us away from resting in God’s great love for us.

But our weapons of truth and prayer are divinely powerful to demolish these fortified strongholds, destroying his work in our lives and casting out his fear.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 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 (II Corinthians 10:3-5 NASB).

Our job is to take every thought captive. Soaking in the truth of God’s perfect love, we learn to disagree with Satan’s lies and cast away his fear.

Remaining in Perfect Love

In addition to praying for our hearts to be enlightened with God’s perfect love, and disagreeing with Satan’s lies, Jesus gives us clear instruction as to how we can continually live in His perfect love.

 “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)

In these vital words, Jesus helps us understand the depth of His perfect love toward us. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  How could love be any more perfect than this?

Then He tells us how to remain or live in His love. To remain in His perfect love, which dispels fear, we’re to love others as He’s loved us. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

And the love we’re to love with, comes from Him. “We love, because He first loved us” (I John 4:19 NASB).  (The verse after the bride’s verse).

The great cadence of our lives, which dispels every fear, is to receive God’s perfect love and give it away.

 Prayer

Dear Lord, I thank You that You’ve provided a way for me to live in Your perfect love.

Please empower me to quickly disagree with any lie about Your complete love for me. When fear rises from the evil one, may I quickly give it to You. I don’t want to give the enemy a seat at my table. (From the title of a book by Louie Giglio) [3]

Please give me a love first mentality throughout each day.  I don’t want to get so tangled up in the duties that I miss the people you bring me to love. May I yield to You to love through me.

I depend upon You to work these in me. I can’t do them without You.

Come what may, fear has absolutely no place in my life.

Amen.

[1] Philippians 4:6-7

[2] Ephesians 1:18-20

[3] Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table, Louie Giglio, Passion Publishing 2021

Other Posts in our Rhythms of Joy Series:

Joy is Important Because it’s an Experience of God

The Amazing Connection Between Grace and Joy

Moving from Discouraged to Encouraged

Coming to Terms with Hard Things

What About Me?

Pleasing Pop

In the Shadow of Emmanuel

Please Check out the  Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in a city.

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

 

God With Us, God's Greater Story

In the Shadow of Emmanuel

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Have you ever had a situation which completely changed the trajectory of your life? One day your minding your own business and bam, everything changes. It could be a phone call, a text or an unexpected visitor. These events can rock us and cause us to wonder how we’ll get through.

What you’re about to read is just such a situation. Though it’s about a particular man, this story is also about us in our hard, unexpected situations. The God sized problem this man faced sent him reeling. He was  worried and fearful and he let God know it.

But God had a gift for this man which allowed him to proceed, step by step, with strength and courage. And God has the same gift for us today. 

During the Christmas season, we acknowledge God’s story of redemption in the gift of His son Jesus, the promised Messiah. Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us (Matthew 1:23 NKJV).

Isaiah foretold the event 700 years before. Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14 NASB). 

The birth of Jesus is one of the climaxes in God’s story of redemption. He was willing to allow the death of His own Son to reconcile our relationship with Him and save us from eternal separation.

Being with the Lord is our point. He is our source of true courage and overflowing joy. 

In the shadow of Emmanuel, before Jesus was born, this man, experienced God’s “with-ness”.  His name was Moses. While he was tending his father-in-law’s sheep in the wilderness near Mount Horeb [1], he turned aside at the sight of a brush fire. From within the burning bush, which was not being consumed, God called to him.

“Here I am,” Moses replied. [2]

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob commanded Moses to remove his sandals in the presence of His holiness. Then God told Moses He was aware of the sufferings of His people. [3] He always is.

 He charged Moses, “Therefore come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:10 NASB).

Moses would have shook in his sandals if he’d had them on. “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”  (Exodus 3:11b NASB)

Moses felt far from adequate to accomplish what God was expecting of him. He thought God had chosen the wrong guy. Perhaps you can relate. But God makes no mistakes.

God didn’t back down, but gave Moses the most powerful gift possible. “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:12b NKJV).

