Tag Archives: Jesus Christ

Fearless

(In the Moments) The Cake Maker’s Blunder

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

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

Wedding week had arrived. Final preparations were underway.

She received a call from the cake maker. “Are you absolutely sure you want I John 4:18 on your wedding cake?” he asked.

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

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

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

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

The bride felt deeply humiliated. Eventually, the couple laughed about the cake maker’s mistake. And they continued to ask the Lord to show them how perfect love casts out fear.

How Does Perfect Love Cast Out Fear?

Perfect Love

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

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

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

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

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

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

Disagreeing with Lies

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

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

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

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (II Corinthians 10:3-5 NASB).

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

Remaining in Perfect Love

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

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

In these vital words, Jesus helps us understand the depth of His perfect love toward us. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.” Love can’t be more perfect.

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

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

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

Challenge

Can you identify a lie which the enemy uses to keep you from fully experiencing the love of God in Christ?

It’s important to identify these viscous strongholds which have created ruts in our hearts. Our adversary is only out to steal, kill, and destroy us. [3]

For me, I’m easily seduced by the lie that my value is based on what I do.

How about you? Do you have lies you’ve agreed with and have allowed strongholds to remain?

Now is the time. Stand firm in the authority of God’s truth, despite feelings and swirling half-truths.  Speak the truth and pray. 

Believe the words of Jesus in John 16:23b-24: “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.  Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.”

Pray and keep on praying. The healing He affords, in lies we’ve believed, requires fervent attention to Christ and His ways, disagreeing with the lie of our advisory and agreeing with the eternal truth of God.

The love of God, His love for us, casts out all fear.

 Prayer

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

Please give me the power to recognize and refute any lie about your complete love for me. When fear arises from the evil one, I want to give it to you quickly. I don’t want to give the enemy a seat at my table. (From the title of a book by Louie Giglio) [4]

Please give me a love first mentality throughout each day. I don’t want to be too busy to appreciate the people you bring my way. I yield to You to love through me.

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

Fear has no place in my life.

Amen.

[1] Philippians 4:6-7

[2] Ephesians 1:18-20

[3] John 10:10

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

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

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.

Joy Flowing From Grace

(In the Moments) The Remarkable Link Between Joy and Grace

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It’s a cool late summer morning. Fall is in the air.

As I sip my dark coffee, laced with sugar free peppermint mocha (not sure it’s good for me, but it is tasty), I listen to the sound of our man-made mountain brook outside the porch. A cool breeze whips across my face, carrying the scent of tea olives in full bloom. Looking up from my writing, I notice the multiple shades of green leaves awaiting the signal to change colors and float to the ground.

I’m in a very contemplative mood. In fact, I feel quite weary. There are plenty of tough circumstances to go around. We’ve had three deaths in our family in the last few years. Folks we love are struggling with addiction. Some don’t know Jesus. The thought of them facing an eternity without Him is sobering. So many are dealing with lost jobs, broken relationships and life-threatening illnesses.

Even though, in John 16:33, Jesus tells us this will be the case, it doesn’t make it easy to deal with such pain. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (NIV)

Sometimes, when I remember the nearness of Jesus, He infuses me with the courage to handle these troubles. Other times, I get lost in the details and negative situations. I think it comes down to my perspective. When I can gain an eternal view, even during hard times, my outlook is different.

Right now, my heart is heavy, and I need God’s truth.

Turning to the Bible, I read a verse that if someone said it to me right now, I’d take it as a trite answer and consider them very insensitive.

It’s I Thessalonians 5:16 – “Rejoice Evermore.”

Rejoice Evermore! This unconditional command seems impossible. With all that’s going on, rejoicing is the last thing I want to do. But, since God said it, I’ll take this as an invitation to dig deeper, asking Him to show me how this is possible.

Lord, how is it possible to rejoice evermore?

To Obey God Requires Abiding Dependence Upon the Holy Spirit

Before digging into the verse more fully, I have to pause and admit my inability to obey any of God’s commands in my strength. After years of trying to be like Jesus without Jesus, I’m fully convinced the Christian life requires an abiding dependence upon the indwelling Holy Spirit of Jesus to fully follow Him.

Abiding is not just a delightful idea, it’s the essence of the Christian life. Paul summed it up beautifully in Galatians 2:20-21:  “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.  I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

Our life now is a life of dying to self and yielding to the indwelling Holy Spirit. Christ gave Himself up for me and, if I revert to living independently, I’m nullifying His death for me.

