Holiday stress is real, just Google the term. Most of us are adding additional spending, shopping, decorating, cleaning and traveling to lives which already lack the margin.
Add over eating, under exercising and family dysfunctions and you understand the following exchange in the movie “Christmas Vacation.”
To his father, Clark Griswold asks, “How did you get through it?”
“I had a lot of help from Jack Daniels,” his dad replied.
Compare Grandpa Griswold’s response to that of the magi when they saw the star above where the baby Jesus lay.
And when they saw the star they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. Matthew 2:10
Debilitating stress, numbed with alcohol compared with having great joy?
We’ve gotten way off track.
The wise men’s joy was a reaction to the coming of Emmanuel – God with us. They got it. God coming to earth in human form is a reason to rejoice exceedingly with great joy.
“In your presence is fullness of joy.” Psalm 16:11b
If we want to experience true joy in a society fighting to keep Christ out of Christmas, we must fight to keep Christ in the center of every aspect of our lives.
The Magi’s joy preceded the timeless sacrifice Jesus would make for the sins of men.
Jesus said, “Truly, truly I say to you, he who hears My words, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” John 5:34
The word “believe” above means to commit to, trust in and rely upon.
If you have believed in Jesus in this way, the following facts are true about you:
You’re not an orphan, but are a true child of God
You’ve been given an inheritance which includes the Indwelling Holy Spirit and an Eternal home
You’ve been made into a new creations, freed from the penalty of the law
You’ve been given supernatural peace, hope and joy which transcends all earthly circumstances
Your purpose is now clear. You’re to love others as Christ has loved you
You don’t need anything other than passionately loving Jesus to give you the same joy the magi experienced
Pause
Don’t rush past these glorious facts. The tremendous significance of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf is a reason for even greater joy than the wise men experienced.
No matter how stressed we feel in this busy season, we must fight to find our joy in Jesus and what he’s done for us.
No matter how disappointed we feel when expectations aren’t met, we must fight to remember the significance of God coming to earth as a man to die a death in our place and to grant us lasting peace.
No matter what devastating circumstance we may face, we must fight to guard our hearts and bring our pain to Jesus, asking him to lighten us with the joy of His presence.
And no matter how magical the season becomes with family and gifts and celebration, we must fight to keep Jesus in the center of our affections.
No matter how society tries to take Christ out of Christmas, we must never forget the significance of Emmanuel. The calendars we use are based on His coming.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are our true Joy. This world is filled with grief and loss, but You’re always the answer. I’m sorry for when I’ve allowed other ‘joys’ to compete with You in the deep affections of my heart. Please help me guard my heart. Show me quickly when I care too much about the world around me that I forget about You.
And when pain threatens to steal my joy, keep me delighting in You all the day.
Thank You that if I had nothing on earth but Your love and the hope of my eternal home with You, these facts alone would be reasons for exceeding great joy.
We celebrate You.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4
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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
God has given me such a joy and delight in diving deeply into His words. I write to clarify my thinking and understanding, but also to share and to encourage others, both those who confess Christ and those yet to become His disciple. Glenn Livingston (Guest Blogger)
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me (Psalm 23:4a).
In previous seasons of my life the shadow of death seemed like a remote idea. But now, being over 80, I’m sensing the continuing erosion, loss of my physical vitality and abilities to deal with life. More and more it’s as if my demise, my death is looming over me as an increasingly, uncomfortable shadow. This has caused me to pursue developing a Biblical perspective regarding aging and death.
I find the Lord has given us great encouragement for dealing with living in the shadow of death as it relates to aging. It’s not to be feared. Is it not a natural process ungoverned by God? This season of life, with its attending suffering, is not without purpose.
In a general way, God seeks to use the problems of our aging to sharpen our focus on the transcendent [1] realities surrounding our existence.
And for those who are disciples of Jesus, to further develop our spirituality. The way we deal with the difficulties of life, and our infirmities, stimulates others in their faith and trust in God. [2]
What Does God say about our Impending Death?
OUR PHYSICAL BODIES function as temporary intermediaries between us as persons, our inner self (our souls) and the physical world. 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 speaks of our present physical body as a tent that isour earthly home, something temporary and of limited duration.
OUR AGING involves losing our physical abilities to function in this physical world. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 speaks of this as…our outer self is wasting away… This is but our souls being prepared to depart from our physical bodies and be able to put on our heavenly dwelling2 Corinthians 5:2. (More on this below)
The circumstances of our aging are governed by the Lord. He uses it all to reveal how weak and fragile we are. This causes us to think less and less of this present life and more on present and future transcendent realities.
OUR PHYSICAL DEATH is not the end of our existence. 2 Peter 1:13-14 The apostle Peter speaks of death as but putting off our physical body ( this earthly tent), not the end of our personhood.
Jesus said; I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me though he die, yet shall he live (John 11:25).
Jesus told the criminal who confessed faith in Him even as he was being crucified; Today you will be with me in paradise. This man’s physical death on the cross would not be the end of his existence. [3]
Moses writes of Rachael’s physical death. As her soul was departing for she was dying …i.e. her soul was departing her physical body. [4]
In our physical death we only lose the limitations and vulnerabilities we possess through our physical fleshly bodies.
OUR ETERNAL FUTURE involves our receiving a spiritual body which we see manifested in Jesus’ post resurrection appearances. Examples John 20 and 21. Romans 6:5 …we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.
Jesus’ resurrected body is a prototype for ours. Through Adam we received our natural physical bodies and through the last Adam (Jesus) we receive our spiritual bodies. [5]
The apostle Paul writes…the Lord Jesus Christ who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body…(our physical body vs a spiritual body with an enhanced capacity to know and enjoy and love God) [6]
We will be further clothed so that what is mortal – subject to death is swallowed up by life…by what is immortal, not subject to death. [7]
Then we will in no way be restrained (limited) in the manner imposed on us by our present physical bodies. See 1 Corinthians 15:44-49 (frailties, sicknesses and death)
we groan…as we await this future reality, the redemption of our body. [8]
Fear No Evil
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me (Psalm 23:4a).
Back to Psalm 23, WHY NO FEAR?
BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE AND ACTIVITY OF GOD, OUR SHEPHERD.
Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:6)
WHY DO I HAVE SUCH CERTAINTY REGARDING MY FUTURE ?
Because God has given us His words that, by His grace, He has given the opportunity to have the eternal, personal experience of knowing Him; a relationship with God.
FOR I KNOW YOU ARE THE GOD; WHO has REVEALED HIMSELF to me in Jesus.
Luke 10:22…no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.
For God who said let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).
