You are my Joy

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

You know what has been on my mind lately? Joy. I have been thinking recently about the joy in my life and sometimes the lack thereof and the situations in which it is present and the situations in which it is not.

Recently I was in a situation that brings me great joy to think about but it also brings sadness. The joy comes from the situation itself and the sadness from my reaction and the way I handled the situation at the time. Now out of all of this I have begun to think about why it is that I acted that way and how I could let my joy be stolen from me. Do you know what conclusion I came to? Do you know who the culprit was? Me and my sin. My sin stole my joy. My selfishness did not allow me to look beyond my own expectations and feelings long enough to take joy in the situation presented to me. Not only did it not allow me to take joy in that situation but my actions also stole the joy from someone very close to me who was also involved.

I know that I am probably rambling and anyone who reads this is wondering what point I am trying to make. Let me enlighten you: SIN STEALS YOUR JOY. You become so wrapped up in your own wants, desires, expectations, and self that you cannot see the wonderful gift that your Father is presenting you. You cannot see Him or hear from Him when you are too busy listening to your own voice telling you that life isn't fair and this isn't the way you wanted this to go. The world tells you that you deserve the best and that anyone who says different doesn't love you or care about you and you should leave them behind. But God's Word tells us that we deserve death (Romans 6:23; Romans 3:23). God's Word tells us that it is by GRACE ALONE that we are able to come into the Father's presence at all (Romans 9:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). This thought alone should be cause for great joy in our lives!

It is an unfortunate thing for the Christian to be melancholy. If there is any man in the world that has a right to have a bright, clear face and a flashing eye, it is the man whose sins are forgiven him, who is saved with God's salvation.

-Charles Spurgeon

Brothers and sisters, I plead with you not to let the sin in your life steal your joy. You may be in a situation similar to mine where you don't recognize your own selfishness or the effects of your sin on others around you. Search your heart. Ask the Lord to bring this sin to light so that you may repent! Ask the Lord to return to you the "joy of your salvation" (Psalm 51:12).

Sorrow for sin should be the keenest sorrow; joy in the Lord should be the loftiest joy. -Charles Spurgeon

I must confess that I did not come to these conclusions on my own. I had help from a very good and sweet friend that spoke Truth to me and made me see my sin and what I had allowed it to do.

A Time to be Thankful

I am sure that many people are contemplating what they are thankful for today, on this day that we so creatively call Thanksgiving Day. At least, I hope that's what they're doing! There really is little to worry about with the feast and all {after all, my green bean casserole is PERFECTLY DIVINE every time I make it, so I'm definitely not worried about starving this year} because many of us would jump at the chance to make any other day of the year a feast day to stuff ourselves and nap over and over throughout the day.

If nothing else, this day serves as a reminder that I don't practice being outwardly thankful for everything in my life. Salvation, family, friends, love, being an American, having a job... in addition to many other material things that are just a small cherry on top of the HUGE sundae God made when he gave up his Son to die on the cross for us!

So go ahead and make your list -check in twice in preparation for Christmas!- of what you're thankful for, and remember what should be listed as the all-time number one thing you're thankful for.

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!" -Psalm 118:1

Believe, you, Jesus

In Mark, chapter 9, Jesus comes upon a man arguing with his disciples. This man was a father, who had a son that was being seized by impure spirits. In desperation, this father had asked the disciples to heal his son and found that they could not. In steps Jesus, and the spirits within the boy had a physical reaction to the nearness of the Lord.  Seeing this scene, Jesus responds with these honest words,

“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered.  “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

- Mark 9:19-24

Several things stand out to me about this passage. First, Jesus' reaction the father is somewhat surprising to me. The Jesus in my head is gentleness and compassion. To be sure, He IS those things. But His response here is bordering on frustration towards a generation with doubting hearts. This father is desperate and He knows that Jesus and His disciples offer some hope - why else would he be carrying on so? He is crying out for help, to save his child. What parent wouldn't? But he needed a miracle. He needed for the impossible to happen. Did he believe that Jesus was special? I believe he did. I think he had hope that THIS man could be the answer. But did He think that Jesus could do the miraculous? No. He may have wanted to, but doubt crept in and made him question, made him doubt his hope. And thus, he believed and still had unbelief.

I have been there myself. I have wanted to believe that God could do wondrous things in my life and the lives of others. I have desired for Him to swoop in and right my wrongs. And I have desperately prayed for Jesus to do something major and miraculous in my life. And in my praying and seeking, I fully believed that Jesus was huge and big. But when it comes down to it, there is still a piece of me that has trouble letting go of that unbelief. But I am not alone in this problem:

In the Old Testament, we know that God helped Moses lead the Israelites out of Egypt. In doing so, He provided a slew of signs and wonders to help them get by. He provided a cloud by day and a fire by night to lead them through the wilderness. He made it rain manna from Heaven that they would eat and not be hungry. He made water from the rocks so that they might not thirst. And He parted a Red Sea so that they might escape their enemies. In all this, God was faithful. And yet, at every turn, the Israelites grumbled and complained to Moses about their state and conditions.