He is God Almighty, the Great I Am. [4] Whatever is needed, Eternal God always is that, for Moses and for us. He Himself is our peace, courage, hope and joy in any situation. The gift of God’s presence was meant to give Moses all the above and more. But Moses was still afraid and offered a flood of excuses. Perhaps you can relate.

God has a greater story going on in each of our lives. He wants more for us than just happy, comfortable circumstances. He’s conforming us into the image of His Son Jesus Christ. 

I’ve been guilty of reading the familiar Romans 8:28 without understanding the good God is working for each of us. I didn’t notice how the next verse defines His purpose.  And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:28-29 NASB).

We’ve been predestined to become like Jesus. And part of the process of us becoming more like Jesus is learning to stop relying on ourselves and to trust more and more in God alone. This happens when, by the trials of life, we come face to face with our weaknesses and inabilities. 

See what Paul wrote about his own experience with this very thing.  For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; 9 indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead (II Corinthians 1:8-9 NASB).

For Moses, going to Pharaoh and leading 600,000 men, excluding women and children out of Egypt was way beyond his abilities. And this is the point.

Though our journeys are hard, God is at work to free us from “needing” anything but God.

This is why James could write the following, very bizarre verses about the connection between joy and trials. Until I experiencing the process first hand, what he wrote made no sense at all. Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4 NASB).

As we grow in our intimacy with the Triune God, He teaches us the sweetness of living our lives in singular devotion.

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple (Psalm 24:7 NASB).

Like Moses, we also live in the shadow of Emmanuel; not in the times before His birth, but in the times before His return.

Like Moses, God speaks to us now, but not from a burning bush. The Holy Spirit of God indwells us. For us, The Great I AM is closer than breathe.

Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank You for the truth that, right now, You are certainly with me. You see me and all I’m facing. You’ve entrusted all these situations to me. They are no surprise to You. 

 I’m sorry for longing for a carefree life more than deeper intimacy with You.

I trust You and embrace Your workings in my life. I surrender all the people in my life Your care. Please, remind me often to pray. I believe You’re at work, even when I don’t see it.

I love you Lord. 

Amen.

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our 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 NASB).

In my opinion whatever we may have to go through now is less than nothing compared with the magnificent future God has planned for us (Romans 8:18a J.B. Phillips)

[1] Exodus 3:1-3, Mount Horeb is referred to as the Mountain of God. Most agree that Mount Horeb and Mount Sinai, where Moses would later receive the ten commandments, are the same place.

[2] Exodus 3:4

[3] Exodus 3:6-7

[4] Exodus 3:14

Other Posts in our Rhythms of Joy Series:

Joy is Important Because it’s an Experience of God

The Amazing Connection Between Grace and Joy

Moving from Discouraged to Encouraged

Coming to Terms with Hard Things

What About Me?

Pleasing Pop

Please Check out the  Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in a city.

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

 

Addiction to Pleasing People

Pleasing Pop

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My first year of Little League was a bust. I couldn’t connect with even an eleven-year-old fastball. Though our team won the championship, I felt like a worthless hindrance. By obligation, Coach Goodnight would send me to the plate, once every game or so, to take my three swings and sit down.

I felt like giving up, but I loved baseball. During the offseason, I spent a lot of time working on my eye hand coordination and improving my bat speed.

When I showed up for tryouts the following year, I imagine Coach Goodnight couldn’t have been thrilled to see me. But, to my delight, my training paid off. I could connect on pitches, even from a twelve-year-old. And, since I was a decent fielder, I was assigned the role of starting second baseman.

One Saturday morning, as we warmed up for one of our home games, I saw that Pop, my paternal grandfather, had joined my mother in the stands. This delighted me and I especially wanted to play well for him.

There were runners on first and second base when I came to bat for my first plate appearance. I can still picture the details in my mind, over fifty years later. I swung hard at the first pitch. It was a bit outside, so being a righthanded batter, the ball lined between the first and second basemen, heading for the fence. As I rounded first base, I decided to keep running past second and head for third. I slid in ahead of the tag for a triple, driving in two runs.

