My father was at a low point in his life. He’d lost his marriage, his home, and his ability to live a normal life. He was imprisoned by alcoholism. I tried to comfort him, but my words didn’t help.
But one day, I read Jesus’ words to him, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.”[1]
I read the rest of the chapter and explained to Dad that Jesus wanted to give him the rest from this great burden. He began to cry. The philosophies of his college had led Dad to doubt God’s existence. But Jesus’ words opened up the eyes of his heart. Eventually, Dad entrusted his life to Christ.
But Dad still struggled. There was a gap between his reality and the deliverance he longed for. He tried dozens of alcoholics anonymous meetings and was in and out of rehab centers. Nothing worked.
All along he’d been asking God to help him quit, but it wasn’t working. One day he came to the end of himself and cried, “God. I’ve tried everything I know. This isn’t working. I can’t do this. You’re going to have to do it.”
A bit later, after cutting the grass, he opened a beer and took a sip. It tasted horrible. He poured it out and never had another drop to drink the last fifteen years of his life.
Dad modeled for me a very powerful truth. Christ Himself is our life.
Jesus said. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”[2]
Paul said it this way, “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”[3]
We were never designed to live life apart from God. Christ was pierced through for our transgressions[4] in order that He might share His life with us. By God’s doing, we’ve been placed in Christ[5] and seated with Him in heavenly places.[6] We’re indwelt by the Holy Spirit.[7]
As children of God, we’re new creations. [8] We’re united with Christ. God’s purpose is to transform us into the image of His Son. [9] But His way is not for us to try harder to improve ourselves. God never intended to make a better version of us. We died and our lives are now hidden in Christ. Christ now is our life. [10]
Anything which causes us to realize we can’t and God can has the possibility to draw us deeper into our true Life Source. It comes with humility and utter dependence.
Perhaps in our situations we need to say along with my dad, “God. I’ve tried everything I know. This isn’t working. I can’t do this. You’re going to have to do it.”
Thanks Dad. I miss you.
Robert Elroy Buck III, whom I am named after, went to be with Jesus on April 30th, 2011.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NASB)
[1] Matthew 11:28
[2] John 15:5
[3] Philippians 2:13
[4] Isaiah 53:5
[5] I Corinthians 1:30
[6] Ephesians 2:6
[7] Ephesians 1:13
[8] II Corinthians 5:17
[9] Romans 8:29
[10] Colossians 3:3-4
Unless otherwise noted, verses are from the NASB version of the Bible.
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
You’ve heard about the guy who had it all: riches, fame, prestige, complete, earthy autonomy. He had everything going for him, but made some really bad choices and crashed and burned. It’s hard to imagine how anyone can get on the other side of adultery, murder, and the hostile rebellion of a son. He certainly reaped what he sowed, but we can learn from him on steps we can take to salvage our hearts on the other side of sin.
His troubles began one evening, when he really should have been working. In his leisure, a beautiful lady caught his eye. He did more than just take a second look. When the smoke cleared, her husband was dead and she was pregnant.
You’ve probably figured out by now, I’m speaking of King David, the man who wrote a majority of the Psalms. It would be written of David that, in spite of his poor choices, he was a man after God’s own heart. [1]
How can this be? How did his heart recover from such devastation? How do we recover when we sin? What do we do when we don’t even want to approach God because of the shame we feel? What do we do when we don’t feel loveable?
Steps to Recovery
Into the Light
David didn’t voluntarily bring his sin with Bathsheba into the light. Nathan, the prophet of God, called him on it by using a story of a lamb, recorded in II Samuel chapter 12.
David’s anger burned against the wealthy man in the story for taking the poor man’s lamb.
He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this certainly deserves to die!So he must make restitution for the lamb four times over, since he did this thing and had no compassion.” (verse 6)
Then, in an instance, David’s sin was brought to light when Nathan said to him, “You yourself are the man! (verse 7)
Nathan went on to say, “Now then, the sword shall never leave your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’This is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, I am going to raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight.Indeed, you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and in open daylight.’” (verses 10-12)
Not good outcomes for David when his sin was brought to light, but keeping things hidden is also very damaging. As hard as it is to bring the shame of our sin into the light, it must happen, and the sooner the better.
Hidden secrets, not only stifle us spiritually, but they can affect us in other ways. “The emotional, mental, physical and spiritual impact of secrets are well documented. In fact, research suggests keeping secrets can significantly boost stress hormones, impact blood pressure, inhibit sleep, contribute to mental health and substance use disorders and even increase chronic pain.” [2]
Confession
Big or small, God wants us free from the weight and shackles of unconfessed sin.
I believe one of the reasons David is called a man after God’s own heart is his quick, humble response.
Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” (verse 13a)
And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has allowed your sin to pass; you shall not die.However, since by this deed you have shown utter disrespect for the Lord, the child himself who is born to you shall certainly die.” (verses 13b – 14).
As mentioned before, what David did had consequences which would follow him the rest of his life. But, in spite of this, David pressed into God not away from him.
God’s ultimate goal is for us to be like Jesus. [3] He wants us to experience the freedom and joy of casting down idols and digging deeply into God and His ways.
Pressing Deeply into God
What we see in David’s heart is an eager desire to draw closer to God. Rather than wallowing in shame, which would keep him from God, he asked for deeper cleansing and for the joy and gladness of being with Him.
Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; Cleanse me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness, Let the bones You have broken rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins And wipe out all my guilty deeds (Psalms 51:7-9).
From what David wrote, we see he valued fellowship with God over walking in deceit. So much so, that he invited God to do further work in his heart so that deeper intimacy could occur.
Create in me a clean heart, God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalms 51:10).
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, God, You will not despise (Psalms 51:17).
It seems that because the sins were revealed and forgiveness was granted, David’s desire for God intensified.
Potentially, as Jesus pointed out to Simon the Pharisee concerning the sinful woman who washed his feet, our sin can deepen our love for the Lord.
Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little (Luke 7:47 ESV).
