Tag Archives: Delight in God

Connecting Love and Joy

(The Everlasting Way) Mice in the Sock Drawer

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I remember a tough day in the early nineties when our kids were small. My wife had just found a nest of mice in her sock drawer. We had a broken dryer. I had some high-priority work issues, along with the normal challenges of parenting four children.

After eliminating the mice, I was hanging up our wet towels and blue jeans on the clothesline, trying to plan how to fix all the brokenness.

Then it hit me,  like an apple plopping on Isaac Newton’s head. 

The temporal nature of the issues with the mice, the dryer, and my work problems were less important than how my wife and I weathered the stress these difficulties had on our relationship.

She was in acute anxiety over finding rodents in our room. She should be my focus, not trying to fix things.

Our relationship, and how I loved her through the difficulties, was much more important than solving the problems. 

When I finished hanging up the clothes, I sat down to unpack what seemed to be a huge paradigm shift in my thinking.

Shouldn’t relationships and loving be my focus?

I think ladies think more this way than we men. 

Perhaps the duties and the problems were more like opportunities to love and not the main thing.

I remembered Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees, as found in Matthew 22:36-40: “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”  

Then I thought of the Ten Commandments and how they are all about loving God and loving others.

Since then, though I’ve forgotten the focus for sizeable chunks of time, I’ve been intentional about trying to have a love-first mindset.

I will testify that when this focus is operating as it should, I have unexplainable joy, like Jesus.

The Joy of Jesus

But of the Son He says,

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness above Your companions” (Hebrew 1:8-9).

God anointed Jesus with the oil of gladness (exultation and extreme joy). 

As we grow in our knowledge of God being our Highest Joy, we see how Jesus’ glad heart strengthened Him and gave Him courage. And we see how we’re fueled by the nearness of Jesus and His joy.

What can we learn about His Joy and how it flows from how we love?

The Joy of Relationships

Relating – a connection between.

Out of the depths of love within the Trinity, man was created and given the breath of life. God created us for fellowship and relationship. And as amazing as it seems, God delights in our connection with Him.

In fact, Zephaniah writes that our connection with Him causes the Lord to rejoice with shouts of joy. [1] We actually bring joy to God.

This helps bring clarity to the following verses in Hebrews: 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, 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)

Knowing His death on our behalf would re-establish our broken relationships with God because of our sins, gave Jesus joy which fueled His endurance on the cross. 

Consider Jesus’ words to His disciples the night before He went to the cross: 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. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you  (John 15:10-12)

His command – love others as He’s loved us.

The outcome – we’ll remain in His Love and experience His complete Joy.

It may seem strange from an earthly perspective, but experiencing the complete Joy of Jesus has everything to do with our sacrificial love.

Love and Joy closely connect. They appear together at the beginning of Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit. [2]

True, lasting joy doesn’t spring from earthly happenings, but from the depth of love in our relationships.

Prayer

Lord, You’ve awakened me to the tight connection between love and joy. Thank You.

Please stop me quickly when I forget and try once again to derive my feelings of being okay from my circumstances.

Please keep my heart in a love-first mode, realizing all along that any loving I do must come from You. I pray the people I love would recognize You in every word and deed directed by You.

Amen.

Reflection

Joy marked Jesus’ life. 

As mentioned in the verses above, Jesus gave His disciples the secret to staying in His great Love and experiencing His complete Joy – loving others as He’s loved us – sacrificially. 

Paul also experienced the joy of sacrificial love. He equated joy with being poured out like a drink offering. 

But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me (Philippians 2:17-18). 

Paul called the people of Thessalonica his glory and joy: For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? For you are our glory and joy (I Thessalonians 2:19-20).

He also commands us to be full of joy in our worship of the Lord.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4).

Joy, which satisfies our longing hearts, doesn’t come from fighting for ourselves. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Our joy comes directly from how we love.