Living a life of self-fueled “obedience” leads to burnout and deeper sin. “It’s all up to me” is a lie from the pit of hell. It’s prideful and sinful.

Learning what it means to rejoice evermore doesn’t differ from any other command. Yielding to the Holy Spirit within me is the only way to obey it.

What Does it Mean to Rejoice Evermore?

When Paul tells us to rejoice, he uses the Greek word “chairo,” which means to be cheerful, calmly happy, or well off, to be glad. The word “chairo” originates from the root word “charis,” which means grace or unmerited spiritual blessings granted to those who trust in Jesus Christ.

The Greek words for “rejoice” and “grace” share a close connection. Feeling joyful is a common response to receiving and experiencing God’s grace. One of the fundamental aspects of joy involves having faith and seeking peace in Christ’s righteousness, rather than focusing on my own achievements.

“Evermore” originates from the Greek term “pantoteh,” signifying always, or at all times. I’m to remain glad all the time because of the spiritual blessings God has freely given me. All times!

  •    When I’m grieving, my joy comes from God, fullness of all joy, and the grace He’s given me.
  •    When life is fun and my wife and I are loving hanging out with our grandkids and kids, my joy comes from God, fullness of all joy, and the grace He’s given me.
  •    When relations are strained or broken, my joy comes from God, fullness of all joy, and the grace He’s given me.
  •    When life seems stale and plain, my joy comes from God, fullness of all joy, and the grace He’s given me.
  •    When I’m afraid and worried, my joy comes from God, fullness of all joy, and the grace He’s given me.

I’m always living in a physical world, with actual trials, problems, and heartaches. So, if I am to make this command to “rejoice always” a legitimate part of my life, I can’t forget certain spiritual truths based on the “grace” or unmerited favor given to me.

Rejoicing in God’s Grace

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.  (Ephesians 1:3-8a NASB).  

Rejoicing in God’s grace, shown to me in His love and sacrifice for my sins, sustains me and gives me courage.

 Before the world began, God Almighty chose to love me as His child. The cruel death of His Son Jesus, the Messiah, secured my eternal relationship with Him, my new Father. This was all done for the praise of God’s grace. He lavished His grace upon me, abounding and overflowing, manifested in the shedding of Jesus’ life blood.

This is how I rejoice evermore. Regardless of what I’m going through, the root of joy is God’s grace, expressed in His love. It happened before the world began, so nothing can change His grace for me today.

In God’s Grace, I Rejoice Evermore.

God’s grace gives me a peace which is greater than any circumstance I can face, including the very hard difficulties I face today.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7 NASB).

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

 Challenge

What is your current weariness? Can you name it? Or perhaps you’re in a season free of troubles. These are rare. Be extremely thankful.

For the rest of us, sink into the deep connection between God’s grace and our full joy. People never earn God’s grace, and it doesn’t change with each passing circumstance or human choice.

Ours is to choose His grace for our life, both now and forever.

With grace, as an unbelievably interlinked component of the same root word, there’s rejoicing.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV).

Come. With all that burdens your heart, come and stay with Jesus. It’s what He wants.

With Him, we have grace and full joy, which results in true rest for our souls.

Prayer

Despite the ongoing hard times and unresolved problems, I find joy in You, Lord, as Your word has given me courage. Please help me take each care and concern and cast them upon You because You care for me.

Please help me to stop striving to make everything “okay” in my world. Your nearness is my good. My hope and stability are in You. I rejoice in the grace You showed me before I was even born. And I know nothing can change that.

In You, and in Your love and grace, I rejoice evermore.

Amen

Other posts in our series In the Moments:

As Sea Gulls Fly

The Gift of Presence

It is Finished

Behold the Moments

Tranquility

Stop Striving

Simplicity In Christ

What is Good

Yet Will I Rejoice

Sorrowful, Yet Always Rejoicing

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.