But we must accept His grace, point our lives in a different direction, and depend upon His Spirit within us to live lives reflecting Jesus’ life. In other words, we need to follow Him.
Turning Evil on It’s Head
Joseph, as he was speaking to his brothers concerning what they had done to him, saw evil from a much broader, eternal perspective.
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive (Genesis 50:20).
God uses our confession and repentance from sin to bring us His joy and freedom. This has always been the case in my life, as I follow David’s example of asking for a pure and contrite heart. As God shows me my sin, and I follow David’s example of dealing with it, I see God’s hand at work in it all, in spite of my sin. God’s grace and forgiveness leads me into a deeper love of Him.
Why would we ever want to hold onto that which causes us such inner turmoil instead of the joys of walking closely with God who created us?
Though we will still struggle, as we follow David’s example in our lives, we can experience God’s love no matter what we’ve done.
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. Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You (Psalms 63:1-3).
Prayer
Lord, in Christ, I’m holy, blameless and beyond reproach. When I see this, and believe it by faith, I begin to feel Your lovingkindness, even in my failures and sin.
I rest in Your love right now and I desire to walk in it throughout the day. Even when I go through hard times, Your love shines brighter and brighter. You are faithful. You are good. You are kind.
Please continue to reveal sin in my life and give me the courage and strength to follow hard after You no matter what.
Amen
Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land, Everlasting joy will be theirs (Isaiah 61:7 NASB).
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
When I see this picture of an elderly hand grasping a tiny apple, it brings emotion. I’m not sure what the feelings are, but I think it’s a mixture of sadness and humble gratitude.
I don’t know the story behind the picture, but I do know three billion people in the world make less than two dollars a day. To that portion of the world, this small apple would be precious, and the people would be thankful.
Am I thankful for a small apple? Sadly, much larger apples have spoiled in our fruit bowl and become chicken food. Compared to the poorest people, I live in a country with a medium income of over 50k. I’ve never wondered if I’d have food for the next meal. Has this deadened my heart to being appreciate for what God provides?
I don’t want to take for granted God’s blessings, but I have.
Lord, develop in me a continual heart of gratitude which extends beyond a single day of thanking.
Gifts Point to the Giver
Moments after I pray about having a more grateful heart, my wife enters the room, fresh from her time of solitude.
“I was just reminded of the doxology,” she says. “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”
God had been showing her how easy it is to focus on the gifts and forget the Giver.
Every gift, from small apples, to turkey feasts, to breath for another day comes from God the creator of all things.
I take what she says as an answer to my prayer for God to develop in me a continual heart of gratitude.
When I notice any gift, from food, to provision, to creation, to relationships, to …, may the gift send me directly into thankful praise to my King.
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you .. (Philippians 1:3 NASB).
And When people give me praise or compliments may I also see these as reasons to thank and praise God.
When people come up and give me a compliment… I take each remark as if it were a flower. At the end of the day I lift up the bouquet of flowers I have gathered throughout the day and say, ‘Here you are, Lord, it is all Yours.’” Corrie Ten Boom
Being Thankful for Eternal Blessings
Something else which comes to mind is how many things God has done for me in eternity which will never change.
As I focus on these eternal blessings, life’s gifts become cherries on top of a continual thanksgiving feast.
The Bible is full of reasons to be thankful, but here’s a summary of the unchanging truths in Ephesians 1:3-14:
I have every spiritual blessing available to me in Jesus.
God loves me and chose me to be in Christ before the world began.
In Jesus Christ, I’m holy and totally blameless.
It’s God’s pleasure to adopt me as His child through Jesus.
God did these things for me so that His glory, His infinite greatness and His worth, would be demonstrated in kindness and mercy toward me.
I’ve been redeemed, rescued from God’s wrath because of Jesus’ life blood shed on my behalf.
God lavished His grace and mercy upon me, forgiving my every sin.
God has made known to me His intensions to summarize all things into Christ Jesus, my Lord.
I have a secure inheritance because God’s purposes are never thwarted.
God has sealed me with the Holy Spirit as a promise and pledge of my inheritance.
I belong to God and my life is to be a testimony to the praise of His glory and grace.
These, and many more truths, give me reasons for unending thanksgiving.
May Thanksgiving day launch a mindset of thankfulness in me which will never change.
Prayer
Lord, what a gift today has been. You’re giving me a thankful heart. You showed how even the smallest apple is a gift from Your hand, never to be taken for granted. You are the source of every blessings. Please help me to be continually thankful for You and not just the gifts You give me.
There are so many blessings You’ve given me which will never change. Please develop in me a continual thankful heart for what You’ve bestowed upon me in Christ.
I’m so sorry for the apples I’ve allowed to spoil because I didn’t treasure them. Tender my heart so that I will never take anything for granted again. They all come from Your hand.
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Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.
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
What I read felt totally outlandish. How could it be true? A good friend has a mass on their chest. They go in for a biopsy on Thursday. A marriage is in trouble. A job was lost. Relationships are broken. A long-time friend died of a brain tumor. Loved ones are sick. People are in deep emotional pain.
Considering things like this, what I read seems impossible. And it isn’t even a suggestion. It is a command.
Always be joyful.Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus (I Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT).
Be thankful in all circumstances?
I do believe God is for me and that His indwelling Spirit enables me to carry out what He commands. But to always be grateful is hard to imagine. How can it be?
How is it Possible to always be Grateful?
To be truly grateful in everything, I must pull my perspective away from my circumstances. I must realize that God has something far richer in mind for me than an easy, comfortable life.
From God’s word, here’s what I know:
I was created with deep longings which can only be satisfied by God Himself.[1]
Delighting in God, enjoying Him, loving Him, and praising Him, satisfies these deep longings. [2]
Pursuing things of this world to satisfy my soul leave me empty and headed for destruction.[3]
God uses all things for my greater benefit, according to His purposes, not mine.[4]
Above all things, God is at work to make me more and more like Jesus.[5]
Following Jesus means His character being formed in me, not by my efforts, but by dependence upon His Spirit within me.[6]
In Jesus’ endurance of the cross, He remained fixed upon God’s greater purposes, even during excruciating pain.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,2 fixing our eyes on 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 12:1-2 NASB).
