Tag Archives: Psalm 37:4

The connection between Thanksgiving and Joy

Gratitude, Key to a Life of Joy

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What I read felt totally outlandish. How could it be true? A good friend has a mass on their chest. They go in for a biopsy on Thursday. A marriage is in trouble. A job was lost. Relationships are broken. A long-time friend died of a brain tumor. Loved ones are sick. People are in deep emotional pain.

Considering things like this, what I read seems impossible. And it isn’t even a suggestion. It is a command.

Always be joyful.  Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus (I Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT).

Be thankful in all circumstances?

I do believe God is for me and that His indwelling Spirit enables me to carry out what He commands. But to always be grateful is hard to imagine. How can it be?

How is it Possible to always be Grateful?

To be truly grateful in everything, I must pull my perspective away from my circumstances. I must realize that God has something far richer in mind for me than an easy, comfortable life.

From God’s word, here’s what I know:

I was created with deep longings which can only be satisfied by God Himself.[1]

Delighting in God, enjoying Him, loving Him, and praising Him, satisfies these deep longings. [2]

Pursuing things of this world to satisfy my soul leave me empty and headed for destruction.[3]

God uses all things for my greater benefit, according to His purposes, not mine.[4]

Above all things, God is at work to make me more and more like Jesus.[5]

Following Jesus means His character being formed in me, not by my efforts, but by dependence upon His Spirit within me.[6]

In Jesus’ endurance of the cross, He remained fixed upon God’s greater purposes, even during excruciating pain.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2 NASB).

On the cross, Jesus had Joy.

Relational Joy.

 Fueled by His love for His Father and for us, joy strengthened Jesus through unbearable pain. 

No matter what else is going on in our lives, the fact that Jesus, Lord of Lord and King of Kings, values us enough to lay down His life for our relationship with Him, should fill our hearts with overflowing gratitude. And gratitude draws us near to God, the source of all Joy.[7]

Gratitude, the Gateway to Relational Joy

If I’m bemoaning my circumstances, the eternal overshadowing joy of the Lord can never be experienced.

If I’m only measuring how I’m doing by how my life is going, I’ll tend to be ungrateful, and joy will be killed.

God is not absent from my pain. In fact, if I call upon Him, my Ever-Present Help in Trouble [8], His peaceful nearness cleanses and heals deep parts of my heart, untapped when circumstances are easy.

From personal experience, I’m fortified in my troubles when I turn to God for comfort and not the false affections of the world.

Our gratitude for the gifts God gives us, especially everlasting life with Him, invites our soul to develop a posture of thanksgiving. God is good and God is for us. The more we see this, and point everything back to Him in glorious thanksgiving and praise, joy will grow and spill over into rejoicing, come what may.

Practice It

Think about a present trouble in your life. It could be related to health, finances, relationships, busyness, or any number of difficulties in this broken world.

 In the midst our very hard times, God invites us to call on Him as our Comforter in all we face.[9] He is for us. He is near to our broken hearts.[10]

As you receive the comfort of His nearness, thank Him. Thank Him for being with you and for the price He paid for your reconciliation. Realize that especially in your trials, He’s always at work to make you more and more like Jesus.

Ask Him to bring other things to your mind to be grateful for. Develop a habit of giving all thanks and glory to God.

As did Corrie Ten Boom, present all praise from others as fragrant offers back to God.

When people come up and give me a compliment… I take each remark as if it were a flower. At the end of the day I lift up the bouquet of flowers I have gathered throughout the day and say, ‘Here you are, Lord, it is all Yours.’” Corrie Ten Boom

Prayer

Lord, I’m sorry that I haven’t developed a regular rhythm of thanking You for everything in my life. The more I walk with you, the more I’m convinced that you are for me and that You are at work in every aspect of my life. Please help me thank you for the pleasant times and the heart aches.

Teach me to linger and savor Your life all around. Slow me down to pause and thank You at every turn.

Thank You for the way joy is unleashed when I have a heart of gratitude. When I’m thankful, the joy of my relationship with You explodes in my soul.

Please keep me focused on loving You, thanking You, and loving those You bring my way.

Amen.

[1] Ecclesiastes 3:11

[2] Psalm 37:4

[3] I Timothy 6:9, Matthew 6:19

[4] Romans 8:28

[5] Romans 8:29

[6] Galatians 4:19, Galatians 2:20

[7] Psalm 16:11

[8] Psalm 46:1-3

[9] II Corinthians 1:3-5

[10] Psalm 34:18

Please Check out the new Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in the Midlands of South Carolina.

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

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

 Novels by the Author:

Rob Buck

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

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

In Christ, Our Union with Christ, Seated with Christ

Rhythms: UP (Raised up With Christ)

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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 in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1 NASB).

But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption (I Corinthians 1:30 NASB),

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, 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)

[7] Siri Dictionary

Previous posts in the UP series:

Amazing Love

Essential Love

What Hides God’s Love

Christ Lives in Me

.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:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

Being Filled with the Holy Spirit, Our Union with Christ

Water Balloons

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When’s the last time you had a water balloon fight? You need to know there’s an awesome new gadget which keeps you from having to blow up each balloon and meticulously tie it. 35 balloons are connected to small tubes with a hose fixture at the other end. As the balloons fill up, the weight causes them to drop and automatically tie. We tried them with our grandkids last summer. So fun! Before we figured out how it worked, I pulled off a balloon before it was full. All the water gushed out leaving nothing to fight with but empty, colored rubber. Comparatively, am I venturing out like a flat balloon into my daily battles?