It wasn’t a Mickey Mantle home run, but I couldn’t have been more excited. When the dust cleared and I stood on third base, I looked up into the crowd and singled out Pop.  He had a huge grin on his face, wildly clapping. He was proud of me.

People Pleasing

As I think back on that moment and others like it, I see how important it is for us to please those we care about. As children, parental acceptance and love is important, but we can easily equate our performance with our value. After all, we learn from an early age how our achievements bring us favor. Passing marks in school mean we get promoted to the next grade. Doing well during tryouts earns us a part in the play. Obeying our parents keeps us from being punished.

It’s easy to conclude that what we do determines how much we’re loved. But this is in direct contradiction to the  good news of Jesus Christ. Paul said some very stern things to the Galatians about their tendencies to follow a “gospel” of works righteousness, especially for the purpose of people pleasing.

As we have said before, even now I say again: if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

 For am I now seeking the favor of people, or of God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ (Galatians 1:9-10 NASB).

Focused

We’re to live Godly lives but not to earn affection. Only God’s approval is necessary. Our right standing with God is based on what Christ has done, not on anything we could ever accomplish. [1]

Jesus modeled a life of setting aside His own will and living only to please his Father [2]. This focus freed Him from being bound by the actions and opinions of men. Resting in His Father’s love, Jesus freely and lovingly washed Judas and Peter’s feet, men who would betray and deny Him. [3]

Jesus was fully aware of God’s great love for Him, so He didn’t need to depend on the opinions of men. And neither do we.

But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, because He knew all people, and because He did not need anyone to testify about mankind, for He Himself knew what was in mankind (John 2:24-25 NASB).

As Christians, we’ve been adopted into God’s family as His children [4]. Were hidden in Christ Jesus [5], united with Him.  In Christ, we please God already.

and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.  However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you (Romans 8:8-9a NASB).

As believers, we’re left with a huge paradigm shift. We must leave behind our dependence upon others for approval. We live now only to please our Father God. And, as we rest in Christ, His life in us is what pleases God.

We get to set aside all worries of what people think of us and live every moment for our Audience of One.

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people,  knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve (Colossians 3:23-24 NASB).

Prayer

Lord, as I picture Pop smiling and cheering me on that day so many years ago, I remember that You delight in me even more than he did. [6] Help me to rest in Your love and acceptance, no matter how folks treat me. I trust in You alone. I release my addiction to worrying about what people think of me.

I know I can’t successfully focus on You without You. Help me never to depend upon any human for my well-being. May I continually trust in You alone.

Please keep me focused on You throughout each day.  When I stray from living only for You, please remind me quickly.

Amen.

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord
And to]meditate in His temple (Psalm 27:4 NASB)

[1] II Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 2:4-7

[2] John 5:30

[3] John 13

[4] Ephesians 1:3-10

[5] Colossians 3:3

[6] Zephaniah 3:17

Other Posts in our Rhythms of Joy Series:

Joy is Important Because it’s an Experience of God

The Amazing Connection Between Grace and Joy

Moving from Discouraged to Encouraged

Coming to Terms with Hard Things

What About Me?

Please Check out the  Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in a city.

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, Not Allowing Troubles to be the Main Thing

Better Than Life

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Our family beach trip is a tradition we all look forward to every summer. Over the last few years, we’ve been to Wilmington, NC, Saint Simon Island and Tybee Island, Georgia, Saint Augustine, Florida and North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, not in that order.

This year landed us at Fripp Island, a place of natural beauty, near Port Royal Sound in southeastern South Carolina. This land of abundant wildlife features long stretches of beach and picturesque marsh land.   

Speaking of wildlife, the deer aren’t afraid of humans. Every morning they’d come up to our house looking for their breakfast of cereal, handed out by our grandkids. 

We took walks along the surf, rode bikes, explored the island on a golf cart and attended a beach worship service. We celebrated our four August birthdays, played games, enjoyed the surf, played disc golf, and went out to eat.

And we rested; my favorite part.

From the comments I’ve gotten, we all feel as if our time at Fripp was one of our best yet.  