WHO has REDEEMNED me in Jesus’ death on the cross.
For there is One God and there is One mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus (1Timothy 2:5).
Who gave Himself as a ransom for all…who would receive Him (John 1:12).
In Him we have redemption thru His blood (Ephesians 1:7) .
He who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will raise us…into His presence (2 Corinthians 4:14) .
WHO has given the SPIRIT OF JESUS to reside within me, guiding and empowering me into living a qualitatively different life than I would have ever known, even as I experience aging. [9]
When the fulness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who are under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons, and because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts… (Galatians 4:4-6).
When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all Truth (John 16:13).
Galatians 5:22-23 ..and the fruit of the Spirit is…the believers inner transformation is the evidence of the Spirit of Jesus’ presence and activity.
I identify with the Apostle Paul who wrote in Philippians 1:21-23; For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, that is far better. (i.e. the best is yet to come). But to remain in the flesh is necessary… for God is not through working in my life and using me in the lives of others.
And in another place God’s word says; But as it is written, What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him(I Corinthians 2:9).
Bottom Line Biblical Perspective For My Live
I treat my death and moving towards it as but a shadow. It is a difficult time, but not to be feared for God is with me. The best is yet to come.
I sense this time of decline is not wasted. God has given the promise that He uses all things for our good. [10] In our experiencing the weaknesses of aging and becoming increasingly weary of this life, He is weaning us off our sense of self-sufficiency in order to develop our spirituality [11] more fully.
The promise of a personal resurrection and living in the close presence of God energizes my heart with hope and endurance through all the trials of life.
I often meditate on the testimony of Job who was physically afflicted in many ways. He testifies that it was God’s words and promises that sustained his faith in dealing with so much.
From Job 19:23-27 KJV:
Oh that my words were written, Oh that they were inscribed in a book That with an iron stylus and lead they were engraved in a rock forever!
As for me,I knowthat my redeemer lives – (Job acknowledges his need of a Redeemer that has overcome death)
and He will stand in the latter days upon the earth– ( He knows how it’s all going to turn out)
and though worms consume my body, – (It’s a sure prospect Job will die and his body will decay)
yet in my flesh I shall see God, (He has confidence in his personal resurrection and that he will see God)
whom I shall see for myself – (and that he would have a close, personal encounter) Yes I will see Him with my own eyes.
I am overwhelmed at the thought! (It takes precedence over everything else).
[1] transcendent – beyond what we can know by our physical senses
[2] Colossians 1:24
[3] Luke 23:43
[4] Genesis 35:18
[5] 1 Corinthians 15:44-45
[6] Philippians 3:21
[7] 2 Corinthians 5:4
[8] Romans 8:23
[9] John 16:13
[10] Romans 8:28-29
[11] spirituality – living out of a heart valuing God and eternal realities
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
In the mid 1800s a large number of babies were dying soon after childbirth. During that time Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian doctor, learned something which would change the medical community forever. In his studies he noticed more babies were dying after being delivered by medical students than by midwives. Digging deeper, he realized the students often performed autopsies prior to delivery, contaminating their hands with microbes.
Dr. Semmelweis instigated a regiment of hand washing which substantially dropped the number of infant deaths. Though soap had been around since Biblical times, its total benefit was not known until then. This began the great soap-related hygiene revolution which radically changed the medical field.
It’s amazing how a bit of knowledge about soap could save countless lives.
Is there knowledge we can gain which can have an even larger impact on us?
Yes.
Knowing God’s love for us is even more vital that knowing the benefits of soap during medical procedures. Us knowing God’s love has eternal ramifications.
Following are three reasons knowing God’s love is so essential. To grasp it we need to realize its more than information to be stored in our heads. It must also come alive in our hearts.
May the eyes of our hearts be enlightened. [2]
Perfect Love Drives out Fear and Allows us to Love
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love because He first loved us (I John 4:18-19 NASB).
As I examine my heart, much of my sin is rooted in fear. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Fear of poverty. Fear of unhappiness. Fear of . . .
Fear causes worrying and robs me of essential peace.
In the above verses, John writes about a love which drives out fear, a perfect love, flowing from the heart of God.
While we still fear, we’re yet to be perfected in God’s love. However, to the degree we realize God’s amazing love for us, our fears melt away and peace reigns in our hearts.
As I write, I imagine a life with no fear. Fearless. Oh the freedom! Oh the joy! And it’s not just something to wish for. God’s perfect love is real, the chaser of all fears.
But there’s much more.
God’s love for us is the source of all true love. To the degree we realize His perfect love, we’re able to reflect His love back to Him and to others.
Perfect love not only gives us courage, is also the source of all of our love.
We love because He first loved us.
God’s Love Enables Our Obedience
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.” (Matthew 22:37-40 NASB)
Since our love is rooted in God’s love for us, His love enables our obedience. In the above verses, Jesus gives two vital commands which basically summarizes the entire Bible. Our obedience is characterized by love. It’s the overarching filter to govern everything we do. As the ten commandments state, loving God (first four) and loving others (last six) should guide our every word and deed.
So, why is God’s love for us important?
God’s love enables us to love. And loving is how we obey Him.
God’s Love Roots and Grounds Us
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:14-19 NASB)
God’s love for us surpasses our knowledge. It’s beyond our understanding and our intellect. Even so, Paul prays that the superlative dimensions of God’s love might be comprehended or realized in a way which comes alive in our hearts.
Paul is praying that what does not fit in our heads, will dwell in our hearts as God is pleased to illuminate it.
God’s love roots us and grounds us and gives us a vital firm foundation. To the degree God’s surpassing love is illuminated and made real to us, our souls are secured against the storms and trials of life.
Story: There’s a song based on the verses above about the deep, deep love of Jesus. Many years ago, the song was sung at the funeral of Rachel, a little two-year old play mate of my oldest son.
O the Deep Deep Love of Jesus [3]
As the song was sung, I looked over at her parents. I couldn’t comprehend what they were feeling. In my raw state, I wondered how the song could possibly fit since Rachel had died.
Then it hit me. As deep as the pain Rachel’s parents were feeling, God’s love was deeper still. In their pain, they had an opportunity to experience the depth of God’s love in a way they might not have otherwise known.
Since then, my wife and I have experienced some deep relational pain of our own, kind of like the death of a child. But through it all, God’s love is deeper still. We can truly say that we know God’s love more deeply because He’s met us in the depth of our grief and pain.
Conclusion
From Zephaniah 3:17 we learned that God delights to be with us and that we make Him happy.