On the cross, Jesus had Joy.
Relational Joy.
Fueled by His love for His Father and for us, joy strengthened Jesus through unbearable pain.
No matter what else is going on in our lives, the fact that Jesus, Lord of Lord and King of Kings, values us enough to lay down His life for our relationship with Him, should fill our hearts with overflowing gratitude. And gratitude draws us near to God, the source of all Joy.[7]
Gratitude, the Gateway to Relational Joy
If I’m bemoaning my circumstances, the eternal overshadowing joy of the Lord can never be experienced.
If I’m only measuring how I’m doing by how my life is going, I’ll tend to be ungrateful, and joy will be killed.
God is not absent from my pain. In fact, if I call upon Him, my Ever-Present Help in Trouble [8], His peaceful nearness cleanses and heals deep parts of my heart, untapped when circumstances are easy.
From personal experience, I’m fortified in my troubles when I turn to God for comfort and not the false affections of the world.
Our gratitude for the gifts God gives us, especially everlasting life with Him, invites our soul to develop a posture of thanksgiving. God is good and God is for us. The more we see this, and point everything back to Him in glorious thanksgiving and praise, joy will grow and spill over into rejoicing, come what may.
Practice It
Think about a present trouble in your life. It could be related to health, finances, relationships, busyness, or any number of difficulties in this broken world.
In the midst our very hard times, God invites us to call on Him as our Comforter in all we face.[9] He is for us. He is near to our broken hearts.[10]
As you receive the comfort of His nearness, thank Him. Thank Him for being with you and for the price He paid for your reconciliation. Realize that especially in your trials, He’s always at work to make you more and more like Jesus.
Ask Him to bring other things to your mind to be grateful for. Develop a habit of giving all thanks and glory to God.
As did Corrie Ten Boom, present all praise from others as fragrant offers back to God.
When people come up and give me a compliment… I take each remark as if it were a flower. At the end of the day I lift up the bouquet of flowers I have gathered throughout the day and say, ‘Here you are, Lord, it is all Yours.’” Corrie Ten Boom
Prayer
Lord, I’m sorry that I haven’t developed a regular rhythm of thanking You for everything in my life. The more I walk with you, the more I’m convinced that you are for me and that You are at work in every aspect of my life. Please help me thank you for the pleasant times and the heart aches.
Teach me to linger and savor Your life all around. Slow me down to pause and thank You at every turn.
Thank You for the way joy is unleashed when I have a heart of gratitude. When I’m thankful, the joy of my relationship with You explodes in my soul.
Please keep me focused on loving You, thanking You, and loving those You bring my way.
Amen.
[1] Ecclesiastes 3:11
[2] Psalm 37:4
[3] I Timothy 6:9, Matthew 6:19
[4] Romans 8:28
[5] Romans 8:29
[6] Galatians 4:19, Galatians 2:20
[7] Psalm 16:11
[8] Psalm 46:1-3
[9] II Corinthians 1:3-5
[10] Psalm 34:18
Please Check out the new Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in the Midlands of South Carolina.
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
Identifying and Eliminating what Hinders our Fellowship with the One Who Made Us.
The Story
Could a former addict, who lost his job and almost his family, now enjoy unhindered intimacy with the Creator of the universe? You might not think so, but think again.
A couple of months ago, at a Saturday morning men’s breakfast, a brother, I’ll call him George, shared about his life of addiction, which held him captive for many years. Tearfully, George shared how tough love, accountability and God’s grace transformed his life. With a gleam in his eye, he declared that he now enjoys unhindered intimacy with God.
Those of us who were at the breakfast were very thankful for George’s honest vulnerability. It took great courage to admit his weakness, but we all saw how in his weakness, Christ showed Himself as strong. Too often men hide behind thin veneers of outward goodness, while inside, joy withers and souls dry out.
Men need to be brave enough to talk about deeper subjects than sports, cars, and fishing. That morning, George’s vulnerability led to more meaningful, transformative connections and conversations.
We men need to fight for this level of openness. It starts with our own courage to stop hiding and talk about our struggles. This is the gift George gave us that morning.
Since then, I’ve explored George’s phrase, “unhindered intimacy,” and would like to share what I’ve discovered.
Intimate Fellowship
What is intimate fellowship?
God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (I Corinthians 1:9).
Our fellowship involves a deep association with Christ, a community with Him and a joint participation.
But what hinders our enjoyment of this intimate fellowship?
The Hinderances
Distractions
These days, they are far too many screens to capture our attention. Even in our times with God, they cry out, offering politics, sports, TV, short video reels and the like. These and other distractions invade our souls with noise and crowd our minds. We tend to suffer from a lack of intentional solitude.
May we be less like Martha and more like Mary. Less bothered and worried about what we do and more resting in the Lord as we love and serve.
38Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42)
False Affections
We were created with an eternal hole in our hearts which only God can fill.[1] But, we tend to dedicate our lives trying to plug the void with temporal, fragile, fleeting pleasures. We are tricked into thinking these false affections, such as substances, porn, gluttony, achievements, possessions, and even human relationships, will quiet our longing souls.
The truth of the matter is the these impostures only hinder our intimacy with our Creator. We can’t depend on any earthly thing, including our closest relationships, to make us feel okay. God alone must be our Highest Joy.
You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound (Psalm 4:7).
Guilt and Shame
The guilt and shame of sin can make us feel unlovable and unworthy. As we pursue holiness, we can never depend upon our own strength to become like Jesus. Depending on God’s Holy Spirit within us is how transformation happens, not by our own strength.
Similarly, we can never depend on our own righteousness as the entrance into intimate fellowship with God. Any misunderstanding of the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice for our salvation clouds us with guilt and shame, which hinders our approach to Father God.
We must not allow the enemy to hide God’s love and forgiveness from us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all (I John 1:9 NASB).
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
Jesus says that the more we are forgiven, the more we love.