Daily Rhythms, Discipleship

Packages (Epilogue, Walking it Out)

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Part 1 

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

The Dream Ends

Since I didn’t have to be at work until later that day, Alfred and I continued discussing the dream until 9:30. He found it encouraging too. Through our conversation, we established some daily routines:

  • As much as possible, begin each day with unhurried time with God
  • Talk with Him about who we know we’ll be encountering that day and ask Him to allow us, through His Sprit, to love each person, planned or not, with the same quality of love He loves us
  • Be prayerfully intentional about loving and leading our families, especially our wives
  • Be deliberate about being present during the moments of the day
  • Don’t look past people in order to return to duties
  • Continually cast each responsibility and care upon the Lord and trust Him to weed out what’s unnecessary
  • Orient our lives from the fact that we’ve been raised with Christ and are, even now, seated in heavenly places with Him
  • Find our joy and satisfaction in the Lord, not our circumstances and accomplishments
  • See each moment from an eternal perspective, being bold to explain our hope in Christ and to announce the Lord’s great mercy towards us

A Hundred Days Later

As much as I wanted it, the dream on the packages never returned, but the impression it made has grown stronger.

Alfred and I agreed to meet weekly to support each other in our daily routines. We weren’t perfect, but we managed to have unhurried times of solitude with Father God at least five times during most weeks.

We began our times along with God by praising Him, acknowledging His presence, and listening for His guidance. Although we didn’t follow the same Bible reading plan, due to different programs in our churches, we always shared at least one impactful truth from God’s word to uplift each other during our weekly breakfasts.

Aware of whom we might encounter each day, we established a rhythm of morning prayers and spontaneous prayers throughout the day. We sought to remain in Jesus’ love, relying on the Holy Spirit to help us love others with the same depth of love He has for us.

Additionally, we encouraged one another to create margin in our lives for unforeseen chances to show God’s lovingkindness.

We extended grace to each other when we fell short and ended each time in prayer.

Alfred excelled in the practice of being present throughout the day. He endeavored to employ all his senses while performing his duties as an administrative assistant at a large law firm. Whenever someone entered his office space, be it in person or electronically via phone, text, or email, he sought divine guidance on how to fully engage and serve each “customer”. He admitted that initially, it was challenging, and there were times he went half a day without a thought of God. However, he persisted, and during those gaps He thanked God when He was brought again to an awareness of His presence. Then he resolved to concentrate on maintaining his focus on Jesus as often as he could going forward,

I was more irregular in my practice of abiding, but Alfred’s encouragement led me to increasingly and consciously surrender to the Holy Spirit of God within me multiple times a day.

Passing it On

One morning, Alfred couldn’t hide his huge grin as Tammy, our regular waitress, poured our coffee. Tammy must be the finest server in the South. Alfred and I alternate paying for our weekly breakfasts, always leaving her generous tips. As a single mother and now a grandmother, she’s familiar with our routine and usual breakfast bowls, to the extent that, by 6:30 every Wednesday morning, our table was waiting for us and our condiments already laid out.

“Tammy,” Alfred said, as she finished pouring my coffee. “Set us up for four next week.”

“Okay,” she said with a smile. “The usual?”

We both nodded. Occasionally one of us will be enticed to go with chicken fried steak, eggs, grits or hashbrowns and grilled biscuits. But that usually happened when the other was paying.

When Tammy had gone, I asked Alfred what was up with the table for four.

“Apprenticeship,” Alfred began, “What if you wanted to become a bricklayer? And you knew of a master who had been a successful bricklayer for years and years. What would you do first to learn how to follow his path?”

I thought for moment and then replied. “First, I’d want to be with him as much as possible during the workday to watch him, learning to become like him in his brick laying methods.”

“Great answer,” Alfred replied, his grin getting even larger. “Then what?”

“Eventually, I’d begin laying brick on my own doing what he did.” 

“Exactly!” Alfred said, as Tammy brought our bowls and refilled our coffee. “And that’s the answer to your question.”

“What question?” I asked as I poured white pepper gravy on my bowl and passed the deliciousness to Alfred.

“Your question of why I asked Tammy to set four places next week,” Alfred answered. “You and I have been intentional about being with Jesus alone and meeting together to talk about our experiences. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we’ve sought to be like Jesus, praying for each other along the way.

“We’ve sought to follow Him as His disciples.  I believe the next step in our apprenticeship is to do what He’s taught us to do to others. [2]

“I have a young man I work with who recently decided to believe in Christ’s finished work for his salvation. And I’d like to ask him to join us, if you’re okay with that.”

“Sure,” I answered. “But what about me? Who could I ask?”

“How about your son?”

[1] John 15: 9-12

[2] The concept of apprenticeship is from the book Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer, Copyright 2024 by WaterBrook Publishing.