The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
What makes this and other facts about knowing God’s love for us so VITAL is that:
God’s love chases away ALL fear
God’s love and is the source of our love
God’s love enables us to obey Him
God’s Root and grounds our soul, no matter what
Prayer
Lord may my comprehension of Your amazing love for me continue to grow as I soak in its reality. Thank You for chasing away my every fear with Your perfect love. Please remind me quickly when fears arise. Thank you that Your love enables me to love You. May I receive Your love and give it away. Thank You for delighting to be with me. Please help me to grasp Your love more and more. Steady my heart in the firm foundations of Your delight in me. Amen.
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
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride (Psalm 46:1-3 NASB).
We know the value of receiving and knowing the love of God.
We know the Holy Spirit indwells us to empower us and guide our ways.
We know we’ve been raised up with Christ and given an eternal orientation.
We know God alone is our Highest Joy.
We know loving like Jesus fills our lives with joy.
We’re learning to build our lives around these and other spiritual fundamentals. However, when things get hard we can lose sight.
What keeps us courageous during life’s gut punches?
The Gut Punch
Really hard circumstances can feel like a gut punch. These severe trials, which send us staggering for stable footing, make us feel as if we’ve been swept onto an avalanche of shifting sand.
The death of a loved one, a severed relationship, acute health issue, financial collapse, etc. breed emotional turmoil. These heart breaks threaten our ability to cope with new realities and life’s never ending demands.
Following are a couple of rock-solid truths which hold no matter what. They bring us courage, during even the hardest of times.
Rocks of Stability
Abiding Nearness
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me (Psalm 23:4a NASB).
When I think of the shadow of death, a scene from Return of the King, comes to mind. As the brave trio approached the Haunted Mountain, Tolkien writes, “A dread fell on them, even as they passed between the lines of ancient stones and so came to the Dimholt. There under the gloom of black trees that not even Legolas could long endure they found a hollow place opening at the mountain’s root, and right in their path stood a single mighty stone like a finger of doom.” [1]
This scene drips with fear, but David assures us in the above Psalm that we can choose not to fear, no matter how thick the darkness. Why? Because God is with us. He is our ever present help, especially in times of trouble. [2]
God is always available to provide abundant comfort in all our afflictions. [3]
Jesus tells us not to be surprised by troubles. They will come. But in Him, we find peace and the courage to endure. These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world (John 16:33 NASB)
For You have been a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy (Psalm 61:3 NASB).
Amid our toughest times, we receive courage because God will never leave or forsake us.
Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9b NASB).
God is our source of strength, especially in our pain.
The Greater Story
In our pain, we must understand God’s greater purposes.
Jesus tells us He came to give us abundant life. [4] But is abundant life the same thing as happy, smooth circumstances? Or is it the abundance of Christ’s nearness, like Rivers of Living Water welling up from within?
God wants more for us than a better life. When Paul tells us God is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes, he’s referring to something better than good circumstances. God’s purposes for us are to give us the freedom and joy of being conformed us into the image of Christ. [5]
There are profoundly sanctifying forces at work when we cling to Jesus in the midst of our pain. In our trials, our grip on lesser loves is loosened, freeing us to fully enjoy our Jesus.
See what James, Paul and Peter wrote about the redeeming qualities of our afflictions and trials:
Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials,knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4 NASB).
Trials bring us joy because they develop endurance which leads us to being complete, lacking nothing.
For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction which occurred in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life.Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead (II Corinthians 1:8-9 NASB).
Hardships, especially the severe kinds, can cause us to stop trusting in ourselves and put our faith in God who raises the dead.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,obtaining as the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (I Peter 1:3-9 NASB).
As we rejoice in the eternal realities of our living hope, our unfading inheritance and the fact that we’re protected by the power of God, Peter tells us we may be distressed by various trials. He says these trials are necessary to prove our faith, as gold purified by fire. He says they result in inexpressible joy for us and praise and honor to God.
The truths concerning God’s greater purposes in our lives can help give us firm footing when life gets really hard. God is at work in our pain, even if we don’t see it.
Story:
A couple of years ago, I lost my little sister. Even though we saw the signs mounting, her accelerated death caught us all by surprise. She literally worked the same week she died.
Her loss has been harder for me than the death of my parents ten years earlier.
Even though she was my only sister, I would kid her by saying she was my favorite. Truly she was the best sister anyone could ask for. I can’t think of an argument we ever had during her entire life. Being the two oldest, we were foxhole buddies during the divorce of our parents. She was always there.
Her death is allowing me to access unshed tears from years gone by. For the first time, I’m learning to grieve.
Days after her death I cried out to the Lord in my journal, not knowing how to process my concern for her eternal state and the huge, gapping hole in my heart. I asked Him if He wanted to say anything to me.
In my spirit, I sensed Him say, “I am enough.”
No matter how sad I am and how much I grieve, God is enough. He is with me. To the extent I call to Him, especially in my pain, He is and will be my El Shaddai, my All Sufficient One.
Since then, as I travel this path of grief, I’m beginning to know God in a deeper way. It seems the greater my pain the greater His sufficiency.
Conclusion
Life is hard. We face troubles. What’s important is how we respond.
Do we keep on going, striving best we can, ignoring what we’re going through?
Do we dedicate ourselves to all manner of false affections which temporarily numb the pain?
Do we curl up in a fetal position and shut life out?
Or, do we recognize that what we’re going through is no surprise to God. Our God of all comfort is an ever-present help in our affliction. He is near to our broken heart. God can use our pain in marvelous ways we would have never perceived. Like a master surgeon, God is at work to free us to fully enjoy Him.
Prayer
Lord, I don’t grieve well. I don’t know how. I’m sorry for the many times I’ve minimized my pain because I didn’t know what to do with it. But You’re showing my that living with You in my pain gives me an opportunity to know You in uniquely deeper ways.
Please guide my grief of my sister. I miss her so much. Thank You that You are enough, even now.
Amen.
Personal Study
Highlight II Corinthians 1:3-10
Explain it in your own words
Apply it to your life
Respond to God in prayer
[1] The Return of the King, Houghton Mifflin 1956, p. 49
.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
Let’s now look at how we can orient each day around these spiritual realities?
Orienting Our Days
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth (Colossians 3:1-2 NASB).
In the above verses, Paul gives us a framework for how to position our minds in a way which will change how we view and live each day.
Since we, as children of God, are in Christ, we’ve been raised up with Him. Though physically we still reside on earth we’re to keep seeking His will and we’re to set our minds on things of eternal value.
This type of living keeps us in the flow of Jesus’ joy.
But, how does it play out on a Monday afternoon?