46 You (Simon) did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. 47 For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven” (Luke 7:46-48 NASB).
Doubt of God’s Love and Care
How many times have we heard or thought, “How could a loving God allow this or that to happen?”
After all, didn’t Paul say:
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 (Romans 8:28 NASB).
But what is our good? Is it pleasant circumstances? Is God’s purpose for us to live a comfortable life? The verse below gives us the answer.
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 8:29 NASB).
God’s purpose for us is to make us more like Jesus.
In the verses below, Paul despaired even of life. But, he saw God at work for His greater purpose of causing Paul to trust God and not himself.
8For 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;9indeed, 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).
In Conclusion
Because of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf, we have been given the ability to have unhindered intimacy with Almighty God.
To enjoy our fellowship:
We must fight distractions and pursue unhurried time alone with God.
We must not allow any affection to supplant God as our Highest Joy.
As we follow Jesus, we must not allow guilt and shame to discourage us from communing with God.
We must remember the power of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf to take away our sin and grant us His righteousness.
We must not forget that God is at work to give us the freedom and joy of being like Jesus.
Hallelujah.
[1] Ecclesiastes 3:11
Please Check out the new Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child.
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
Close to thirty years ago, I was mowing the lawn with the small tractor I inherited from my grandfather. D.B. Leatherwood was a famous lawyer in upstate South Carolina, but to me he was Pop. We were close. I grew up with only a rolling hill separating me from my grandparent’s house. Pop was a self-made man. Orphaned at an early age and raised by his older sisters in the hills of North Carolina, he worked hard to earn a law degree from the University of North Carolina. He moved to Greenville to open his practice and that’s where he met my grandmother.
Pop didn’t show affection, but I knew he loved me. On late summer afternoons he’d hit fly balls to me down the hill. His batting was pristine. I don’t remember him ever even fouling a ball. At dusk, as the cicadas begin their serenade, he’d invite me up for a Pepsi and a bowl of cashews and Fritos. We’d sit in between the massive white columns on his front porch and “watch the world go by” along the busy street in front of his house.
As I mowed and navigated Pop’s old tractor around our small plot of grass, I thought of him. He took such good care of us when my father moved out. In my mind’s eye I could see him cutting our grass with his straw hat and plaid shirt, leaning in to keep the tractor balanced on the hills. He was like a father to me.
The thought of him that day filled my heart with what I must call joy. Though I felt happy, the experience was more than a feeling. For a brief moment the challenges of being a young, married, father of four with a stressful IT job seemed small. It was an eternal, larger than life, moment.
Looking back, I recognize part of the sweetness of the moment was the nostalgic remembrance of my childhood, but the gladness and joy stemmed from my relationship with Pop and our mutual love for each other.
That experience and many like it have made me realize how interwoven joy is with love. Personally, my experiences of joy seem to always involve a loving relationship, mostly with God, but also with the people I cherish.
The Joy of Loving
Scripture confirms how tightly coupled love and joy really are.
David, who loved God with a passion well documented, wrote that in God, our highest relationship, we find full joy.[1] The Psalms are filled with his worshipful love mixed with joy.
“For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done. I will sing for joy at the works of your hands.” (Psalm 92:4 NASB)
David’s continual posture of loving God brought joy to his heart and gave him courage in the face of many difficulties.
As Saul’s men watched the house to kill him, David wrote to the Lord, “But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your loving lovingkindness in the morning” (Psalm 59:16 NASB).
Our love of God, which extends to others, also fills our hearts with joy. Follow Jesus’ love for His disciples.
After Jesus washed His disciples’ feet He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34 NASB).
Jesus went on to say that if we loved others in the manner in which He has loved us, two amazing things would happen: we would live in His love and His complete joy would be ours.[2]
And concerning Jesus’ joy, the love connection is clear. In Hebrews we read that His love for us gave Him the joy He needed to endure the cross and secure our salvation.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2 NASB)
We find the correlation between love and joy in many other places in Scripture. No matter what is going on, in and around us, loving God and others is the pathway to a joy which will bring courage and strength to our lives.
“Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10b NASB).
The Challenge
Check your heart. At this moment circumstances may be pleasant, or you may be facing difficult trials. Are you encouraged or discouraged? In other words, do you have courage or not? Courage, fueled by a joyful heart, is what we need each day. No wonder we get the word “courage” from the French word for heart – “cour.”
Where do we find joy? It’s very easy to seek it from the world’s commodities: happy circumstances, pleasantries and fleeting affections which promise much, but produce only pain.
Do we do depend upon the happenings of life to keep our hearts glad? Certainly, there is much in this life to enjoy, but true joy, the kind which yields lasting strength and courage, comes from loving God first and then loving others as He’s loved us.
When this is the case, we are freed.
Free to love and free to truly enjoy what God has given us.
“Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you (John 15:9-12 NASB).
May we determine to fill our days in worshipful love of God; thanking Him, praising Him and adoring Him.
May we bask in His lovingkindness and love Him with everything within us!
As we love and draw near to Him, joy overtakes us because He is fullness of Joy.
Prayer
Lord, if I’m not careful, my heart gets attached to my circumstances. When this happens my courage to face life’s challenges wanes and flows based on my sense of how I’m doing. When this happens, You have repeatedly directed me to love. Over and over again, this redirects my heart to You, my Fullness of Joy.
May my days be filled with a continual longing to praise You, thank You, and love You. Please help me slow down enough to listen to You and to love the folks You bring my way, even those who hurt me. For this is the example you set for us when you washed Peter and Judas’ feet.
When I love, You fill my heart with gladness and joy, giving me the courage to face what comes my way.
When I stray from this single focused determination to love, please guide me quickly back.
Please Check out the new Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child.
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
Ezekiel 47: 1Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar. 12 By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing (NASB).
Story
A two-branch creek runs in front of and behind the barn in our back yard. During heavy rains, debris, mostly dead branches and leaves, but sometimes trash, impedes the flow of water.