But, our time was not without its share of significant troubles. We had a jelly fish bite, a tic bite, a dog bite, and my son-in-law’s golf cart broke down. And, to top it all off, I had a near life altering eye injury, spending the last few hours of our vacation in emergency rooms and on an operating table in Charleston.

The trip was a true microcosm of life. Troubles happen. Try as we might, some difficulties can’t be avoided. It may sound strange, but the problems we faced, and the way we loved each other through them, added to the depth and quality of our time together. 

The troubles weren’t the main thing. The fellowship was the focus. The difficulties did not destroy what we experienced. In fact, they gave opportunities for expressions of love which would not have been possible without the hard times.  

I want to take the richness of our beach experience and see what I can apply to all of life and the troubles we face.

After all, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, so 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)“

I am With You

On the night before He was crucified, Jesus had a lot to say to His disciples about taking courage. Even though he was leaving them physically, His Holy Spirit would be their constant companion. Following are a couple of examples.

16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20 In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. (John 14:16-20 NASB)

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (John 14:26-27 NASB)

Jesus is with us. He’s commanded us to take courage, to not let our hearts be troubled, to embrace His peace and to not be fearful.

Our trials are not a surprise to God. He is at work in them for His greater purposes. God is conforming us into the image of Christ. [1] He is freeing us from the need to rely on the world for our joy, [2] showing us that He Himself is our Great Reward [3] and our Highest Joy [4].

God reigns over every difficulty in our lives. He uses them to produce endurance and to loosen our grip on the illusion of worldly satisfaction. [5]

The Lord desires for us to turn to Him for comfort, strength, courage, and peace during every trial.

Challenge

Our troubles don’t have to be our focus.

Sure, we have problems to solve, but God is always with us. He places people around us to love and care for us. And, when we call Him near, He infuses us with everlasting peace, joy and love in our temporal troubles.

King David wrote Psalm 63 while in the wilderness of Judah. Some scholars believe it was written while he was fleeing from his own son Absalom, who had taken up arms against him.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, in a very low spot in his life, he penned the following verses. Read them slowly and ask the Holy Spirit to soothe your heart with the realities of God’s truth, written  for us today in our wildernesses.

O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You. (Psalm 63:1-3 NASB)

God’s love and care for us is eternal. Him being with us is literally better than life itself.

Knowing, and living, in this incredible truth keeps us from being tossed to-and-fro by every wave of circumstance.

You will keep in perfect peace
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust in you (Isaiah 26:3 NIV)

Prayer

Dear Father God, my King and my Lord,

Thank You that Your presence and Your great love sustain us in all of life.

Please protect me from ever trying to forge out a way of life based on the circumstances and happenings around me. I trust and believe that You, and Your merciful love toward me, are better than life itself.

As I truly grasp the significance of this, I’m filled with the courage which comes from Your nearness.

I love You Lord.

Amen.

[1] Romans 8:28-29

[2] John 8:36

[3] Genesis 15:1

[4] Psalm 16:11b

[5] James 1:2-4

Other posts in our series In The Moments:

As Sea Gulls Fly

The Gift of Presence

It is Finished

Behold the Moments

Tranquility

Stop Striving

Please Check out the  Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in a city.

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

 

Deeper Surrender, Let Go

In the Moments (Stop Striving)

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 I was hanging on for dear life above a large ravine. I’d wrapped both arms and legs around a gnarly stump of a tree, leafless but still rooted into the cliff face. About ten feet above, I could see the level ground I’d been clawing and scratching towards. But as hard as I tried, I’d made no real progress these many years. 

“This is impossible!” I cried out. 

Then I heard a soft, but firm voice directly below me, saying “Let go.”

The Background

When I drive into work on summers days, I reverse things a bit. Rather than spending quiet, solitude with Jesus and then driving to work, I do the opposite. I fix my coffee and travel the twenty-five minutes before the traffic gets heavy. That early its cool. And with my convertible top down and the wind whipping across my bald head, the interstate drive is like a mini vacation. I pull under a shade tree in the back of the parking lot, drink my coffee, and pull out my Bible and journal to see what God wants to say.