Keep Seeking
From our position in Christ, we’re to continually seek what’s on God’s heart. As Jesus demonstrated, we’re to aim at doing God’s will above our will. Even in the midst of carrying out our day to day responsibilities, we’re to require God’s glory in all we say and do.
In the fray of the day, what we experience in front of our eyes can consume our focus and energies. But, as our days unfold, we’re to strive for seeing and doing what has long term, eternal value in every situation.
This mindset is impossible without a moment by moment dependence upon Christ’s Holy Spirit within. It also requires a growing confidence that, as we focus on heaven, God will take care of us.
Jesus said it in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
We’re to pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 NASB).
As we go, we keep seeking the things on God’s heart, leaving the rest in His hands.
Setting Our Minds
As we keep seeking God’s will, we’re also to set our minds from the eternal position we now have in Christ. This means orienting our minds from above, seeing all of life from a long term view.
What a different perspective!
From our eternal orientation, we look at every moment, every person and every choice differently. Since people have eternal souls, they rise to the top of our priority lists.
We desperately need the Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen us in our interactions with others. As Peter put it in I Peter 4:11, Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Setting our minds on things above, means speaking words of life and loving the folks God places around us in His strength. Living today with eternity on our minds, keeps God’s purposes at the forefront. We continually say, “Lord, what’s next?”
Story:
Once upon a time there was a man who was hostile toward God’s plan. It wasn’t that he hated God, he just didn’t realize what God was up to. Out of his confusion, this man played a part in the murder of many folks who were following Jesus Christ.
In a very startling way, Jesus intervened and showed this man that He was Lord. This man believed and spent much time alone with Jesus, growing in the sweetness of intimate fellowship with Him.
This man began living his life from an eternal perspective, seeking God’s will above his own. He learned to trust God when it came to his own welfare. This produced a freeing joy, which overflowed into rejoicing, in spite of his difficult circumstances.
This way of enjoying Jesus, no matter what happened, characterized this man’s life. He just had to tell others. He spoke and wrote about his hope of heaven and how he was experiencing eternal life even on earth.
Over time, his outspoken ways caused him to be thrown in jail. But even in prison, he continued to experienced the joy of being with Jesus. Because of his faith, he cared more about eternal matters than his temporal welfare. From his prison cell, he wrote:
Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel,so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else,and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will;the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel;the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice (Philippians 1:12-18 NASB)
Of course, this man was Paul.
From the above verses, we see an excellent example of seeking the things of heaven above the circumstances of earth. Paul’s excitement and joy stemmed from the fact that his difficulties were producing eternal results.
Paul sought God’s kingdom above all else. He oriented His life from above; living from the long view of eternity.
Conclusion
C.S. Lewis once wrote. “Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth ‘thrown in’: aim at Earth and you will get nothing.” [1]
We’re not to get so wrapped up in the temporal things of this world that we lose focus on what’s most important.
We need to continually ask ourselves: What in the world am I doing for heaven’s sake?
We can trust the details of our lives to Jesus, freeing us to seek God’s glory as we love the folks He places in our paths.
The challenge is to live each moment of our earthly lives with the end in mind, asking how our words and actions impact eternity?
Live with the end in mind.
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father (Colossians 3:17 NASB).
Prayer
Lord, thank You for wanting me to find joy right now in how my story ends in eternity with You. Thank You that, because I’ve been raised up with Christ, I’m in position to take the long view, to see things from Your eternal purposes. Please allow me to see each person from the standpoint of their journey with You, even if they don’t have a relationship with you yet. Also, please help me see the opportunities to bring You glory in everything I do, even in the most mundane endeavors. Thank you Father.
Personal Study
Highlight Matthew 6:19-34
Explain it in your own words
Apply it to your life
Respond to God in prayer
[1] The Joyful Christian, C.S. Lewis, B&H Publishing Group
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, And the righteous scepter is the scepter ofHis kingdom. “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, hasanointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions” (Hebrew 1:8-9 NASB).
Jesus has been anointed with the oil of gladness (exultation and extreme joy).
As we grow in our knowledge of God being our Highest Joy, we will look at how Jesus’ glad heart strengthened Him and gave Him courage. And we will look at how we’re fueled by the nearness of Jesus and His joy.
In spite of what He faced, even on the cross, Jesus’ life was marked by joy and gladness. And we’ve been called to follow Him and learn from His life, as we depend upon His Spirit within.
What can we learn about His Joy, which He says completes our joy.
The Joy of Relationships
Relating – a connection between.
Out of the depth of love within the Trinity, man was created and given the breath of life. We were created for fellowship and relationship with God. 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 NASB)
Reconciling our connection with Him was the joy set before Jesus.
Knowing His death on our behalf would re-establish our broken relationships with God because of our sin, gave Jesus joy, a 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 (John15:10-12 NASB)
His command – Love others as He’s loved us.
His reason – That His Joy might be in us and that our joy might be complete.
It may seem strange from an earthly perspective, but realizing the complete joy of Jesus seems to have everything to do with loving.
Love and Joy are tightly coupled. 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 rather from the depth of love in our relationships.
Paul wrote about it:
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 NASB).
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 NASB).
In fact, he tells us to always rejoice in our love of God.
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you (Philippians 3:1 NASB).
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4 NASB).
Story: 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 clothes drawer. Our dryer was broken. I had some high priority work issues, along with the normal challenges of parenting four children.
After disbursing of the mice, I was hanging up our wet towels and blue jeans on the clothes line, trying to formulate a plan for fixing what else was broken.
Then it hit me. Like an apple bouncing off the head of Isaac Newton, I was awakened.
What happened with the mice and the dyer and how my work issues were resolved was very temporal, what really mattered was how my wife and my relationship survived the strain. She was in distress over finding rodents in our room.
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. Could relationships and loving be the key to life?
Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees, from Matthew 22:36-40, came to mind. “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 great chunks of time, I’ve been intentional about having a love first mindset. I will testify that when this focus is operating as it should, I have unexplainable joy.
Conclusion
Jesus’ life was marked by joy. And, as we look deeper, we see a definite connection between love and joy. It was His love for us, and our reconciliation with Him which gave Him joy on the cross. In fact, it fueled His endurance.
On the night before Jesus was crucified on our behalf, He gave His disciples a formula for experiencing His joy. The secret – loving others as He’s loved us. If we do this, we will remain in His love and our joy will be made complete.
Paul also experienced the joy of sacrificial love. He equated joy with being poured out like a drink offering and he called the Thessalonians his glory and joy. Paul also commands us to be full of joy in our love for the Lord.
Joy, which satisfies our longing hearts doesn’t come from fighting for ourselves. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Our experience of joy is directly related to how we love.
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.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21 NASB).