[1] Zephaniah 3:17

[2] Galatians 5:22-23

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all referenced Scripture is from the NASB 1995 version of the Bible. The cover picture was generated by AI.

Other posts in our Everlasting Way Series:

Learning How to Overcome Emotional Numbness

Embracing God’s Amazing Love

Are we More Like Batman or Spider-Man

Transforming Awareness: The Power of God’s Love

Minding Your Busyness

Our Deepest Longings Filled

Rules Don’t Rule

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

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

 

Robby Buck

Nonfiction books by the Author:

This collection of devotionals chronicles a heartfelt journey from a life of striving and self-reliance to one of growing surrender and trust in God.

Through personal stories of family struggles, cancer, grief, and unexpected trials, the devotions show that true, unshakeable joy comes not from perfect circumstances, but from the constant, loving presence of Jesus Christ.

It’s an invitation to learn to let go of our burdens and find growing peace in God’s greater story.

Finding Joy in Life’s Moments

Because joy is rooted in God and is eternal, it doesn’t ebb and flow with the waves of circumstances. In fact, as we grow in our understanding of joy, we can even experience it more acutely when life is hard. Why? Because God uses trials to conform us into the image of Christ. With this awareness, which gives us glimpses of God’s greater purposes, we rejoice because of His masterful work to free us from needing anything but Him.

For these reasons, and many others, joy in the Lord is commanded in scripture. It’s not just a good idea, it’s vital to our journey as human beings. Rhythms of Joy

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 an old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowingly set off a series of events which uncovers a plot to wipe out a whole family. Hope Remains

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

Eternal Gladness, God our Joy

(The Everlasting Way) Our Deepest Longings Filled

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‘Uncle!’

Disillusioned, hopes crushed, my fragile world was crumbling around me. What I thought would bring lasting happiness left me disheartened, disappointed and empty. I wasn’t suicidal, but I felt like giving up. In fact, if I’d known where to go to ‘cry uncle,’ [1] I would have.

This describes several “low” points in my life. Maybe you’ve felt this way before.

I see now how I’d set my affections on God’s benefits rather than on God himself. Sometimes I still do.

I feel miserable during these times. But looking back, I see these very hard times as severe mercies, [2] each playing a part in further dislodging a destructive, disillusioning lie – Circumstantial happiness can bring lasting joy 

Our God Shaped Void

In the 1600s, Bliase Pascal wrote that only an infinite, immutable object can fill man’s cravings for true happiness.

His point was that man tries in vain to fill this need for lasting satisfaction with everything around him, when in fact only God Himself can give us what we so passionately desire. What Pascal was describing came to be known as our God-shaped void. [3]

Solomon, known as the wisest man who ever lived, concluded that God has set eternity in the hearts of men. [4]

Deep within every human lies an unquenchable longing for someone eternal: God Himself.

Some have the means to try filling this void with all manner of worldly ‘pleasantries.’ However, when the temporal luster wears off, emptiness returns.

When the temporal happiness of each ‘conquest’ fades, folks set their sights on something more. But the story repeats itself, and despair grows.

Someone asked John D. Rockefeller, “How much money is enough?” He replied, “Just a little bit more.”

Others with fewer resources might hope their whole lives for riches or fame. However, never achieving them, they die chasing a dream which would have never satisfied them anyway.

Unless awakened, we keep on searching and endlessly hoping the next big thing will finally satisfy our longing souls.

Awakened

God told Abram what we need to know right this moment.

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

GOD HIMSELF is our GREAT REWARD. He fills the eternal void in our souls.

God Himself is the only one who can give us the deep JOY our hearts long for.

David discovered that the pinnacle of JOY is found only in being with God.

In Your presence is fullness of joy; (Psalm 16:11b).

The Joy of God exudes from every sunset, every flower, every breath.

I’m to draw near to God and His creation and stop trying to make happiness happen. I’m to take time to celebrate each moment God gives me.