Being Filled with the Spirit

As children of God, we’re called to be filled with the Spirit.[1] Paul tells us that, after hearing the good news of salvation and believing, we’ve been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.[2] But if the Holy Spirit is enveloped within us, what does it mean to be filled? Do we get more of the Spirit or does it mean we’re to make ourselves more available for His use?

Scripture tells us to:

  • Present ourselves to God, surrendered for His use as living sacrifices.[3]
  • Be intoxicated with Him [4]
  • Love others as He’s loved us.[5]
  • Be assured of our completeness in Christ, to understand we’re filled to the brim and overflowing with Him.[6]
  • To be full of joy in Him, always.[7]

As we ponder these truths and put them into practice, we’re presenting ourselves for use by the Holy Spirit.

The Secret to Being Filled

Being filled with the Spirit involves intentional times alone in quiet and rest, especially in times of difficulties. When things got hectic during His day, Jesus told his disciples, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest awhile.” (Mark 6:31b NASB)

Jesus Himself would often get up early and find an isolated place to pray.[8]

We NEED times alone, but perhaps the best description for being filled by the Holy Spirit was given by Jesus the night before He died, “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)

Abiding also means remaining, tarrying, staying put, dwelling. Don’t move from the hose. Be filled. If not, what we do will be worth NOTHING.

We’re just as useless as an unfilled balloon in a water balloon fight when we try anything of eternal significance on our own. The Christian life has always been a life of surrender and dependence. Take opportunities to rest in what Christ has done for you.  Tarry long in times of refreshment. Be continually filled with Rivers of Living Water for every battle which awaits.

Lord, being filled by Your Spirit is essential to my Christian journey. I’m sorry for the times I’ve ventured out without You. You’re showing me how ineffective I am without You. Please remind me often. Lead me into a life of dependence, being continually filled by Your Holy Spirit. Amen.

[1] Ephesians 5:18

[2] Ephesians 1:12-13

[3] Romans 12:1-2

[4] Ephesians 5:18-19

[5] John 13:34-35, John 15:12

[6] Colossians 2:9-10

[7] Psalm 37:4, Philippians 4:4

[8] Mark 1:35

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:

Beyond Time

Hope Remains

Photo by Ben Chappell

What’s so Important about Joy?

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Lately, I’ve heard a lot about joy.  Scripture is full of verses on it and its many derivatives. And what’s not to like about feeling joyous?  It seems to touch a deep longing, leaving us craving more.  Were we designed to need it and seek it? Will we keep searching for it until we find it, or die trying?

King Solomon recognized his own deep emptiness, though he was the wisest man alive and abundantly wealthy. He tried all manner of worldly delights to feel satisfied: wine, work, gardening, building, servants, possessions, wealth and women.[1]  He denied himself nothing , yet concluded his search was “vanity and striving after the wind.”  Ecclesiastes 2:11b

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

He would later conclude, that God has set eternity in the hearts of men.[2]  He realized the impossibility of trying to fill an endless heart with temporal delights.

Do you recognize the same deep longings in your soul? Have past moments of delight given you hints of what might be? Think back on your days of innocence, before your hearts was hardened by life’s pains. Do you remember times when your heart tingled with gladness:  fire flies illuminating a summer night, the rhythmic sound of waves at the beach, the cool breezes of early fall, colorful Christmas lights, the smell of baking cookies, a visit from your grandparent?

Magical moments may still delight us, but life has a way of desensitizing us. We lose the scent of these whiffs of joy and travel down many paths in search of their sweet aroma.

But alas:

  • The path of pleasant circumstances is overgrown with thorns.
  • The path of feeling good has unexpected pits of addiction and rosy alleyways of denial
  • The path of success rises up into exhaustion
  • The path of popularity robs us of our identity
  • The path of wealth trudges into ever increasing longings

These and all false paths leave us empty and utterly joyless, often hurting those we love along the way.

The only path to the deep joy we long for is the path to Eternal God, who designed us to be satisfied only in Him.

In God’s presence is fullness of joy.[3] He fills our hearts with more gladness than when harvest and new wine abound.[4]  When we delight in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our hearts.[5]

Lord, help us not to fall into Solomon’s trap. The glitter of riches, success and pleasure can keep us in a boundless pursuit of fool’s gold. If we could carry this quests to the ends Solomon did, we too would find them vain pursuits, a chasing after the wind. Lord, may we seek You, the Pearl of Great Value, worthy of our all.[6]

You’ve made a path to you, by the death of Your Son. When we commit ourselves to you, trusting what Christ has done for our righteousness, You rescue us and make us your children. You travel life with us, promising to never leave us, though we pass through the valley of death .[7] When our days are done, you’ll lead us into glory,[8] where our hearts will rejoice forever in joy inexpressible and full of glory.

Please keep us focused only on you, our Unfailing Joy.

 

Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I will say Rejoice. Philippians 4:4

 

[1] Ecclesiastes 2:1-10

[2] Ecclesiastes 3:11

[3] Psalm 16:11

[4] Psalm 4:7

[5] Psalm 37:4

[6] Matthew 13:46

[7] Psalm 23:4

[8] Psalm 73:24