There is great power in the one who is full of belief in God and the promises about who He says He is and what He says He will do.

¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame." Romans 10:9-11

And yet, most of us are like Thomas. We need to see to believe. There must be proof before there is a commitment. But what are we asking God to prove? That He can? That He will? That He wants to? Thomas said:

“Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

 
And in His mercy, the Lord provided help for the unbelief, when He said to Thomas,

 

“Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” - John 20:25-29

 

Jesus must get frustrated with our lack of faith. We have seen that in the scriptures. And yet, He continues to answer our call for sight. He continues to show us what we need to see to trust and follow Him. Jesus knows we are a people born of weakness who desire belief, but also struggle with unbelief. He has designed the gospel to fulfill that need. This is also why He performed those signs and wonders we spoke of. The book of John closes with these verses:

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe^[b] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. - John 20:30-31

Where are you right now when it comes to belief? Are you finding it easy to believe? Or are you experiencing a Thomas moment? Maybe, like the father in the first example you are wrestling with unbelief in a desperation to find belief. Wherever you are at, offer it up to Jesus. Ask Him to help you with your unbelief and He will. His desire, His whole plan, is that we would believe and have life in Him. 

Hurts So Good

Do you wonder why you have to,
feel the things that hurt you,
if there's a God who loves you,
where is He now?

Maybe, there are things you can't see
and all those things are happening
to bring a better ending
some day, some how, you'll see, you'll see

Would dare you, would you dare, to believe,
that you still have a reason to sing,
'cause the pain you've been feeling,
can't compare to the joy that's coming

so hold on, you got to wait for the light
press on, just fight the good fight
because the pain you've been feeling,
it's just the dark before the morning

com'n, you got to wait for the light
press on, just fight the good fight
because the pain you've been feeling,
it's just the hurt before the healing
the pain you've been feeling,
just the dark before the morning
before the morning

- Josh Wilson "Before the Morning"

This song has been running through my mind a lot lately. It feels like this song was written for me, in this season of my life. And I am sure, all of you have had a season in your life where this song would have applied. Maybe you are in it right now. What I find interesting is that when you turn on the radio, there are so many songs about pain and sorrow. Even on the Christian radio stations. Life can be hard. That is a fact. So whether you have just entered in to the tough spots or are on the mend, take heart.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

 - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Make no mistake about it, these troubles are momentary. They will flee sooner or later. I need this reminder sometimes. I need to know that this pain is a temporary one. I see it like this... when we work out, the body feels it. And for a few days afterward we are sore and in pain. And sometimes this pain limits our movement and makes us regret the workout that got us there. But... the pain goes away. What's more is that the pain is necessary so that our body can build muscle and get stronger. We have to hurt a little now, to grow stronger later. This happens slowly, and take time and discipline. And so it is with us. We must go through a little pain to let our character grow. This is a slow process, it will not happen overnight. But it would NEVER happen if we didn't exercise our character by testing and stretchign it beyond it's comfort zone.

"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. "

- Romans 5:3-4"

When I was in high school I heard a sermon at camp once that changed my view of trials. This guy said, every Christian life goes through peaks and valleys. Both are exceedingly necessary in the life of a Christian. Those peaks are wonderful for providing rest and closeness to God. But the valleys are where life happens. If you look at real mountains, there are no trees on the peaks. But in the valley, the trees grow and flourish. Life happens in the valley. It can be a hard process to walk through them, and it may hurt and confuse us. But, God will provide a way out. We won't stay in the valley forever. And the peak will feel and taste a whole lot sweeter for all the trouble it took to get there.

"Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy."

 - Psalm 126:5

"You turned my wailing into dancing;
   you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
   LORD my God, I will praise you forever. " - Psalm 30:11-12"

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

 Matthew 11:25-30

Joy will come. Crying will cease. Peace will replace chaos and confusion. Broken hearts will be mended. This may not happen when we think it should or how we'd hoped it would. But... the Lord is gracious and He is faithful. He longs to hold us close and He loves to meet our every need. Embrace the moments of weakness. They will come no matter what. Why not make the most of them by celebrating the opportunity to trust God more?

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.

I do not give to you asthe world gives.

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

 - John 14:27

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

 - 2 Cor. 1:3-5

Blessed Beyond Measure

I guess if I wanted a thorough title that actually describes this post it really should be "Blessed Beyond Measure...but-I-am-really-bad-at-being-a-receiver-of-blessings-so-I-really-don't know-what-else-to-do-at this-current-stage-in-my-life-but-continue-to-surrender."