 

Joy in the Journey is about the

gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.

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

 

Robby Buck

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 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

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

 

Turning the To-Do List on its Head

Packages (The Dream Ends)

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Part 1 

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Then I awoke, not on the packages, but in my own bedroom. Beside me, my wife, whose name isn’t Jill, was still sleeping. I’d experienced a lucid dream spanning a week, yet in reality, it was only a few hours.

It was predawn. I dressed, brewed a cup of Cuban coffee and proceeded to the porch, my favorite place to watch the sun rise.

I took out my journal and detailed the events and individuals from the seven days encompassed by the dream. The scenarios and characters were fictitious. However, some elements were familiar.

I don’t have a neighbor named Alice. Nevertheless, I’ve engaged in discussions with colleagues, in my field of IT, about Jesus and Him not being religious. 

I don’t have a friend named Fred suffering from pancreatic cancer, but I do have several close friends who are facing serious illnesses.

I don’t have friends named Sammy and Milly with a son named Alton, but I wish I did.

I don’t have a co-worker named Kevin facing personal challenges and showing interest in my faith. However, I do work closely with someone I pray will stop believing God and science can’t co-exist.

I don’t have colleagues like Harrison and Mike who desire to inflict as much pain on me as possible, but I have a person, who is closer than a co-worker, who seems to have that agenda.

As the sun started to tint the grey sky with soft pastels, I jotted down the themes that came to me while I rested on the packages. 

During the seven days of dreams, as I listened to His voice, I learned:

  • To love others as Christ loves me
  • To converse with God, who is ever-present, and to listen as I go
  • That He will guide me in loving each person He places in my path
  • To fully “see” people around me and not quickly move past people to the next obligation
  • To yield to His kindness as I love
  • That my life is brimming with the abundant grace of God
  • That I am appointed as an ambassador of Christ to convey His grace
  • To always be prepared to discuss the Hope of Christ within me
  • That difficulties, such as Fred’s cancer, are not surprises to God
  • To recall God’s love for me during tough times
  • Not to gauge my happiness by my circumstances
  • That individuals like Alton, with special needs, bring extraordinary joy
  • When I seek comfort from God, He endows me with joy and courage
  • That I possess no righteousness of my own, only the righteousness of Christ

By then the sun was in full view and I knew exactly what I needed to do. I called my spiritual mentor, Alfred. He agreed to meet me for breakfast.

After ordering our usual bowls of grits, poached eggs, crumbled bacon, and biscuits, I shared the dream with him. Confident in his wisdom, I believed he could provide some meaningful insights.

I also shared with him the notes I’d written earlier that morning.

He was patient as I recounted my story, asking a few clarifying questions.  Afterwards, I asked him for his overall thoughts and possible interpretation. 

Alfred paused a moment, then said, “Your times on the packages seem like a picture of our position in the heavenlies with Christ. The timeless dawn, vivid colors, and what I’m calling an ocean of love, give me a sense of what heaven must be like. I had goose bumps as I listened.

“Reminds me of verses like Colossians 3:1-4, and Ephesians 2:4-7 where it speaks of believers being raised with Christ and seated with Him in heavenly places. Your dream gave me a glimpse of being with Christ in heaven, yet still living on earth.

“This is a real gift, Bobby. You’ve been given an eternal peek into our heavenly position, an almost “real life” perspective of what Paul meant when he commanded us to set our minds on things above, not on temporal things. [1]

“What do you think the packages represent?” he asked.

“At first, I thought it was up to me to deliver them all, I responded. “That speaks to how full of duties my life feels. I can be so busy that people, and opportunities to love, can seemed like obstacles to taming the task list. But now I’m realizing much of my to-do list is from me and not God.  

“Those packages are not tasks, they’re bundles of God’s love: His kindness, His peace, His joy, His presence to be given as presents to others.

“Though I’m very saddened at how I’ve been, I can hear you tell me that God’s mercies are new every morning.” 

Alfred nodded.

My eyes began to sting as I continued, “Alfred, I’ve waisted so much of my life striving to fill a bottomless chasm in my heart that screams – ‘I’m not enough.’

“Though in my head, I’ve known it’s about Christ’s righteousness, my heart hasn’t caught up yet. It believed it was up to me to earn His love, to succeed, to please.

“Until now,” I said, a spark of joy rising in my heart. “Because of the gift of a dream, my whole world has been turned upside down. 