Baked into the heart of every human is the unaltered desire to find a lasting joy to satisfy our empty souls. This longing, this need for satisfaction, is so strong we won’t give up the quest, though we may die trying. The problem is we look for satisfaction in all the wrong places.
Wasn’t it the Rolling Stones who could get no satisfaction after trying and trying and trying?
King Solomon tried all manner of worldly delights to satisfy his emptiness.[1] Denying himself nothing he saw around him, he concluded that it was all “vanity and striving after the wind.”Ecclesiastes 2:11b (NASB)
Trying everything, but failing to find joy, Solomon was left hopeless and despondent. “I hated life, for the work which has been done under the sun was grievous to me, because everything is futility and striving after wind.” Ecclesiastes 2:17 (NASB)
He would later conclude, that God has set eternity in the hearts of men.[2] Solomon had the means to attempt anything the world had to offer to fill his need for satisfaction. None of it worked. At the end of his search, he hated life because he recognized the utter futility of trying to fill the eternal hole in his hearts with anything around him.
God designed our hearts for joy. We’re to be fulfilled by God Himself, the fullness of all joy,[3] not in having a better life.
Until we realize true joy and fulfillment comes from God Himself, our lives will be endless pursuits of fleeting, temporal, pleasure which lead only to idols and addictions.
We must all ask ourselves – What is our treasure?
Is there something we’re looking forward to, or hoping for, which we believe will finally bring fulfillment and lasting happiness? Completing college? Getting married? Buying a house? Getting out of debt? Getting promoted at work? Having children? Starting a business? Publishing a book? Having good health? Having grandchildren? Retiring? Winning the lottery?
These can be good things, but will they provide lasting fulfillment?
Desiring happiness is not a bad thing, but true joy is a by product of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It’s built into our design by the Intelligent Designer.
But, how can we walk in a growing awareness that God Himself is our Highest Joy when all around clouds the truth?
Awakened
Truly realizing God Himself is the Great Satisfier of our Soul is something God Himself must reveal to us. If this is our desire, to believe He’s our Highest Joy, He will awaken our hearts to a deeper and deeper understanding and lead us into days of sustained Joy in Him.
Paul prays that the eyes of the Ephesians’ hearts would be enlightened to the marvelous spiritual truths of the gospel. [4]
God Himself is our Great Reward. Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward Genesis 15:1b (NIV).
Joy is fully experienced in the presence of God. In Your presence is fullness of joy; Psalm 16:11b (NASB).
Jesus satisfies our deep hunger and thirst. I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger and he who believes in me will never thirst (John 6:35 NASB).
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 NASB).
Chew on these and other truths from Scripture which tell us God Himself will fill us to overflowing with lasting satisfaction. Ask Him to make these words come alive in your heart so that they will progressively govern how you live every moment.
Story: Disillusioned, hopes crushed, my fragile world was crumbling around me. What I thought would bring lasting happiness left me disheartened, disappointed and empty. I felt like a failure – rejected and unloved.
This describes several “low” points in my life. I see now how I’d set my affections on God’s benefits rather than on God himself. At the time, I was miserable. But looking back, I see these very hard times as severe mercies.[5] Each played a part in further dislodging, me from an entrenched disillusionment.
These were extremely difficult times, but, looking back, totally worth it.
The fundamental truth in the human existence, that God Himself brings us the lasting satisfaction we so desperately need, is becoming REAL in my soul.
From time to time I still struggle. I put feeling good and having worldly peace above God Himself. But more and more these struggles are short lived. God is awakening me and bringing me back to the knowledge that NOTHING fully satisfies me but HIM.
Conclusion
Where we are is not as important as where we’re headed and Who we’re with. Where are we headed? What’s our aim, what motivates our heart as our treasure?
Idealistically, we long for our lives to go smoothly. We’d love to have our bills paid, be in good health, have stuff that’s not always broken and get along with the people who matter most to us. These are all wonderful things, but we must recognize two things about these life goals.
First of all, these longings for our circumstances to go smoothly almost never work out as we hope.
Secondly, even if they did, our inner longings would still ache and scream out for satisfaction.
Let’s recognize now that God Himself is Who we’ve been searching for all our lives. He’s our Reward, our Pearl of Great Price, the Bread of Life, our Rivers of Living water filling our souls to overflowing.
We need to believe this and ask God to awaken our hearts to the reality that He’s our Highest Joy.
When we find ourselves longing for lesser treasures, let’s acknowledge it, confess it and turns our hearts quickly back to seeking Him above all else.
Prayer
Lord, it’s so amazing that you created me for fellowship with You. It’s profoundly simple, that the key to life is being with You. Yet, it’s also so difficult when my heart drifts to what I see around me. But you are showing me more and more, in the depths of my soul, how complete I am in You. I can rest now and enjoy who You, no matter what I face. Thank You for the loving way You show me when I stray, tenderly pointing me back to You.
By Your Spirit, please keep me on the path of seeking You as my Treasure every moment of every day.
Amen.
Personal Study
Highlight Matthew 13:44-46
Explain it in your own words
Apply it to your life
Respond to God in prayer
[1] Ecclesiastes 2:1-10
[2] Ecclesiastes 3:11
[3] Psalm 16:11b
[4] Ephesians 1:18
[5] I first heard this term from a book entitled A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.
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Novels by the Author:
Rob Buck
What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for? Beyond Time
By finding two undelivered letters in a old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-6 NASB)
A central thread of the Bible is God’s desire to be WITH us. As believers, the Holy Spirit indwells us. Christ, not our own striving, is our source of Life.
In addition to Christ being in us, there’s another amazing dimension to our union with Him. When Christ was raised into newness of life, we believers were raised up with Him. Not only is Christ in us, but we are also in Him.
In his book, Union with Christ, Rankin Wilbourne writes that the word “Christian” is only used three times in the New Testament letters. However, Paul uses ” in Christ” 165 times to describe those who follow Christ. [1]
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are inChrist Jesus (Romans 8:1 NASB).
But by His doing you are inChrist Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption (I Corinthians 1:30 NASB),
Therefore if anyone is inChrist, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come (II Corinthians 5:17 NASB).
Being raised up in Christ is essential to who we are. Paul puts in this way in Colossians 3:3-4, “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”
Being dead, and now hidden in Christ, adds far-reaching, glorious implications to our daily lives which we don’t want to miss. Let’s look at a few.
In Christ, We have a New Self
..in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth (Ephesians 4:22b-24 NASB)
We know our lives are now hidden in Christ. We’ve been raised with Him in newness of life. However, as mentioned before, we can still choose to walk in our old manner of life.