After all, as a believer in Jesus Christ, I’m indwelt by His Holy Spirit. His creation is all around me and He is in me.

Consider what Jesus said:

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).

As His disciples, we need not hunger or thirst. He Himself is the eternal bread that deeply satisfies our souls.

Freshly baked bread.

If any man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water’ (John 7:37b-38).

The Holy Spirit within us refreshes our weary, thirsty souls with rivers of living water.

Cool, crisp Living Water as from a mountain stream.

Prayer

Lord, I’m sorry for all I’ve chased after to try to satisfy the deep longings of my heart. Satisfaction can’t come from success because I’ve failed. It can’t come from pleasure because it quickly fades. It can’t come from people because they disappoint. It can’t come from trying to live a good life because I can’t.

You’ve given me so many things to enjoy: sunsets, puppies, flowers, ocean breezes, people I love, tea olives, chocolate, coffee, beaches and mountain streams. You are the Creator of it all. You alone are my Highest Joy. Only with You are other pleasures fully enjoyed.

Apart from You, other pleasures can become addictions and idols. But with You, all moment by moment pleasures can erupt into praise for who You are and all You’ve provided for me to enjoy.

I delight in You, Lord, above all else. Please guard my heart.

Amen

Reflections

Even though I’m increasingly aware that God Himself is my source of eternal Joy, I sometimes forget and join the world in seeking my fulfillment from what God has created and not in God Himself.

What I’ve realized is that we have to know there are forces at work to hide the fact that God Himself is our Highest Joy.

The world, enforced by Satan’s lies, can keep us pursuing fleeting pleasures even though we know how empty they are.

It is a moment-by-moment battle to think true thoughts and to keep our hearts centered on God for our fulfillment.

Paul warns us of what is going on behind the scenes to try to keep us from the knowledge of God. But he also reassures us that we have powerful weapons at our disposal to fight and destroy the lies of the enemy.

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

In speaking and dwelling on God’s truth our weapons are divinely powerful to destroy the strongholds of the enemy designed to hide the knowledge of God from us. Our job is to disagree with the lies and not allow them to be a part of us by agreeing with them.

For example, a lie might be that this or that ungodly act will bring the lasting fulfillment we so desperately need. And even though we know from experience that this lie is not true, our enemies’ ways are cunning and luring. We have a fight on our hands.

We must capture and unmask lies like these, thought by thought, to reveal them for the hideous deceptions that they are. Only in Jesus Christ will we find the lasting satisfaction, fulfillment and the joy we were created to experience.

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

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all referenced Scripture is from the NASB 1995 version of the Bible. The featured picture was generated by AI.

Continue reading (The Everlasting Way) Our Deepest Longings Filled →

God of all Comfort

(The Everlasting Way) Learning to Overcome Emotional Numbness.

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Guarded Heart

I first saw my father drunk when my mother wasn’t at home. At ten years old, I was the eldest of three children. My mom and sister were out shopping, and I was with my younger brother.

It was a Sunday, and I was watching a football game on TV. I wasn’t really paying attention to my dad when he came home and sat in his favorite chair beside me.

I found out later he’d been drinking with his friend Charlie.

The Packers were playing, which was Dad’s favorite team. When they scored a touchdown, I assumed he’d be happy, and I wanted to celebrate with him. I pointed out the touchdown, but to my horror, he blurted out something unintelligible.

It was the first time I’d seen anyone drunk, and I remember all the details to this day, fifty-nine years later. 😒

He made his way to the living room, and when he stooped to pet our cat he fell down. I didn’t know what to do. Eventually, he made his way to the hall and bounced between the walls to his bedroom.

There were no cell phones in those days, so I just had to wait.

After a short while, I heard laughing coming from the bedroom. Dad was tickling my little brother. He was too young to realize what was going on.