“Alfred, you’ve patiently loved me and guided me all these years. You know how distracted I’ve been.”

Alfred smiled and nodded.

“This dream has turned my to-do list on its head. My duties are no longer the main thing. My goal now is to love. 

“I feel so much more present. I want to truly see the Sammys God brings my way and not just pass them by to check off another task on my never-ending task list.

“No! Completing my tasks without problems is no longer my main goal. Delivering God’s daily packages of love is what I want to be about. 

“I’ll trust Him to get done what needs to get done. The tasks are now simply the paths God uses to bring me to the folks He wants me to love.”

Alfred laughed with joy. I knew at that moment it’s what he’d been praying for me all these years.

Stay Tuned for The Epilogue, Walking it Out. 

[1] Colossians 3:1-4

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

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

 

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 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

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

 

Rest

Packages (Part 7)

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Part 1 

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

The next morning on the packages the events of the previous day swirled in my soul.  I checked with Kevin after Alice’s party, and he predicted the batches would be completed by early evening.

Alice’s party was hard for me. I’m not a good chit-chatter with folks I don’t know very well. I did have a good conversation with one of Alice’s grandson’s Jeff, who’s studying Computer Science at the University of South Carolina.

His eye’s widened when I told him about carrying around punch cards for writing COBOL programs back in the late 70s. Things have changed so much Jeff wasn’t even sure what COBOL was.

“It stands for Common Business Oriented Language,” I explained. “It was developed by Admiral Grace Hopper. COBOL emerged 1959.  and it’s still used a lot today in banking, insurance, and other large data industries.”

As I shared my enthusiasm about computing history with Jeff, I could see his eyes beginning to glaze over. I shifted the conversation and asked some questions about him.

Then he surprised me, “Granny says you’re a religious person, is that right?”

Simultaneously, I heard. “Be very real.”

“Actually, I’m not, Jeff.”

I could tell my answer took him back. I was ready to say more, but heard, “Wait. Give him space to process and respond.”

After a moment, he said, “But I thought you went to church a lot.”

“I do, but that doesn’t make me religious,” I replied. “Growing up, I saw religious people as judgmental, fun zapping and stuffy, so I avoided them.”

“I don’t understand,” Jeff replied. “How can you go to church and avoid religious people?”

I went on to explain that religion is following rules, Christianity is following a Person, Jesus Christ. I told him there are two ways to get to heaven; be perfect or be carried in by Someone who is. 

He seemed very interested and asked a lot of questions, especially about what Christ’s crucifixion really meant.

I gave him some passages to read and showed him how to get the Bible app on his phone. He was amazed when I told him how Jesus was not a religious person either.

“In fact,” I said. “Take a look at Matthew 23:1-12. You’ll see how angry Jesus was at the religious leaders of his time. They were all about rule following, not God following.”

It was a nice conversation, but I had a restless night thinking about all that was going on.

As I continued to think about the day before, I heard Him say, “Rest. Bobby, you are worried and bothered by many things,”

Recognizing that these were the words, Jesus said to Martha in Luke 10:38-42, I responded, “But only one thing is needed.”

In the story of the two sisters, I’d always identified with the busy older sister, named Martha. But I’d longed to be like Mary, who sat at Jesus’ feet listening to His words.

Mary cared more about Jesus than accomplishments.

I wanted to be like Mary, but I was much more like Martha.

“You can be like Mary, but you must trust Me deeply,” He responded to my thoughts.

How?

“To be like Mary, thoughts of yourself must end; thoughts of doing, thoughts of pleasing, thoughts of measuring up must be replaced by trust; trust in what My Son did on the cross. He did it all for you. He brought you back from annihilation. He freed you. He completed you. He is worth all your attention.

When you do, He’ll take care of everything else.”

He said no more that morning. 

Later, Sammy and Milly joined us for church. The sermon was on Psalm 27, particularly verse 4.

Again, I would hear about “one thing.”

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

“How’d you like the sermon,” Jill asked Sammy and Milly, as we enjoyed our lunch at Lizard’s Thicket after church.

“I liked the focus on worship,” Sammy replied.

“Yes,” Milly chimed in. “Could life really be as simple as the one thing of worshipping God? What about all the things we have to do? We can’t just forget about them.”