Paul gives a command to lay aside our old self, reminding us that it’s steeped in corruption. Lay aside – put off, put away.
So when we’re tempted to walk in our old ways, and we certainly will be, we’re to make a choice based on our renewed minds. Seeing clearly that our former way of living leads only to death, we can now choose life.
In this divine realization, we’re to put on our new self, turning away from the corruption of the old. “Put on” has the connotation of sinking into as with clothing. It literally means to clothe ourselves. So, since our lives are hidden in Christ, we’re to walk in our new selves, created in righteousness and holiness.
What possible benefit, other than coddling fleeting, empty pleasures can come from engaging our old ways of living? It’s exactly what our enemy wants us to do, but we are not unaware of his lies. Our minds have been renewed.
and do not give the devil an opportunity (Ephesians 4:27 NASB)
Story: Wilborne writes of a friend who was the person inside the Mickey Mouse costume at Disney Land. Reflecting on her time “in Mickey” she felt safe and loved, hidden in a different identity. “She recalled praying, ‘Lord, is this what it’s like to have masses of people run towards you with joy, excitement, and eagerness?'” [2]
Rankin’s friend’s identity changed every time she took the Mickey costume off. Our identify in Christ does not change. The question for us is clear. Do we choose to put off our old self, steeped in corruption, and put on our new identify in Christ?
For me, it’s a moment by moment choice to put off the lies of the enemy and trust that in Christ I walk in newness of life.
In Christ, We Have a New View
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth (Colossians 3:1-2 NASB).
In the above verses, Paul tells us how the truth of our position with Christ should change our perspective.
Even though we physically live on earth, our view is to be from above where we’re spiritually seated with Christ. This means we’re to focus on what God cares about, even in the midst of our daily activities. We’re to keep seeking (require, be about, aim at) the things above. As our days unfolds, our higher desires should be on what God wants, not just a happy life.
What are God’s higher desires for us? Among other things, He’s at work conforming His children into the image of Christ [3]. He wants us to love others as Christ loves us. He desires for our words to be His words and our deeds to be in His strength, that He would be glorified in all we do. [4]
Focusing on what God desires for us, above our personal desires, doesn’t mean a joyless life. In fact, it means just the opposite. Orienting our lives from above means God Himself is our delight, not the trappings of the world. [5] Christ, the Source of all Joy, is our life, no matter what we face.
Story: Like many others, hard circumstances have occurred in my life which I can’t change. And believe me, I’ve tried!
Sad circumstances have threaten to discourage me and steal my joy. But I have a growing trust in what God is doing from His eternal throne. I don’t want to ignore my grief, so I try and invite Him into it, but I don’t walk around in sadness. Over time, and through the difficulties, God is skillfully and lovingly, uncovering the lie that I need happy circumstances to be okay.
From my new view with Christ, I’m more an d more seeing my life from what God is doing to conform me into His image. With this is in mind, joy is growing, even in the midst of pain.
In Christ, We are Complete
For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority (Colossians 2:9-10 NASB);
In the 1600s Bliase Pascal wrote that man’s cravings for true happiness can only be filled with an infinite, immutable object. He wrote that man tries in vain to fill this void with everything around him, seeking in (what is not) only what God Himself can give us. [6] This came to be known as our God shaped void.
To summarize, we were created with an incompleteness that only God can fill .
Incomplete: not having all the necessary or appropriate parts, not full or finished. [7]
Our problem is that, in our nagging sense of need, we attempt all manner of temporal ways to fill the void and feel complete.
Being loved by people
Our success in our different roles
Accumulating possessions
Happiness from smooth circumstances
Overloading our senses by living an epicurean lifestyle
These and other pursuits may partially fill the vastness of our souls, but each leads only to longings for more. We simply can not satisfy the deep longings of our soul with anything temporal.
The word “complete” in the above verse also means to make full, render perfect, fill to the brim, to receive fulfillment.
So, in Christ we’ve received the fulfillment our hearts have longed for. We are filled to the brim with Christ, lacking nothing.
But we must believe it and walk in it.
in Him (Christ) you have been made complete
Story: One evening, a few years ago I felt utterly undone. My heart was filled with failure, disappointment and relational pain. It was close to midnight and I decided to take a walk up our road and across the two lane highway at the top. On the way “out” I surrendered my burdens to God the best I knew how.
When I got to the end of the cul-de-sac across the highway and circled around to head back home, a deep peace invaded my soul. The problems seemed to be overshadowed by the Lord’s nearness. I pondered the truth of my completeness in Christ. I thought of being filled to the brim and overflowing with Christ. In those moments, all the burdens and pains were swept away in the awareness of this marvelous truth.
I’m complete in Christ, in need of nothing, no matter what I face.
Since that time, I’ve sometimes felt the same feelings of discouragement and incompleteness. But, I go back to the truth etched in my heart those years ago.
In Christ Jesus, I’m complete, lacking nothing.
Conclusion
As believers, though we walk on this earth, we’ve been raised WITH Christ into heavenly places. Being “in Christ” is the best description of who we now are.
Though, as long as live on earth, we fight our fleshly tendencies, in Christ we’ve been made new creations. We can now choose to put off our old ways, laced in death, and put on our new selves, in Christ.
In Christ, we’ve been raised above the temporal view. We can see things from God’s greater purposes. As we orient our lives from God’s eternal perspective, what He desires becomes more and more what we want. The sufferings of this world, though very real and painful, do not define us or remain our focus. Setting our minds on God and His Kingdom, fills our hearts with joy, no matter what we face.
In Christ we’ve been made complete. Our deep inner longings, placed in our hearts by Father God, are completely satisfied in Christ. In Christ Jesus, we are completely forgiven, completely loved, completely valued and completely satisfied. In Him, we lack nothing.
Prayer
Lord, Wow! When I ponder these amazing truths about me being in You, it’s beyond belief. But You say it’s true and I trust You. Please help me not to loose sight of these facts as my days get busy and hard. When I’m tempted to try and make life work out for me in my own flesh, please remind me to put off my old self and walk in You, my Life. When I get caught up with the smaller story of how circumstances work out for me, please remind me there’s a greater, much more important story going on; Your story.
When a feel the nagging emptiness of measuring my life by temporal values, please remind me that in You I’m complete. When I’m tempted to live life apart from You, please remind me quickly that I’m in You. Thank you Lord. Amen.
Personal Study
Highlight II Corinthians 5:17-21
Explain it in your own words
Apply it to your life
Respond to God in prayer
[1] Union with Christ, Rankin Wilborne, David Cooke 2016, p. 13
[2] Union with Christ, ibid p. 53
[3] Romans 8:29
[4] I Peter 4:11
[5] Psalm 37:4
[6] Pensées, Blaise Pascal (Published in 1670 after his death)
It could be argued that the main thread of the Bible is God’s desire to be WITH us.