I vividly remember how relieved I was when my mother and sister came home. I yelled out, “Dad’s drunk,” but I didn’t cry. I couldn’t process the emotions. I felt numb.

A few years, later Dad’s drinking would cost him his job, his marriage, and almost his life.

All my life, I’ve struggled with hard emotions. I really don’t know what to do with them. I have a tendency to process difficulties mentally, but my heart often feels disengaged.

Since that moment so many years ago, my father, my mother, and my sister have passed away. As sad as these loses are, I’ve not been able to shed but a trickle of tears.

Just Feel it

I once told a trusted counselor that I wasn’t sure what to do with some feelings I was having concerning our estranged child.

“What do you mean you don’t know what to do with the feelings?” she asked forcefully. “You need to feel them!”

This was painfully obvious to her but I didn’t know how.

She went onto tell me that the armor which had guarded my heart as a child served me well at the time, as I navigated Dad’s drinking and my parents’ divorce, but I’d outgrown it now.

She told me I needed to learn how to explore and process my emotions. She gave me some tips on how to do this, using different crayon colors to represent feelings, and describing what I was feeling in my journal.

This helped, but I gave the process up too soon. Much work remained.

The Bible says I’m to, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” [1]

How can I weep with those who weep if I can’t weep myself?

Crying is not something you can fake. The tears well up or they don’t.

Though I’ve had plenty of opportunities to be sad, I don’t weep well.

God of all Comfort

Some key verses the Lord has been using to begin to dislodge the clogged feelings in my heart are:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.   (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 NASB).

I love the word translated as “comfort.” In the Greek it means to summons, to call near, to provide consolation.

As I call God near to my hidden emotions, I’m beginning to experience some softening in the crusted over parts of my heart. His Rivers of Living Water [2] are awakening the deadened sinews and allowing me to feel more alive.

I have a long way to go, but I know God’s at work.

In a recent journal entry, this is what I sense God was saying to me concerning my emotional pain:

Don’t deny the sadness and disappointments in your life. Keep bringing it all to me. The old ones, the new ones. There’s hurt, but like light and salt heal physical wounds, there’s freedom and healing when you call Me near. I’m the God of all comfort. I want to bind every crevice of your broken heart with the Joy of My presence. To the extent you allow My Oil of Gladness in to soften and soothe your pain, true compassion will grow. And as the more hidden places in your heart are brought to My Life and Light, the more you’ll experience the Joy of us being together.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for showing me how important it is to call You near in my sadness and disappointments. Thank you for showing me that denying my deep emotional pain is not what You intend. Some of these losses are extremely hard. My heart and eyes begin to sting when I embrace the magnitude of hurt and loss.

But You are my Life. These feelings are not a surprise to You, Jesus. Isaiah described You as a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. [3] You know my innermost parts. You knit me together. [4]

You love me deeply. Please keep me from ever doubting Your love for me because of circumstances I face.

I love You, Lord.

Amen.

Reflections

It’s been a while since my counselor encouraged me to work on identifying and writing about my feelings.  I started off strong but didn’t persevere.

Since then, I’ve been introduced to a feeling wheel of color with different nuances of “Happy” “Surprise,” “Fear,” “Anger,” “Disgust,” and “Sad.”

This is going to replace the crayons as I pick back up on identifying and expressing my feelings.

With colored pens, representing feelings, I recently journaled the following emotions concerning a new event in a long-time sadness, which seems to only get worse:

I won’t go into the details from my journal, but the feelings wheel helped me identify that I felt: Victimized, Violated, Irritated, Provoked, Disrespected, and Shocked.

I imagine most opportunities to feel wouldn’t require so many emotions to unpack, but this was a deep, unexpected wound.  The process really helped.

I expect this renewed vigor to both identify and process my feelings will continue to lead me to a deeper awareness of God’s everlasting, non-changing love for me in spite of what happens next.

I want to soak often in God’s everlasting, unchanging love for me. The Lord appeared to him long ago, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you out with kindness (Jeremiah 31:3 NASB).