A couple of days ago, as I communed with God in my outside “living room,” I felt an historic lie rising in my soul from the vestiges of its former fortress. 

The message – It’s all up to me. 

For years this lie was a stronghold in my soul, which I believed and defended. Growing up as the oldest child in an alcohol ridden, divorced family, I felt the yoke of responsibility at an early age. There were times, after my mom and dad separated, that the only communication between them was through me. (8^( 

As my grandfather neared the end of his life, he conveyed that he expected me to look after my mother after he was gone. I was certainly glad to be there for my mom, and I did, but I was already fighting an over responsible tendency. Pop’s words just added to my feelings that It was all up to me. (8^0

In general, I was a compliant child, very eager to please. However, in my mid to late teens, I followed my friends into all manner of worldly activities. I guess I was trying to fit in and fill the joy hole in my heart.

But as all who try this path discover, all the world can give only leaves us wanting more.

It all came to a head one evening during my sophomore year at college. Trying to show off, by driving a bit reckless coming back from a night of cheap beer, I was arrested and thrown in jail for DUI.

Laying on the cell bunk, before my buddies bailed me out, I realized my search for joy had taken me down the wrong paths. In my soul, I knew God was the answer to my searching, but I didn’t know how to connect with Him. Especially since my lifestyle was far from holy.

Eventually, through talking with my best friend growing up and Chuck Colson’s book entitled Born Again, [1] I learned I didn’t have to straighten my life up to surrender to Jesus. 

A year later, when I was 21 years old, I knelt beside my bed and gave my life to Jesus Christ. The act was sincere, but until God gave me a new set of friends to disciple me, my life looked no different from the outside.

As my journey of being a follower of Christ continued, I couldn’t shake the inner lie that life itself was up to me.  I wanted to trust in Christ for life’s troubles, but I didn’t know how.

I prayed to give all my cares to Jesus, but deep inside I still believed it was up to me, I didn’t know how to truly trust in someone else.  

It took me another 20 years to recognize I needed healing from this strong lie within. This followed by years of learning to disagree with the lie and agree with the truth of God’s word. His truth and prayer destroy the fortresses and speculations raised up against the truth and the knowledge of God. [2] It’s not up to me. It never was. 

It’s up to me has lost it’s real power. But still, this hideous, prideful lie calls out from time to time from the vestiges of my “old self.”

This is what I was feeling the morning described above. If I’m not centered in the truth, I find myself vulnerable to fresh batches of brokenness and evil all around.

Back to the Tree

As I sat in front of the tree that morning and experienced the familiar lie, I wrote in my journal, “God do you want to say anything to me?”

Then I took out my blue pen to write down what I sensed He was saying.

Following is what I wrote. And It’s what brought up the thoughts of me hanging on the side of a cliff.

Robby, you strive so hard to be compliant, to please, not to fail. Hanging on to the gnarly stump of “I can do it,” as you dangle over a precipice of fear of failure and fear of rejection. Let go!

In my journal I wrote. “Yes Lord.”

And with as deep of a surrender as I knew how to give, I did. I let go. 

As Paul writes in Ephesians 4, I, as much as I knew how, put off the old man and put on the New Man, which is Christ Jesus who indwells me. [3]

As I might have thought, letting go did not mean tumbling upon the rocks below, shirking the responsibilities, failing and letting everyone down.

It meant just the opposite.  

In the Moments Since

 As I closed the convertible top, grabbed my gear and walked toward the office, I thought about the surrender I’d just experienced.

Certainly, there’d been many surrenders over the years, but this one seemed a deeper “letting go” than ever before.

And, as I write a few days later, I know this to be true.

I work as a corporate technical trainer. I love what I do because of the opportunities to meet and care for a wide range of folks, mostly just out of college.

In the classroom, I spend a lot of time conveying technical information and coaching my students on how to become mainframe programmers, using review games and workshops. It’s actually a lot of fun, but, as with any job, it has its challenges.  Especially when students realize during the class that this type of career is not for them and they must leave the program. (8^<

That morning, when I let go from the gnarly tree growing out of the rock face, my Savior, my King, my Lord, my faithful Friend was right there to catch me.