The Creator of the Universe gave up His only Son to have Eternal fellowship with us. But we don’t have to wait until we die. He wants to be with us now.
Ongoing, intimate fellowship with God can begin at the point of our salvation.
Jesus promised it: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him” (John 14:23b NASB)
Paul confirmed it: “having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13b-14 NASB)
What a pledge of our inheritance! GOD HIMSELF, in the form of the Holy Spirit given to us!
Sealed in Him – marked, for security from Satan, concealed and hidden, stamped in order to confirm, to authenticate.
As believers in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit of Jesus indwells us.
In light of this, how do we live?
In what some consider a summary of the Christian life, Galatians 2:20, Paul answers the above question: I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
We died. Christ lives in us now. Our new normal is to live a life of depending on Him to live His life through us.
Our lives are to be marked by the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control exemplified by Jesus’ life on earth.
But how does “Christ lives in me” work out in our everyday lives?
Treasuring God Above all Else
As with other aspects of our Christian lives, living WITH God starts with us realizing, trusting and walking in His love..
God’s love is the reason He rescued us to begin with. Our greatest command is to love Him back. Delighting in God accentuates our longing to be WITH Him.
Skye Jethani, in his book With, writes, “the life with God posture is predicated on treasuring God above all else.” [1] He goes onto say that treasuring the world and a long comfortable life is not a life of living with God.
Our pathway to living out our union with Christ must begin with love for God above all earthly gains: our possessions, success, popularity, comfort, etc.
Our love for God must be absolute. Jesus told his disciples that coming to Him and deeply loving Him, makes human love seem like hate in comparison. [2] Our love for God must be extreme and the more we love Him, the easier it will be to delight in His nearness.
Story: In my human weakness, I sometimes forget that God Himself is my highest delight, especially when I don’t feel love from people who are important to me. During these times, I can easily shift from enjoying the experience of God’s abiding love, to chasing human love to fill my heart cup.
However, more and more an awareness of God’s great love for me is growing. I’m understanding that the love of people are like sprinkles on top of a decadent hot fudge sundae, complete with the dark chocolate sauce, nuts, whip cream and the cherry on top.
God’s love completes me. May I love others out of the abundance of His love, not to try and satisfy my need for love.
Draw near to the One who indwells you and invites you to revel in His love.
Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth (Psalm 73:25 NASB)
I No Longer Live
Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;for he who has died is freed from sin (Romans 6:4-6 NASB).
For me, our crucifixion with Christ has always been hard to comprehend.
How can a person who lives and breathes be dead? To understand, we must seek deeper truths, beyond the temporal.
In the above verse, Paul says our old self has been crucified. Before our flesh reigned, but having been crucified with Christ, it’s been rendered powerless.
However, until we physically die, we can still choose to walk in the old ways of death. This is why Paul warns us, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace (Romans 6:12-14 NASB).”
So, on a Wednesday afternoon, in the midst of duties and temptations, how do we live out “I’ve been crucified with Christ and I no longer live?”
Our old fleshly choices have worn paths not easily broken. Even in the splendor of God’s love and His life within, idols and addictions chain our souls. Carnal pleasures, seeped in death, can seem more real and viable than God’s loving presence.
Imagine you were in the Marines and you had a sergeant who was constantly picking on you. Eventually you serve your time and are honorably discharged. As a civilian, you come face to face with your old nemesis on a street corner. Assuming a familiar position of authority, he orders you give him 25 pushups.
Out of habit, you drop and begin churning them out. But then it hits you; you’re free from his reign. He’s lost all authority over you. You stop and walk away. Being a marine is in your past, but that life is behind you. You’re dead to it’s authority and power.
When we’re tempted to walk in our flesh, it’s like meeting that old sergeant. We can still choose to follow Him, but why should we? Now, we can refuse and “present ourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and our members as instruments of righteousness to God.For sin shall not be master over us”.
Story: One of my strongest temptations to operating in my “old self” has to do with trying to handle problems in my own strength. Historically, when challenges come I try harder rather than recognizing my weakness and walking in newness of life.
Recently, I fell and severed my quad tendon. I was down the hill from our house at our barn when it happened. When I heard the pop, I knew something had happened, but my first response was to try and stand up and walk. Impossible! Helpless on the ground, all I could do was crawl like a crab and scream for my wife.
During the time of recovery after the surgery, I was helpless. My wife even had to put on my socks. It was a forced time to slow down and realize how little I have to offer. A real life experience of true weakness. What a blessing!
I Live by Faith in the Son of God
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 (John 15:5 NASB).
After promising to send us the Holy Spirit, in John 14, Jesus gives us an earthly example of what life WITH Him is like.
A wine branch, connected to the sap enriched vine, is able to produce luscious fruit. But, a branch detached from the vine of life, yields nothing but death.
Our lives are like that. Sure, we can busy ourselves with all manner of seemingly good things, but any activity detached from the source of life is life-less, no matter how good it looks.
We’re familiar with a bowl of plastic fruit. Painted up and shinny, it can look so real, so delicious! But try tasting it. There is no life.
Our souls are to be governed by the Holy Spirit, not our flesh.
Jesus commands us to “abide” in Him, His Holy Spirit. Over many years I’ve had two wrong understandings about what this means.
First: that abiding is a level to get to in our maturing process as Christians. Wrong. Abiding is not a level. It’s not a “nice to get to.” Abiding is the process. Abiding is the way Christ is formed in us.
Second: I assumed abiding took great effort. With great strain and discipline I sought to tap into Christ’s life within. Actually, it’s just the opposite. The Greek word translated as “abide” also means to remain, stay, stop, tarry, live or dwell.
We did nothing to be placed in the love of Jesus. God did it. [3] So, abiding is not an effort to get somewhere, its a command to stay where we’ve already been placed. Dwell there, remain there, stay there, tarry there, abide where you’ve been placed. Don’t move.
Story: My wife recently bought us a small plaque which we placed on the window seal above the kitchen sink, where we’ll often see it.
I need Thee every hour.
The longer I live the more I believe these words. Not only do I need to depend on Jesus to know the Father’s will, to speak His words and love in His strength, but I also need Him every second to fill to overflowing my longing heart. I so easily forget and begin to look around me at the world to love me, to deem me successful and to value me.
Lord, show me quickly when I stray.