What I’ve just written is not meant to be a knock on my dad. It’s about my own battle with stuffing hard emotions and learning how to feel again.

My father came to saving faith in Jesus Christ later in life. Though he struggled with his alcoholism even after his conversion, his eventual total dependence upon the Lord with his drinking problem led to sober living the last fifteen years of his life. Dad’s story.

[1] Romans 12:15

[2] John 7:37-39

[3] Isaiah 53:3

[4] Psalm 139:13

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

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

 

Robby Buck

Nonfiction books by the Author:

This collection of devotionals chronicles a heartfelt journey from a life of striving and self-reliance to one of growing surrender and trust in God.

Through personal stories of family struggles, cancer, grief, and unexpected trials, the devotions show that true, unshakeable joy comes not from perfect circumstances, but from the constant, loving presence of Jesus Christ.

It’s an invitation to learn to let go of our burdens and find growing peace in God’s greater story.

Finding Joy in Life’s Moments

Because joy is rooted in God and is eternal, it doesn’t ebb and flow with the waves of circumstances. In fact, as we grow in our understanding of joy, we can even experience it more acutely when life is hard. Why? Because God uses trials to conform us into the image of Christ. With this awareness, which gives us glimpses of God’s greater purposes, we rejoice because of His masterful work to free us from needing anything but Him.

For these reasons, and many others, joy in the Lord is commanded in scripture. It’s not just a good idea, it’s vital to our journey as human beings. Rhythms of Joy

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 an old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowingly set off a series of events which uncovers a plot to wipe out a whole family. Hope Remains

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

 

Strengthening our Faith, When God seems Distant

(In the Moments) Mustering Our Faith

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I have a friend who’s gone through a hard year. He’s a believer, but a key relationship in his life dealt him a devastating blow. Heart wrenching betrayal and rejection have left him feeling weak and vulnerable. He admitted that his circumstances have caused him to doubt God’s love for him, and even to wonder if He even exists at all.

These kinds of life altering events can render us feeling so sad, we’re hardly able to function. They can include losses of jobs, material possessions, and relationships. Or medical diagnoses which radically change the course of our lives.

How do we muster our faith in times like these?

Mustering Our Faith  

Muster–to assemble troops as for a battle, to gather, to summon, to rouse

Regularly, we have repeated opportunities to gather and summon our faith. Like working out in the gym, rousing our trust, when things aren’t smooth, builds muscle memory and strengthens our faith.

How do we muster our faith when we feel weak and God seems distant? Following are a few musts.

We Must Remember God’s Sovereignty

God is always in control. Nothing can thwart His purposes. He’s able to work all things together for His greater purposes. [1] Even the very hard situations we face are no surprise to God. His power transcends human sin, worldly corruption, and evil designs.

Joseph told his brothers that they had intended him harm, but God had used it for good, saving many lives. [2]

God used Jonah’s disobedience to elicit praise from the folks on the ship to Tarshish. [3]

The Jewish leaders’ evil plan to kill Jesus resulted in the salvation of humanity.

God has entrusted us with each circumstance we’re in and desires us to trust Him and not lean on our own understanding. [4]

We Must Orient Our Lives from God’s Greater Story

Paul tells believers that since Christ raised us up, we should set our minds on things above, not on earthly things. [5]

An eternal perspective reveals God working for our ultimate benefit. He’s working all things to conform us into the image of Christ, not for us to experience a smooth ride. [6] It’s vital for us to understand this. If not, we can view God as a distant dictator, out to destroy our hopes and dreams.

We need to live now with the end in mind. This life centers on emulating Christ, not mere temporary happiness. For we died and our lives are now hidden in Christ. [7]

We Must Realize Being with God is Our Highest Joy

The Bible has an overarching theme, woven into the fabric from Genesis to Revelation. God with us.