“I’ve thought the same thing,” Jill added. “I was reading about this verse in a book about worshiping. The author mentioned that David’s one thing of desiring God above everything else was the mainspring for everything else in his life, his commanding, his ruling, his writing, everything.” [1]

“Wow, that makes a lot of sense,” said Sammy. “That softens the conflict in my head. Like the story of Mary and Martha and how Jesus told Martha that one thing is needed.” 

I couldn’t believe what was happening. The very thing I heard on the packages that morning, was playing out before my eyes in a deep conversation. I was about to mention the packages for the first time to anyone, when my phone vibrated.

Glancing at my watch, I saw it was Kevin.

“Excuse me,” I said. “I need to take this.”

As I stepped outside and answered the phone, I heard, “Rest.”

“You okay,” I asked.

“Not at all,” Kevin exclaimed tersely. “I knew you were at church and wanted to be sure our process was still going. On my way in, I passed Mike driving away. I don’t think he saw me.

“When I got upstairs, the server was off. When I rebooted, I was able to restart the remaining batches. But the abrupt termination of the one which was running has corrupted a large block of data. And it was for the new client.”

I tried to console Kevin, but he came unglued. He was going to resigned on the spot, but I told to hold on until I got there

To Be Continued

[1] How to worship Jesus Christ  by Joseph S. Carrol, pages 22-26

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

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

 

Robby Buck

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 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

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

 

A Stunning Comparison

Rubbish

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

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

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

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

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

Counted as Dung

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

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

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

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

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

What is so much greater?

Gaining Christ.

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

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

Prayer

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

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

I love you.

Amen.

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

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

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

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

 

Robby Buck

Novels by the Author:

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

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

 

Loving Along the Way, Seeking the Kingdom of God

In the Moments (Simplicity in Christ)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From Jesus’ very words, I get my answer.

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

Simplicity isn’t peace as the world gives it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Seek First

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

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

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

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

Love as He’s Loved us

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

Jesus boils things down to simple terms.

Love.

How do we love? As He’s loved us.

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

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

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

Wow, This is the kind of life I want.

Challenge

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

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

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

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

Linger in the ever presence peace of Christ.

Prayer

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

You have given me understanding and insight.

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

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

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

With all my love, Amen. 

Other posts in our series In The Moments:

As Sea Gulls Fly

The Gift of Presence

It is Finished

Behold the Moments

Tranquility

Stop Striving

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

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

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

Novels by the Author:

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

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

Fearless

The Cake Maker’s Blunder (Republished in the Moments)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How Does Perfect Love Cast Out Fear?

Perfect Love

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

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

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

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

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

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

Disagreeing with Lies

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

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

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

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (II Corinthians 10:3-5 NASB).

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

Remaining in Perfect Love

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Prayer

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

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

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

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

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

Amen.

[1] Philippians 4:6-7

[2] Ephesians 1:18-20

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

Other Posts in our Rhythms of Joy Series:

Joy is Important Because it’s an Experience of God

The Amazing Connection Between Grace and Joy

Moving from Discouraged to Encouraged

Coming to Terms with Hard Things

What About Me?

Pleasing Pop

In the Shadow of Emmanuel

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

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

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

 Novels by the Author:

Rob Buck

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

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

 

God With Us, God's Greater Story

In the Shadow of Emmanuel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Here I am,” Moses replied. [2]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prayer

Dear Lord,

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

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

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

I love you Lord. 

Amen.

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

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

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

[2] Exodus 3:4

[3] Exodus 3:6-7

[4] Exodus 3:14

Other Posts in our Rhythms of Joy Series:

Joy is Important Because it’s an Experience of God

The Amazing Connection Between Grace and Joy

Moving from Discouraged to Encouraged

Coming to Terms with Hard Things

What About Me?

Pleasing Pop

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

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

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

 Novels by the Author:

Rob Buck

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

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

 

Addiction to Pleasing People

Pleasing Pop

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

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

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

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

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

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

People Pleasing

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

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

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

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

Focused

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prayer

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

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

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

Amen.

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

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

[2] John 5:30

[3] John 13

[4] Ephesians 1:3-10

[5] Colossians 3:3

[6] Zephaniah 3:17

Other Posts in our Rhythms of Joy Series:

Joy is Important Because it’s an Experience of God

The Amazing Connection Between Grace and Joy

Moving from Discouraged to Encouraged

Coming to Terms with Hard Things

What About Me?

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

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

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

 Novels by the Author:

Rob Buck

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

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