Since then, walking in the halls, and even in the classroom, I’m experiencing a sense of being carried along and having an eternal view of how my story ends, even as it unfolds.

God is shaping my overall perspective. Though there are still things to be done and troubles to be experienced, the sense of having a higher, eternal goal has not left me.

I’m having moments when the fact of Jesus’ imminent return shines brightly through all the brokenness, all the difficulties, all the pain of this fallen world.

In his first epistle, Peter writes of our current Living Hope and of our future inheritance, imperishable and undefiled. He reminds us of God’s protection, even now. He encourages us to see our trials and tribulations as ways of purifying us as gold is tested by fire. Though, now, we have not yet seen the Lord, we’re filled with joy inexpressible and full of glory. [4]

Paul tells us that God is always working for our good, but sometimes we have tunnel vision. His good for us is work, in the details of our lives, to conform us into the image of Christ. This frees us more and from the world’s hold on our souls. [5] 

Challenge

Like me, do you still sometimes believe life is up to? Certainly, we all have responsibilities and face trials, but consider the following truths which are undeniable:

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me (Psalm 23:4 NASB).

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride (Psalm 46:1-3 NASB).

“These things I have spoken to you, so 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)

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me (Galatians 2:20 NASB).

Whatever we face (troubles, responsibilities, challenges), God is with us. It’s never up to us. We’re to yield to His Spirit and walk in His nearness.

Consider praying a prayer of deeper surrender to Jesus Christ, your Lord. Ask Him to remind you quickly when you begin to walk in the old flesh and to guide you into yielding to His Spirit. 

Consider writing your words of surrender to Him in a journal and refer back to it often.

Make note of ways He surprises you in the days which follow.

No matter how deep our surrender is, as we press into Him, He will lead us into deeper surrender and deeper freedom.

Prayer

Lord, Thank You for Your longsuffering, Your kindness and Your mercy towards me. You don’t relent until You have my whole heart and I’m so thankful for that.

Please remind me quickly when I pridefully try and do anything apart from You. You tell me that apart from you I can do nothing. [6] And I believe it. (8^o

I see more and more what it means that I died and that my life is now hidden in You. 

Please help me to love others as You’ve loved me and to live a life that brings You glory.

I love You so much!

Amen

[1] Chuck Colson’s son, Chris, was a classmate of mine in college. I sub-rented his apartment on summer and read the copy of Born Again his dad had given him.

[2] II Corinthians 10:3-5

[3] Ephesians 4:22-24

[4] I Peter 1:3-8

[5] Romans 8:28-29

[6] John 15:5

Other posts in our series In The Moments:

As Sea Gulls Fly

The Gift of Presence

It is Finished

Behold the Moments

Tranquility

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

Free from Me

What About Me?

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At the turn of the century, our family went on a short term missions trip to Mexico. During some of our down time, we decided to visit the local market. As we entered, we were amazed at the wide variety of colorful local fare, from flowers, to fruits and vegetables, to intricate crafts. 

Immediately, vendors called their products to our attention for purchase. One of us, I can’t remember who, told them we wanted to look around and that we’d come back.

We spent a good bit of time enjoying the massive amount of tables, reaching deeper and deeper into the space, to the point we almost lost our way back to the front. Most of us bought at least one thing.

Suddenly, it dawned upon us how late it was, so we made our way to the front. As we exited, one of the vendors we first encountered yelled in English, “What about me?”

I felt bad and I’m not even sure we responded, but the question, “What about me?” has become a family catch phrase when one of us wants to insert ourselves.

As I continue to walk this journey with Jesus, the more I realize I’m asking the same question in my heart. What about me? Until recently, I didn’t recognize what a consuming quest this really is.

I know I’m not alone in this inward battle. Our Christian lives are a continual challenge, to live in the realities of Galatians 2:20, the great summary of God’s good news. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Living a life of “I have been crucified” is not easy.