David confidently stated that the shadow of death could not make him afraid, as he believed in the presence of God with him. [8] He also wrote that in God’s presence, joy is full. [9]

 After crying out to God concerning the unfairness of life, Asaph concluded that God’s nearness was his good, not his lot in life. [10]

While imprisoned in Rome, Paul urged us to rejoice in the Lord. Not just when we feel like it, but always. [11]

We Must Remember God’s Love for us Never Fails

No matter how often we fall short in actions and faith, God’s love for us never fails, it’s everlasting. [12] His lovingkindness never ceases. His mercies are new every morning. [13]

 Before creation, God established us as His children. Nothing can separate us from His great love. We can describe His love for us as deeper, wider, longer than an ocean, and higher than the heavens. It surpasses our ability to comprehend. [16]

Challenge

What current challenges make you doubt God’s love or even His existence?

Talk to God about these things. That’s what David and other Psalmists did. If you journal, write them out. If not, talk to God about these things out loud. He wants us to bring our cares to Him. 

The ‘musts’ above are not exhaustive, but they may help you muster your faith. Try them. 

Prayer

Lord, we come to You now. You know the place we’re in. You’re not surprised by any of it. You’re with us and have allowed all things for our greater good. Help us not to doubt Your ways. May we draw near to You and walk in utter dependence upon You. You never intended us to face these things alone. We depend upon Your strength in our weakness. Amen.

And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2nd Corinthians 12:9-10 NASB)

Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10 NASB).

[1] Ephesians 1:9-12

[2] Genesis 50:20 (NASB)

[3] Jonah 1:14-16

[4] Proverbs 3:5-6

[5] Colossians 3:1-2

[6] Romans 8:28-29

[7] Colossians 3:3

[8] Psalm 23:4

[9] Psalm 16:11b

[10] Psalm 73, 73:28

[11] Philippians 3:1, 4:4

[12] Jeremiah 31:3

[13] Lamentations 3:22-23

[14] Ephesians 1:4-5

[15] Romans 8:35

[16] Ephesians 3:14-19

Other posts in our series In the Moments:

As Sea Gulls Fly

It is Finished

Behold the Moments

Tranquility

Stop Striving

Simplicity In Christ

What is Good

Yet Will I Rejoice

Sorrowful, Yet Always Rejoicing

Exploring Grace and Joy together

Stay Present My Friends

Quiddity. It Could Change Your Life

The Cake Maker’s Blunder

God at Work (No Trespassing)

Hidden with Christ in God

Finding Joy in Love and Relationships

Escaping the Rat Race

When I don’t Feel God’s Loving Kindness

Experiencing Completeness in Christ

Overcoming Pain Through Faith

Recalibrating Our Hearts

The Joy of Waiting

On the Fifth Day God Created Dog

When Things get Really Hard

A No Lose Situation, Even with Cancer

Hey Pop

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

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

 

Robby Buck

Nonfiction books by the Author:

Because joy is rooted in God and is eternal, it doesn’t ebb and flow with the waves of circumstances. In fact, as we grow in our understanding of joy, we can even experience it more acutely when life is hard. Why? Because God uses trials to conform us into the image of Christ. With this awareness, which gives us glimpses of God’s greater purposes, we rejoice because of His masterful work to free us from needing anything but Him.

For these reasons, and many others, joy in the Lord is commanded in scripture. It’s not just a good idea, it’s vital to our journey as human beings. Rhythms of Joy

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 an 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

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

The Joy of Love

(In the Moments) A Connection Between Love and Joy

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Photo generated using AI.

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 the house he lived in with my grandmother, Nene.

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 began 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 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 brimmed hat and plaid shirt, leaning in to keep the tractor balanced on the hills. He was like a father to me.

Remembering Pop that day, I felt what I must call joy. It was deeper than happiness and more than just a feeling. Briefly, the difficulties of balancing leading a young family, with four children, and a stressful IT job appeared insignificant. My joy became an eternal, larger-than-life experience.