Conclusion
Living out our new life of total dependence upon God is not an option. The New Testament is saturated with the truth of God being WITH us now. The Holy Spirit of Jesus indwells us. We’re to enjoy His nearness every moment of our lives. Jesus is the source of all joy and life, but we must continually chose life over death.
We’ve been crucified with Christ. We’ve been raised with Him in newness of life. But, we can still be influenced by our old, worn out fleshly patterns. We must recognize our death in Christ and choose to depend upon Him.
By faith, we rest in Christ’s finished work and remain in His love. We yield to His life within us that His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control might be displayed in our lives.
Prayer
Lord, I’m seeing it now. My life with You is not about me following a bunch of rules and trying to pattern my life after Your example in my own strength. I died because You died in my stead. Thank You. You love me so much You want to be with me forever. Please give me a moment by moment dependence upon Your Spirit within me, that I might speak with Your words, serve in Your strength and love with Your love. Please stop me in my tracks when I move ahead of You and try to do anything apart from Your abiding Spirit Amen.
the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints,to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:26b-27 NASB).
Personal Study
Highlight Romans 6:4-14
Explain it in your own words
Apply it to your life
Respond to God in prayer
[1] With, Skye Jethani, Thomas Nelson 2011, p. 131
Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.
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Novels by the Author:
Rob Buck
What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for? Beyond Time
By finding two undelivered letters in a old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains
If we understood, at a heart level, His quality of love which can’t be changed!
If we realized God delights in being with us. If we comprehended His willingness to send His Son to die in our place.
If we learned to remain in Jesus’ love for us.
If we really knew these things at a heart level – Our adversary’s schemes to persecute us would be shallowed up in God’s ocean of love.
Since God’s amazing love for us is absolutely essential, It’s good to uncover what threatens us knowing it.
Following are three threats.
God’s Love is Beyond Understanding
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God ( Ephesians 3:14-19 NASB).
God’s incomprehensible love for us doesn’t fit in our heads. We need to lay aside our desire to mentally understand it.
In the above verse, written to believers in Ephesus, Paul says God’s love surpasses our knowledge. Even though, as believers, we have Christ in our hearts, Paul prays Christ’s love would dwell (settle and pervade) there. He wants the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened[1], so that God’s love would expand more completely there.
Oh the vastness of His Love! Like an ocean, the dimensions can’t be grasped. However, as our hearts are enlightened, as awareness of His love grows, we become more and more “filled to the fullness of God.”
Story: As I read about a love which is beyond my ability to comprehend, I’m thrust into a quandary. On the one hand I feel stuck. If I can’t understand it, how do I know it.
I’m realizing that though God’s love for me surpasses knowledge, my heart can contain it. I join Paul’s prayer that, by His Spirit, I might grow in my awareness of the vastness of God’s love for me.
May God’s love, which is beyond words come alive more and more in my heart that I might love others as Christ has loved me.
God’s Love for Us is Not Affected by How We’re Treated
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God,*got up from supper, and *laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He *poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. (John 13:3-5 NASB)
Jesus didn’t entrust Himself to men. He knew their hearts[2]. His confidence was in God’s love alone.
In the above verse, Jesus washed the feet of a man who would deny Him (Peter) and a man who would betray Him (Judas). And He knew it.
Hours later, He would perform the ultimate example of sacrificial love by dying to rescue mankind from the wrath of God.
Jesus didn’t allow how people treated Him to rattle Him. He didn’t need their love. He knew where He came from. He knew where He was going. And while He was on earth, since He knew His Father’s love, He had all things.
If, like Jesus, we don’t need the approval of people, we can love freely as He did, expecting nothing in return. As we dwell in Jesus’ love for us, how people treat us, though painful, won’t affect our value.
We are deeply loved by God. This is our value.
For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ (Galatians 1:10 NASB).
Story: A few years ago I became aware that I’ve “required” love from the important people in my life. I certainly love them, but since my love cup was not full, I needed their love in return. I see now that this is not only unloving, but it kept me in bondage to the actions and feelings of others.
Occasionally, I still struggle with this when I feel rejected or unloved. However, as the awareness of God’s complete love for me grows, the chains of “needing” the love of people are breaking and falling off.
This frees me to love others purely and reduces the threat of doubting God’s love when people hurt me.
Our Enemy Does Not Want Us to Know God’s Love
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2nd Corinthians 10:3-5 NASB).
At all costs, our enemy wants to keep us from knowing God’s love. Since he’s out to afflict us, the peace, hope and joy of us resting and walking in God’s love is the exact opposite of what he desires for us.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10 NASB)
The devil’s tactics are ancient and predictable. He’s constantly accusing us and seeking to hide God’s love from us.
Based on the truth about God’s love, we’re to disagree with his lies and agree with what we know is true. Agreeing with the truth, and not the lies, gives no foothold for our enemy to fortify within.
Familiar, life shaping lies we’ve agreed with in the past can be destroyed by God’s truth. The weapons of our warfare are “divinely powerful” (sourced in God and able to accomplish what is intended) for the destruction of all strongholds and speculations.
Paul tells us to take every thought captive and to obey Christ by believing what He says.
The devil is like a roaring lion seeking always to devour. We resist him by casting our cares on the Lord, standing firm in our faith in His Love. [3]
Story: Personally, one of the enemy’s tactics with me is to make me feel like a failure and to feel rejected. As I dig in, I see a correlation between the two: Unless I succeed, I will be rejected.
Over the years, I recognized this as the enemy’s attempt to hide God’s everlasting love from me. The facts is that my value is in what Christ has done, not my efforts.
When I recognize the lie and rest in the truth the pressure of living life to succeed is crumbled and washed away in the blood of Jesus.
Conclusion
Previously, we established that God’s love for us is eternal and can’t be changed. This quality of love motivated God to rescue us from His wrath by the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus loves us as much as God loves Him. His love for us chases away our fears and is the source of all our loving. God’s love roots and grounds our soul. It enables us to delight in Him and to love others as He’s loved us.
God’s incredible love is beyond our understanding and is designed to be held in our hearts. As the eyes of our hearts are enlightened, and our awareness of God’s great love for us grows in depth of experience, the way people treat us and the lies Satan feeds us CAN’T change us in the slightest degree.
Prayer
Lord, the more my heart grows in true awareness of Your great love for me, the more my soul experiences Your peace, Your hope and Your joy. Yet, so many forces are at work to try and hide it. You’ve commanded me to remain in Your love. No matter how folks treat me or how hard my circumstances, Your love holds. Please teach me to judge every word or thought based on Your truth and nothing else. Help me to quickly recognize lies so I can disagree with them and agree with what You say. Thank you for loving me and wanting to be with me. Amen.