These deterrents in the stream remind me of how my soul can get clogged up. So much of the world’s happenings can hamper my focus on Jesus. He tells us that, when we come to Him, Rivers of Living Water (His Holy Spirit) will flow from within us. [1] When I focus on the debris, and not Jesus, the source of the River, my life gets clogged up and I become stagnant.
Four years ago, a young friend asked me to help him remain in the flow of God’s Holy Spirit. I was somewhat taken aback that he would ask me, but I agreed to walk with him and share what I’ve learned about abiding. In the years since, we’ve both learned so much about staying in Jesus’ flow within us. It’s amazing how our relationships with God can exponentially deepen when we share our struggles and insights with another.
Following are a few principles we’re turning into life rhythms.
Abiding in the Flow
Free the Debris
John Eldredge has produced a very useful tool called the One Minute Pause App. I’ve been using it to take vital steps toward remaining in the River of God. The app encourages us to free the debris in our souls by regularly giving everyone and everything to God.
This practice, called benevolent detachment, keeps the worldly distractions out of our hearts and gives us soul space.
This clearing out of the debris, which obscures the flow of God’s Spirit, refocuses our minds, will and emotions on Him and not the complexities and tragedies of life.
It’s amazing how regularly surrendering our wills, and trusting in God and His will, keeps our souls in peace and joy. Refocusing on God’s eternal purposes, above the fray of the day, keeps us hopeful, no matter what troubles we face.
Be Nourished by God’s Flowing River
Ezekiel, in the verses above, speaks of water flowing from the temple of God. He writes about many flourishing trees on both sides of the river. These waters bring nutrition to the trees as they provide fruit for food and leaves for healing.
This reminds me of what David wrote In Psalm 1. He compares men, who walk uprightly and delight themselves on God’s law, to be like trees planted by streams of water.
As we delight in God, and walk in His ways, His Holy Spirit nourishes our souls like nothing else. We were designed for God’s River to flow freely though us, filling us with His joy and love. His flow satiates our soul to complete satisfaction. As we delight in Him, luscious fruit is produced, healthy green leaves flourish and eternal prosperity marks our lives.
Abiding in the river of the flow of God’s Spirit directs us into His design for our lives. As this happens, God more and more becomes our Joy and Delight, the Sustainer of our Souls.
Be a Blessing
Since, while traveling in the flow of God’s Rivers of Living Water, love, joy and kindness are produced, we become a natural blessing to others, even if we don’t realize it. When we’re in the flow, the people around us sense something different. It’s Jesus in us, though they may not realize it.
Blessing others is a matter of obeying the new command Jesus gave us the night before He was crucified. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you (John 15:12 NASB).
These words summarizes all of Jesus’ commands. As we follow it, the flow of God’s Spirit is super charged.
Jesus tells us that as we love others as He’s loved us, we will dwell in His love and our joy will be filled to overflowing.[2]
I’m not big into video games, but I remember the Pac-Man power up. In fact, the way Pac-man was super charged when it ate the power pellets, became the formula for power-ups across gaming to this day. When Pac-Man ate the power pellets, it was super charged to take on all foes.
But Pac-Man’s power was short lived. When we lay aside our own agendas and follow Jesus, by sacrificially loving others, our own love and joy are continually powered up because it’s not ours, it’s His River flowing through us.
Ours job is simply to ask Jesus, “Who do You want to love through me next?”
Practice the Rhythm
Begin now. Get alone with God and clear out the debris which clogs up the flow of His Spirit in your life. Gain soul space. Have a conversation with God and:
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (I Peter 5:7 NIV).
Throughout the day, be nourished by God Himself. Enjoy Him and thank Him for all He has created around you. Be vigilant in ensuring that He alone is your Highest Delight.
Be a blessing. Develop a “love first” look at the day. Rather than focusing on what needs to be done, see your duties as opportunities to bring you to the folks God wants you to love.
Prayer
Lord, please keep me in the flow of the Living Waters of Your Indwelling Holy Spirit. You designed me to function at full capacity when I’m abiding in You. Show me quickly when the cares of this world have clogged Your flow. Please stop me when I try and do anything apart from You.
You alone are my Highest Joy. Please show me quickly if any idol supplants You in my heart. I want to love others as You’ve loved me, but I know this starts with my full knowledge of Your love for me. Show me quickly when I believe lies about Your love. Please direct me to disagree with all falsehoods and agree only with Your truth. I love You Lord. Amen.
[1] John 7:37-39
[2] John 15:11
Previous posts in our From Duty to Delight Series:
Please Check out the new Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child.
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
At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat.But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.”But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions,how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.But if you had known what this means, ‘I desirecompassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-8 NASB)
We’ve heard about it in parenting. Rules without relationship leads to rebellion. Life and joy flow from relational connection. Without it, the heart groans.
Story
In the south, we tend to all call ourselves Christian, without really knowing what it means. Growing up, I was no different. On Sunday mornings, my sister, brother and I would cut the volume way down on our 4 channel, rabbit ear bearing television. The plan was to stay quiet enough not to wake Mom. If we made it until Rocky and Bullwinkle came on, we were safe. There wouldn’t be enough time to get dressed and ready for church. Mom didn’t like to be late.
My dislike of church wasn’t helped by the fact that we lived very close to a fundamental Christian college. Some of the kids who lived there attended my elementary school. I judged them for the way they looked and acted. They dressed so prim and proper. And, because they didn’t join in our mischievous ideas of fun, they seemed stuffy and joyless. I felt judged by them. But looking back, I was the one who was doing the judging.
In my eyes, they were a “born again,” “holier than thou” brand of Christianity I wanted no part of. Besides, I “believed” in Jesus. I’d tried to live a good live. I hadn’t murdered anyone or robbed a bank. I figured my slot in heaven was secure, since my good deeds surely outweighed the bad. At least that was my thinking.
While in college, I became convinced that my pursuit of joy in earthly treasures would always leave me empty. My best friend talked to me about giving my life to Jesus. But I didn’t understand why Christ would accept me because of my party lifestyle. My friend said He would. He asked me if I took a shower before I took a bath. He said I didn’t need to clean my life up to come to Jesus.