 I see what happened to two of Jesus’ disciples in Mark 9:35-37,  “James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, *came up to Jesus, saying to Him, ‘Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.’ And He said to them, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ They said to Him, ‘Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.’”

They were asking, What about me?

What about me? seems to be built into the fabric of our hearts.

What I want to say is what John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30 NASB)

What about me? is such a restricting, narrowing view. It limits the world and chokes my joy.

It’s You Lord! changes the game from introspection on my little kingdom, into full hope upon the glorious kingdom of God, waiting to explode into eternal ecstasy. [1]  

What about me? requires control and strain to produce circumstances which I hope will maintain my happiness. It puts me where God should be and steals any moments of abiding in His gladness.

It’s You Lord! releases care and trusts in a loving God, who is at work in a greater story of making me more like Jesus. [2]

What about me? longs for the love and approval of others. It produces competitiveness, envy and continual effort to be liked and admired by others.

It’s You Lord! produces gratitude and praise, which keeps me peaceful under the yolk of Jesus’ gentle and humble heart. [3]

I desire this change in my heart, the transformation of John the Baptist, more than anything I can think of. But, I know this kind of work is not a self study class. If I’m to move from What about me? to It’s You Lord! it requires the Lord, not me.

Lord, show me in Your word and empower me by Your Spirit to be less about me and more about You.

He Must Increase, but I Must Decrease.

During our family vacation last year, I was walking on the beach talking with my bride about some deep spiritual matters. This was a convergence of three of our very favorite things to do together: be at the beach, walk, and talk about spiritual things. 

As we walked, she said, “We all have swiss cheese hearts.”

This was a striking image as I pictured it and I’ve thought about it a lot since then. Certainly, God has created our hearts with a void only He can fill.  

Examining my own heart, I’ve identified five major holes which I’ve historically tried to fill myself. I know, with Solomon, that trying to fill my eternal holes with anything of this world is vanity of vanities. [4] Yet, I scream What about me? as I try and plug these holes myself. 

Perhaps others can relate.

The Need to Be Admired

In my heart, I see a deep longing to be admired. When people, especially those important to me, make me feel disliked or even hated,  What about me? screams out. The “desired to be admired hole” aches with a painful feeling of being unloved.

It’s You Lord!  points me to the amazing love God has for me, as revealed in His word and in His actions. Though there are many scriptures about God’s incomprehensible love for us, [5] I’ll focus on what Jesus told His disciples the night before He died, “Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love.” (John 15:9)

The eternal love of God is the only thing which can fill my hole to be admired. Expecting this kind of love from others is toxic. It not only binds me to the approval of men, but produces a self-serving love for others, which is not sincere.

Ugh. This is really bad  When What about me? comes to mind about not being admired, I determine to saturated my heart to overflowing with God’s perfect love.

 It’s You Lord!

Lord, You love me with a love I’ll never fully grasp, which fills my heart to overflowing. Please remind me of this when people are mean to me and act hateful.

Resting completely in God’s love

Accepted

In my heart, I see a need to be accepted. When people, especially those important to me, make me feel rejected,  What about me? screams out. The “desired to be accepted hole” aches with a painful feeling of being excluded.

It’s You Lord! points me to what God did for all of His children before the world began:  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6 NASB)

God chose me, to be His child before I was even born. The passage goes on to say that in His love for me, I’ve been lavished with grace, redeemed with His love, and given His Holy Spirit as an installment of my inheritance.

I’ve had some really important people in my life reject me. And the pain does not go away. But it’s a pain of loss, not a loss of value.

No person can define my value, no matter how important. Before I breathed a breath, God called me His own. No person can change that by rejecting me.

It’s You Lord!  

Lord, You’ve accepted me by Your blood. This is what matters. Please help me remember this.

 

Accomplished

In my heart, I see a insatiable need to accomplish things. This drive seems to always be running in the background, to the point that sometimes I have to force myself to relax.

I fight a fear of failure. What about me?  yells that nothing I do is good enough. And there’s the problem in the open. What “I” do.