Literally. That is all I want to say. Well, the main points, but I could go on forever. Watch out.

Most recently the Lord has blessed me with peace and opportunity. Peace with his will for my life. And opportunities that abound out of nowhere and challenge me completely.

"May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!" -Psalm 29:11

Now, I am not a very peaceful person generally. But somehow the Lord has provided me with a sense of calmness and contentment in a certain area of my life. I would venture to say I am so peaceful that I am just about 100% indifferent with where the Lord takes me in this area. This is a very awesome and comforting feeling!

"Peace  I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubles, neither let them be afraid." -John 14:27

Of course I struggle with and pray daily that Satan does not steal this peace from me! I urge others to purge wonderings of what others think of you, past failures, fear of unknown circumstances, worry, and conflicts from their minds.

Opportunities-wise, the Lord has blessed me in immeasurable ways. I am TERRIBLE at receiving gifts. It's better to give than receive right? That's the way I like to see it. But when we are being blessed by those around us and given opportunities directly from the Lord we cannot pass that up with our nose in the air looking beyond it as if we never saw it come slap us in the face like a fly swatter. Yes, I have done that before, and yes, I agree that was not a smart move. I stumbled upon this quote by Watchman Nee, and I have come to realize that the biggest hindrance to God's blessings for me was MYSELF. Oops- my bad. So I am definitely working on removing this hindrance from the Lord's blessings I have received.

"Today it should be our main concern so to
live that God will not have to withdraw His blessing. On the one
hand we must learn to rely upon it; on the other hand we must
learn to deal with everything that would hinder it." -Watchman Nee

???Are you missing out on peace or blessings because of refusal to receive them from the Lord? What are your hindrances in this area???

That's My Boat

This weekend I visited my old church and got to hear one of my favorite preachers deliver a good Word on standing firm in adversity. While there were many golden nuggets in his message (which you can hear in its entirity here: http://www.tnova.org/media.php?pageID=22, under the date 11/7/10), the one that stood out to me was this quote:

"There are things we learn in the storm that we can not learn on the shore".

 - Pastor Kyle Cheatham                    

How very, very true. Most people hate the storms of life because they bring chaos to our routines and habits. They force us in to an unwanted place of DIScomfort, and we are a people who love our own comfort. It is much easier to enjoy life from the shore, where we can watch the wind and the waves, but not necessarily feel them. I would say that many people would prefer the safe and secure life, but this is seldom where the growth occurs. 

I am reminded of the story of Peter's walk on the water with Jesus. Peter and the other disciples where in a boat, on the water, in the middle of a terrible storm. And Jesus comes walking toward them, on the water. The disciples were afraid and Jesus calmed them by revealing Himself to them. 

"Peter answered him, 'Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.' He said, 'Come.' So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?' - Matthew 14:28-31

Peter was a fisherman by trade. He knew how to work a boat and had done so many times. And yet, the storm of this night was enough to make even him afraid of capsizing. He and his disciple friends were trying to figure out the best plan of action when along came Jesus, walking on the water. And Peter asked to join Him in the water. In the midst of these terrible conditions, Peter had eyes only for Jesus, and he asked to join Him in the wind and the waves.

What I love about this story is the fact that it forces me to think about the driving force in my own life, is it faith or fear? Fear keeps us rooted in the boat (or on the shore), where we feel safe. But faith gives us that courage to step out of the boat, and risk failure.

In verse 22 , the Bible says, "Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd." Did you catch that? Jesus put the disciples in the boat and sent them out. He knew the storms were coming and He sent them in to it anyway, in a tiny boat no less. There will always be storms in life, even for those who are obedient to do what the Lord asks. The disciples were not spared the discomfort of the storm simply by entering the boat at Jesus' command. But when Jesus came, at the most unexpected moment and in the most unexpected circumstances, only one voice asked to join Jesus in the water.

Peter stepped out, and he did sink. But did he fail? He alone stepped in to the water, for no other reason than because that was where Jesus was at. He sensed the opportunity to be near Him and to do something that required faith and he "came toward Jesus" while the others remained in the boat. That is not failure. That is faith. It is true that sometimes faith fails us when we need it most. Sometimes our initial faith fails us and we sink. But even then, Jesus is near enough to lift us up. The other eleven disciples stayed safe in the boat. They let their fear keep them from doing something remarkable. Only Peter got to experience the joy of walking on the water with Jesus.

I ask you today: what is your boat? What is that thing in your life that keeps you comfortable and safe? What are you afraid of losing and leaving the most? That is your boat. And where are you in regards to that boat? Are you sitting firmly in it? Are you straddling the boat with one foot in the water? Or have you stepped out of the boat to walk towards Jesus?