This kind of grace seemed so foreign. Nevertheless, in 1977, I bent the knee and surrendered, best I knew how, to Jesus Christ as my Lord. I understood that at that point He took up resident in my heart by His Holy Spirit [1], but my life did not change for some time.
I believe my conversion to be genuine, but I really had no idea how to follow Jesus as His disciple. What I saw around me was much like the kids I’d avoided in elementary school; folks trying hard to follow rules they read about in the Bible. If we struggled, we read more scripture and kept striving. I’m sure most of us felt exhausted, but nobody let on.
In 1985, things began to change. Susan and Louis Sutton, a couple in our church, asked my wife and I to be a part of a fellowship group. For about three years, before they began their missionary work in Chad, we did life together with them. During that time, I began to understand how completely different Christianity is from how I was living it.
I’d let following the rules become the most important thing and I’d missed the relationship with Jesus.
Though it took years for the truth to become a heart reality, the Suttons showed us that Christianity, at it’s essence, is about a relationship with Jesus, not following rules. The other stuff, the loving, the holy living, the following Jesus, would flow out of my relationship with Him.
Putting the Cart Before the Horse
We’ve heard the saying putting the cart before the horse. Picture it a moment. The cart is first and the horse is behind it. How are we supposed to get anywhere? Does the horse push the cart?
As ridiculous as this sounds, putting following the rules before our relationship with Jesus is just as ridiculous. Though I knew the truth in my heart, my life long tendency to earn my value by what I did, translated into my Christian life. After all, I had to accomplish good grades to pass in school. I had to perform well in the tryouts to make the little league team. I had to pass the required skills in scouts to move to the next class, etc. Though I knew Jesus’ record of perfection and His substitution for me on the cross is what brought me into God’s Kingdom, I had a hard time truly believing my efforts did not secure my status with God.
This was my experience before we met the Suttons and my perspective began to change.
Rules can never pull the horse. The horse (our relationship with God, paid for by Jesus Christ) empowers our ability to follow Jesus as His disciples.
Righteousness is not because of anything we’ve done, but all because of Christ’s work on our behalf.
As we focus on our relationship with Jesus, not on keeping rules for Him, we begin to follow, out of love for Him, empowered by His Spirit.
Practice the Rhythm
Paul warned the Galatians about adopting a gospel of trying harder.
I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:6-7 NASB)
Galatians 2:21 speaks of how ridiculous it is to try and keep the law to earn our righteousness.
I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly (NASB).
Don’t move quickly past the meaning of this verse. Would we, by striving to follow the rules to earn our right standing, be so foolish? If we do, Christ died and suffered needlessly.
We must be vigilant in our thinking. Does reading the Bible, serving at church, talking about Jesus, make us any closer to God? It’s very subtle. We must keep seeking to live in the flow of the Rivers of Living Water, [2] not in the dry and dusty land of self effort. All our exhausting, self motivated rule keeping is worth nothing. [3]
Prayer
Lord, please show me quickly when I once again lead with rule following as opposed to allowing what I say and do to flow from my relationship with You. You’ve called me to fiercely love all the folks you’ve put in my life, no matter how they treat me. I can’t do that if I cut off the flow of Your love by trying to follow rules in my own strength. I resolve to wait for You, to yield to You and to allow You to love through me.
[1] Ephesians 1:13-14
[2] John 7:37-39
[3] John 15:5
Previous posts in our From Duty to Delight Series:
Subscribe below to have the posts delivered to your email. We publish weekly.
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
A few years ago a friend of mine shared a secret he’d learned during miles of cycling. “Don’t worry about the miles per hour,” Rick said. “It’s the cadence that matters. If you keep the cadence above 70 or 80, no matter how steep the hills, your miles per hour will take care of itself.”
What Rick told me turned out to be true. I had my bicycle computer set to always show me the Miles Per Hour. I would strain, sometimes in very hard gears, to maintain my speed even on monster hills. But eventually my legs would wear out.
However, when I changed the computer to show my cadence, I paid attention only to how many times I pedaled in a minute. If it was at least 70 times, shifting gears as needed to accommodate changes in the gradient, my miles per hour worked out better at the end of the ride. It’s the key to endurance cycling.
Note: In the above picture, Rick Velilla is the second biker on the right. He is now with the Lord.
The Cadence of Life
As I think about how watching my cadence led to cycling success, I wonder if there’s a similar focus for life. Is there a rhythm which can be maintained during the ups and downs of circumstances, that keeps me in God’s will, the same way Rick’s suggestion kept me steady on the inclines of the road?
I think of Matthew 22:37-40, where Jesus gives us a focus for our lives, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
These two summary commandments, focusing on Love, form a filter for me to run my words and deeds through,
But the kind of love Jesus is talking can’t originate with me.
I John 4:19: “We love because He first loved us.”
God’s love is the only true love. I can grind out a self serving type of love, straining at the pedals of life, but it’s not pure and it will wear out.
My cadence is to remain in Jesus’ love flowing through me, as Rivers of Living Water, [1] and to love others in the same way He’s loved me. [2] No matter what difficult hills I travel in life, my focus is to be on receiving His love and giving it away.
Receiving God’s Love to Give it Away
Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love.If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you (John 15:9-12 NASB).
As I look closer at the above verses, the steps of receiving God’s love and giving it away are clearly laid out.
Know His love. Remain in His love. Love other’s as He’s loved me.
First, I’m to Know how much Jesus loves me. Verse 9 says He loves me as much as God loves Him. The essence of this truth is beyond my understanding, yet Jesus tells me it’s true.
Lord, this truth is too amazing to fit in my head. Please open the eyes of my heart that I might begin to truly know the vast quality of Your love for me, which is beyond comprehension.
Then I’m to Remain in the Lord’s love for me. Verse 10 commands me to stay, tarry, abide in Jesus’ great love for me. Abiding is not striving. It’s remaining, not moving from where God originally placed me, in the love of Christ. [3] God did it. I need to rest in what He’s already done.