It’s You Lord! points me to II Corinthians 5:21:  He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Me trying to accomplish some righteousness of my own is the very essence of stupidity. Not only is it impossible, (all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God) [5], but it’s an affront to what Christ has done for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly. (Galatians 2:21 NASB)

Will I fail? Most definitely; every day. But am I a failure? By now means. 

But as for me, I stand on the righteousness of Christ. 

It’s You Lord!

You have given me Your righteousness. You have made me complete, fully accomplished in You. Please help me remember this when  I feel like a failure.

True Value

Affirmed

In my heart, I see a need to be affirmed, to be recognized, to have my achievements pointed out.  What about me? wants my glory to shine.

My, my, my. Me, me me. As I write it’s more than ludicrous. Yet, the temptation rises.

When I think about what Jesus did for me, I realize He wants me to consider myself dead when it comes to my glory. Paul actually wrote this in Colossians 3:3-4: 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.

It’s You Lord! helps me realize I’m hidden in Christ. That’s affirmation enough. It’s His life which is to be celebrated, His glory. Why would a dead man need to be recognized and given credit anyway?

Christ is my life. No need to be individually affirmed. One day, I’ll be revealed with Him in glory. His glory, not mine.

Lord, please help me remember this when I feel the need to be recognized and given credit for anything. No need to strive to be affirmed. I rest in You.

Christ our Life

Appeased

In my heart, I recognize the deep need to be satisfied, for my longings to be appeased. As mentioned before, God put longing in every human heart. [6]

Blaise Pascal wrote, “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing, but only by God the creator made known by Jesus Christ.”

What about me? believes I must plug these holes myself. But I can’t.  I’ve tried being admired by people, accomplishing many tasks, being pliable to be accepted, and  competing to be affirmed.

I’m realizing that the sum of these searches for lasting joy only leave my wanting all the more.

I hear with Abram, “Do not be afraid, Abram.  I am your shield, your very great reward.” (Genesis 15:1 NIV)

I now agree with Asaph, “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;” (Psalm 73:28a NASB).

And with David, “You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound.” (Psalm 4:7 NASB)

It’s You Lord! is the answer to every hole in my swiss cheese heart.

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” (John 6:35 NASB)

These are some holes in my heart which begin with ‘A’. Lord, show me the whole alphabet. (8^>  

Joy, An Experience of God

Unmasking the Lie

Prayer

Lord, I depend upon me so often; even now, after decades of being Your disciple. But You are teaching me to rest in Your yoke. It’s not up to me anymore. It never was.

It’s Your glory, Lord, never mine. When a thought comes to highlight me, please remind me quickly that it’s You.

Lead me, I pray, to quickly disagree with the lies and agree with the truth that I’m complete in You, filled to the brim and overflowing with You in all areas.

In You, I’m always admired, always accepted, fully accomplished, affirmed in Your glory, and fully satisfied by You, my Bread of life. Your rivers of waters completely saturate my thirst. 

You want me free, really free.

Please continue to show me ways I choose me and not You, my will and not Yours.

I must decrease and You must increase.

I love You Lord.

Amen.

Not my Will

Journal Time

With your journal in hand, write down any What about me? areas in your own life. It could be one or more identified above or different ones.

When is it most often manifested?

Write down ways you think your self focus hampers your life.

What difference would it make if God was your focus and not you?

Write a prayer expressing your desires to make a change and be less self focused and more God focused, recognizing the need for the Holy Spirit to enable you. 

If you’re willing, ask Him to continue to reveal self focused ways in you. He will.

Come back to this journal entry often.

[1] Romans 8:18-23

[2] Romans 8:28-29

[3] Matthew 11:28-30

[4] Ecclesiastes 2:11-22

[5] Romans 3:23

[6] Ecclesiastes 3:11

Other Posts in our Rhythms of Joy Series:

Joy is Important Because it’s an Experience of God

The Amazing Connection Between Grace and Joy

Moving from Discouraged to Encouraged

Coming to Terms with Hard Things

Please Check out the  Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in a city.

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

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 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

 

Experiencing God in the moments of our lives