In this moment of your life, what is guiding you, your fear of the storm, or your faith in the one who made it?

Much of this comes from the book "If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat" by John Ortberg. For anyone who is interested.

Words of wisdom in the beauty of song...

This is a song that I never get tired of singing and it's a wonderful reminder. Enjoy!

I will not take My love away

when praises cease and seasons change

the whole world turns the other way

I will not take My love away

I will not leave you all alone

when striving leads you far from home

when there's no yield for what you've sown

I will not leave you all alone

I will give you what you need

in plenty or in poverty

forever, always, look to Me

and I will give you what you need

I will not take My love away

"I Will Not Take My Love Away" by Matt Wertz

Beneficial versus Permissible

I am what most people would call an emotional thinker. My heart is perpetually on my sleeve, and usually across my face, for everyone to see and interpret. Quite often I let my feelings dictate the way I think about something. As in "I feel at peace about this" or "this just feels right to me". I was content to just go about my merry way and chalk this up to one of the things that make me Leslie. However, I have recently been asked two questions that have caused me to stop and think about this:

1) Is it unBiblical to trust your feelings?
2) Should we just accept that something is right because it is considered inherent to our personality?

The second question is much easier to answer. No, we should certainly not just allow ourselves freedom to act a certain way because that is "who we are". One of the best things I have read about this came from one of my dear friends blogs (entitled Knowing Aint Even half the Battle). He said it so good the first time that I will let him say it now:

                      "i know my tendency is to chalk up certain things to "that's just how i'm wired." God has obviously wired us all uniquely and specifically and i'm not suggesting all of our personalities should dissolve so that we're a bunch of Christ-bots with no humanity in us. BUT we should be characterized by Christ and we should deny the flesh. the point is that people see Christ, not us...because our personalities/emotions are natural, we embrace and justify them, but our sin is natural, too, and we seek to deny it. where is that line drawn? denying ourselves is made up of more than just doing what Christ wants. it means doing the things Christ wants with the attitude Christ would have. of course, the key to that is wanting what Christ wants so much so that it becomes what "we" want."
One of the most convicting verses for me is 1 Corinthians 10:23,

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive."

It would be very easy to say, "I am just a bear in the morning" (which I have actually said before), and then allow ourselves to act grumpy and rude to people because hey, we gave them fair warning. But I think that the Bible is very clear on the fact that we should deny our flesh and pursue the fruits of the Spirit, which last time I checked did not include "grumpy" or "cranky". And here is how this ties in, because I ask myself should I be allowed to let my emotions control me because I am an "emotional" person? Heck no. While it is permissible for me to have feelings and use them, it is not entirely beneficial for me to let them be my benchmark for decision making or compass for guidance. Why? (pay attention because this is the answer to question #1):

We have been given emotions so that we may know Christ and His love more fully and so that we may show this love to others. God encourages us to emote by asking us to show the fruits of the Spirit - peace, joy, patience and love - in Galatians 5:22. However, one of the other fruits He mentions is "self-control". This was added because of the list of emotions he gives right before the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:20 - "hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy". As believers, we are entitled to emotions. They are natural and they are always present. But they are not always good and they are not always right. Even the good emotions can be misleading. We can put so much stock on emotions that we forget logic and run headlong in to a terrible situation because it felt "fun" or "good" or "easy". Emotions change with circumstances and with our mood. They are hard to predict and therefore harder to trust. This may be why the Bible instructs us that:

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.Who can understand it?" - Jeremiah 17:9

or

"There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. " - Proverbs 14:12

or

"Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe. " - Proverbs 28:26

Even Paul thought he was doing the right thing when he persecuted the Jews, "I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth"(Acts 26:9). He believed that he was being led in this way, to the point that he was "convinced" inside himself.

Our emotions are helpful in telling us how to decipher conviction and for leading us in to worship and intimacy with God. They are important for us to understand the pain of others and to have compassion and sympathy for those who suffer. Not all emotions are bad. Some are very, very good. We are called over and over again to love and kindness. However, we can not base our decisions on the way that we feel. Jeremiah 10:23 says, "LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps". Our wisdom and discernment should not be internal. The driving force behind our actions should come from the knowledge of an external source, the Bible. This should be our road map and compass for deciding what is good and right and beneficial to our lives.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105

Believe me, I am struggling through this myself. I basically live my life by the way I feel at a given moment. I seek to understand my own feelings far more than I seek to understand how God feels about something. I have had a surge of emotions lately that have been confusing and changing. It has been hard for me to keep up with them and harder for me to understand them. But, in light of what the Bible has made clear, I need to stop focusing on my feelings and start balancing them with the facts. And those can only be found inside the Bible and can be interpreted by the Holy Spirit within me. In this I feel quite confident.