Lord, please keep me aware that staying in Your love is not something to attain, but something to rest in. When I’m tricked again into thinking I must perform to earn Your love, please calm my heart. May I continually remain and rest where You’ve placed me, in Your unending love.
And, from verses 10 an 12, I must learn the true cadence of receiving God’s love and giving it away, Loving others as He’s loved me. This quality of sacrificial love, demonstrated by Christ’s washing of the disciples feet [4], can only be repeated by me depending on Christ’s Holy Spirit within me. Apart from Him, I can do nothing [5], especially love others.
Lord, truly this is the great cadence of life, receiving Your love, and by Your Spirit, loving others as You’ve loved me. So often I offer a cheap imitation of my own kind of love. When I do this, please shut it down quickly. Loving with my love is only harmful and self serving. But, by allowing you to love through me, You are glorified and my life is filled with Your joy.
Complete Joy
Jesus tells says when I know His love, remain in it and love others as He has loved me, I will have His joy.
As we look at Jesus’ life, we see love tightly coupled with joy.
. . . Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the 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 Go (Hebrews 12:2b NASB).
It was His love for us, and the prize of our reconciliation with Him, which gave Jesus a joy, which fueled His endurance on the cross.
It’s this quality of joy which accompanies our receiving His love and giving it away, a joy which completes us.
Conclusion
There’s a command Jesus gave His disciples, after He washed their feet and before He endured the cross. He called it a new commandment and He gave it twice:
I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another.By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35 NASB).
This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you (John 15:9-12 NASB)
Resting in the love of Jesus, we, in turn, love others. The great cadence of life. Receiving His love and giving it away.
If this rhythm of love is locked into our minds, the result will be far better than if we focus on the circumstances of our lives.
Prayer
Lord, you’ve given me a new commandment which seems to sum up Your desires for me. By Your strength and guidance, I ask You to allow me to obey this as the foremost focus of my life. Please show me quickly when I deviate and lose the cadence of receiving Your love and giving it away.
Thank you, that in obeying Your new commandment, I remain in Your love and experience Your joy.
I love You Lord.
Amen.
Personal Study
The Daily L.O.V.E. Examen
In order to LOVE those close to me, I need to regularly examine my interactions with them. The LOVE Examen is a daily contemplation of my relationships and conversations to see if I need to seek reconciliation or forgiveness. This is how God grows my character.
Search me, God, and know my heart; Put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way (Psalm 139:23-24 NASB).
Listen Did I Listen attentively today to what was said and unspoken?
Open Was I open and vulnerable in my interactions with others today?
Value Did I value the thoughts & opinions of others in my conversations?
Examine “Lord, examine my heart for any way I didn’t love well today.”
Please Check out the new Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child with the gospel.
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
Much has been written about folks communing with God and walking with Him throughout the day.
Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him (Genesis 5:24 NASB).
These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God (Genesis 6:9 NASB).
He guides me in the paths of righteousness For the sake of His name. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me (Psalm 23:3b-4a NASB).
Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. You will guide me with Your plan, And afterward receive me to glory (Psalm 73:23-24 NASB).
God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (I Corinthians 1:9 NASB).
As amazing as it seems, having intimate fellowship with the Creator of the Universe is possible for us right now. As believers, Jesus Christ indwells us by His Holy Spirit. He is always with us, as close as breathe. But do we acknowledge Him as we go?
For me the answers is: sometimes. But I want to know Him more deeply and communicate with Him more consistently, not only in my set aside times alone with Him, but also throughout the day.
After all, our access to God has been paid for by the precious blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, for the purpose of us experiencing eternal life, even now. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3 NASB).
Knowing God. Walkingwith Him, having fellowship with Him, communing with Him is possible. Today. This moment.
But how?
Let’s look at a couple of rhythms for staying connected to God in true communion and fellowship.
Being Alone with Jesus
One way to take advantage of our direct pathway to God is to regularly set aside dedicated times of being alone with Him. These times, though they can also include reading God’s Words or songs of worship, can be considered times of prayer.
Unless we are simply going through the motions, which I sometimes do, true communication is happening during these times of being alone with Jesus.
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:6 ESV).
Jesus often had these times of pulling away to isolate with His Father God.
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed (Mark 1:35 NASB).
And when it was day, He departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought Him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them (Luke 4:42 NASB).
But He would withdraw to desolate places and pray (Luke 5:16 NASB).
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God (Luke 6:12 NASB).
The last verse tells us what Jesus did prior to selecting the twelve disciples.
Following are some suggested keys concerning our times alone with God which produce genuine communication.
Be as consistent with the time of day as possible. Mornings are good, but not necessary. If unexpected events occur, no worries. Take the time when it can be grabbed.
Treat the time alone with God as other scheduled meetings. Mark it off. Protect it. These are, by far, the most important meetings you have.
Have a regular format during these meetings, but allow the Holy Spirit to alter your plan. Suggested routines might include worship, times of silent listening (more on that later), consuming God’s word and responding to what God might be communicating to you.
Have a plan for reading God’s word, but be sure the amount doesn’t cause it to become dutiful. It’s not like homework, it’s delightful fellowship
Write down your worship, insights from God’s word and your response. A journal, dedicated to your times alone with God, works great for this.
Our entire time alone with God should be looked at as a time of communing prayer. If at times, your mind wonders into “get it done mode,” pause and reconnect into genuine fellowship.
Throughout the Day
Our communing with God doesn’t have to end when we leave our times of being alone with Him. God is always with us, even in the darkest of times. But we need to be intentional about recognizing His nearness. Some may call it practicing the presence of God, after the book of the same name by Brother Lawrence. He wrote about thinking often of God during the day and night, in our business and in our diversions. He called this art of practicing God’s presence a single act that never ends.
A cook by trade, Brother Lawrence considered his time communing with God while working in the kitchen of the same quality as when he was alone with God on his knees. He learned to cultivate the presence of God by joyfully thanking Him and praising Him as he went through the day.
One of my favorite verses about communicating with God as we go is: Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful (Colossians 4:2 NIV).