Looking back, I recognize part of the sweetness 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.

My encounters with 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 in Psalm 16:11 (NASB) “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

When David was with God, soaking in His presence, he experienced fullness of joy. 

David’s loving worship dripped 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)

And David’s continual posture of loving God brought joy to his heart and gave him courage, especially 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).

Our love of God, which extends to others, fills our hearts with joy. 

The Joy of Jesus

Jesus showed the interwoven connection with loving and joy in His life.

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)

He 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. [1]

And concerning Jesus’s 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, 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)

The Challenge

Check your heart. At this moment, circumstances may be pleasant, or you may face hard trials. Are you encouraged or discouraged? Do you have courage or not? Courage, fueled by a joyful heart, is what we need each day. 

Where do we find joy? It’s very easy to seek it from the world’s commodities: fortunate circumstances, pleasantries, and fleeting affections that promise much but produce nothing but pain.

Do we depend on the happenings of life to keep our hearts glad? Certainly, there is much in this life to enjoy, but genuine joy, the kind that yields lasting strength and courage, comes from loving God first and then loving others as He’s loved us.

When this occurs, we taste the freedom God desires for each of us, freedom to love and truly enjoy what He’s given us.  

Jesus said, “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).

In these verses the requirement to love for us to experience joy cannot be clearer. 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. You have repeatedly directed me to love. This redirects my heart to You, my fullness of joy.

May I continually yearn to praise, thank, and love You each day. 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.

I love You, Lord.

Amen.

“Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10b NASB).

[1] John 15:9-12

Other posts in our series In the Moments:

As Sea Gulls Fly

It is Finished

Behold the Moments

Tranquility

Stop Striving

Simplicity In Christ

What is Good

Yet Will I Rejoice

Sorrowful, Yet Always Rejoicing

Exploring Grace and Joy together

Stay Present My Friends

Quiddity. It Could Change Your Life

The Cake Maker’s Blunder

God at Work (No Trespassing)

Hidden with Christ in God

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

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

 

Robby Buck

Nonfiction books by the Author:

Because joy is rooted in God and is eternal, it doesn’t ebb and flow with the waves of circumstances. In fact, as we grow in our understanding of joy, we can even experience it more acutely when life is hard. Why? Because God uses trials to conform us into the image of Christ. With this awareness, which gives us glimpses of God’s greater purposes, we rejoice because of His masterful work to free us from needing anything but Him.

For these reasons, and many others, joy in the Lord is commanded in scripture. It’s not just a good idea, it’s vital to our journey as human beings. Rhythms of Joy

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 an 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

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

Eternal Thanksgiving, From Whom All Blessings Flow, To Be Thankful Always

Thanksgiving Never Ends.

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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.

Amen.

For Further Reading 

The Connection Between Gratitude and Joy

Enjoying Unhindered Intimacy with God

Communing With God

Completely Loved

Why is Knowing God’s love Essential?

The Connection between Love and Joy

What Threatens us knowing God’s Love?

Experiencing the Freedom of God’s Love

God’s Love in a Broken World

Being Loved by God is our True Identity

Subscribe below to have the posts delivered to your email. We publish weekly. At least that’s the plan. (8^>

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

The connection between Thanksgiving and Joy

Gratitude, Key to a Life of Joy

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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

The Joy of Communing with Creator God

Enjoying Unhindered Intimacy with God

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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

The Joy of Love

The Love, Joy Connection (Republished in the Moments)

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A Story

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.

I love You Lord.

Amen.

[1] Psalm 16:11

[2] John 15:9-12

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

Abiding, Releasing the Debris

Discipleship Rhythms: In the Flow of God’s Spirit

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Remaining in the Flow of God’s Spirit 

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:

Discipleship Rhythms: From Duty to Delight

Discipleship Rhythms: Rules don’t Rule Us

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