Digging deeper into this verse, “devote” means to adhere to, to be steadfastly attentive to, to give unremitting care about something.
So, as we go, even in the midst of the fray of the day, when unexpected brokenness and “interruptions” crowd in, we’re to stick with our continual commitment to communicating with God.
“Watchful” – be active, be aware, be alert for what God’s doing through and around us.
“Thankful” – have an attitude of gratitude, even for the hard things, knowing God, our Fullness of All Joy, is always with us.
Following are some suggestions for staying connected with God and practicing His presence throughout the day.
As you end your alone time with God, ask Him to keep you aware of Him as you tackle the challenges of the day. Talk with Him about the events on your schedule and invite Him into each activity.
If you’ve ever been on a long road trip or hike with a trusted companion, think about the “withness” you experienced. Words were not always spoken, but the extended time together gave you a deep sense of fellowship as you experienced the adventures along the way. Picture, in the dwelling Spirit of Jesus Christ, this same realization of continual “withness”.
As stressful challenges crop up during the day, see these as reminders that God is with you. Realize that whatever “brokenness” you face is not a surprise to your Father God. Talk with Him about it and depend upon Him more deeply in it.
When you are reminded again of God’s presence, after an extended time of focusing only on the endeavor at hand, don’t get discouraged. Simply thank God that you’re thinking of Him now and ask Him to keep you aware of Him now.
Don’t waste the down times. Unless you’ve packed your schedule to the brim, which I have a tendency to do, there will be times you find yourself alone with a bit of “free time”. A tendency is to fill this time with some noise or screen time. Instead, enjoy some silence with God. Love Him. Thank Him. Praise Him. Listen to Him.
Play the “I spy God” game. A number of years ago, Karen and David Mains, in there radio show Chapel of the Air, encouraged folks to go on God hunts throughout the day. Look for God in the beauties of His creation, in unusual “coincidences”, in unexpected encounters with folks. Thank God when you see Him and share the sightings with others.
As we practice these and other rhythms of communing with God, inertia will build and we will more and more experience continual fellowship with the One who loves us and gave Himself for us.
About Brother Lawrence it was written, “He often stated that it is God who paints Himself in the depths of our souls. We must merely open our hearts to receive Him and His loving presence.” [1]
Story:
A couple of years ago I was introduced to a small book on listening prayer entitled Chair Time , by Dan Sutherland. It’s based on what Ephesians 2:4-6 says about us being raised with Christ and seated with Him in heavenly places before the throne of God. The author asks us to picture a multitude of chairs around the throne of God and us seated in one of them. In this scenario, Sutherland asks, who would be doing the talking? Certainly not us.
He encourages a daily rhythm of picking the same chair, in the same place, at the same time, to sit and listen to God.
When we first sit down, Sutherland warns us that our minds will most likely be bombarded with all manner of distractions. His answer is to “spin off” each hampering thought. Perhaps use a “spin off” page to write things on and refer to them later.
When I practice “chair time” I have a journal and a black and blue pen.
The first phase, after “spin off” is called WOW. This is where we focus on being wowed by God’s magnitude and wonder. I usually use a Psalm to stoke the fires of my heart into praise. Using my black pen, I might write some genuine responses to who He is.
Next is NOW. This is when there’s a true acknowledgment of God presence with us right now. It’s believing He’s near, that Jesus, by His Holy Spirit indwells us and that our lives are hidden in Him.
I then write in black ink, “Do You want to say anything to me now?”
The blue ink is for what follows. Sometimes there’s silence, an enjoyment of just being with God. Other times, I get a sense of what He might be saying and I write it done in blue. I’m very careful during these time to be sure what I write down is not just what I want to hear.
An example was when I was listening to what He might be saying concerning the death of my sister. What I believe I heard was, “I am enough. No matter what, I am enough.“
Looking back over the blue ink in my last few journals, What I see is God’s truth from scripture, nothing new. But each time, it’s exactly what I needed to hear at the time.
These things I have spoken to you while remaining with you.But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you (John 14:26-27 NASB).
The last phase is HOW. How do I respond to what I believe God has said? For me, this is usually a prayer written in black ink.
Conclusion
We were designed to live in community with God. When sin separated us, Jesus’ blood brought us back. Our Lord is near. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17 NASB).
We can walk with God, praising Him, talking with Him, listening to Him, depending on Him as we go. Being with Him, savoring His nearness, loving with His love is our path to full joy, in spite of what we face.
Part of the formula for communing with God is time alone. Jesus modeled this for us on countless occasions. But also, when we’re in the midst of our days, our fellowship continues as we seek God’s will and His guidance. Being dedicated to our conversations with Him, we rest in His nearness, abide in His Spirit, listen to His promptings seek to glorify Him with every word and deed. We keep alert, looking to praise Him, thank Him and enjoy Him each moment.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB)
In all our ways, as we we go, we acknowledge the Lord is with us.
Prayer
Lord, right now I truly recognize You are here. I know it. Yet, sometimes I forget. Sometimes, even in my “quiet times,” I fail to truly acknowledge You. I read Your Word and talk to You, but in becomes an activity, not true fellowship.
I’m sorry, Lord.
In my day, I can get so caught up with the duties, I miss You. I can go large stretches of time not even thinking of You are thanking You for my breaths.
I’m sorry, Lord.
As I write, I sense Your forgiveness and Your desire for me to leave all that’s in the past behind. Right now I go forward with You. Keep me aware of You.
I love you Lord.
Amen.
Personal Study
Chair Time Pick a chair in a place you can have silence and solitude.
Spin Off – Give to the Lord all that crashes into your mind to distract you from quiet.
WOW – Be amazed at who God is and praise His name.
NOW – Recognize God nearness right this moment.
Try and spend at least 15 minutes listening for what God may be saying to you. The recommendation is to write down what you hear. Don’t be discouraged if you hear nothing the first time. Try again.
Follow it up with:
HOW – Determine how to respond to what you’ve heard.
[1] From Goodreads description of The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/498641.The_Practice_of_the_Presence_of_God
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Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.
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