For the Joy

Hebrews 12:2

For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Every Easter, the world sees Christians celebrating a gruesome death. Some might see it that way, but that’s not all there is to it.

On Easter Sunday morning, many people enter a church with expectation and hope. They want to come together to celebrate life with joyful singing. But what happened to provide that scene?

Just as in fiction where the hero has to overcome terrible conflict in order to save the world from destruction and have a happy ending, Christians are aware that their blessings came from horrors endured by someone other than themselves.

When we have conflict in our lives, we have to separate what we want from what we have to do. We can take our example from Jesus. Before he was on the cross, he had time alone with God in prayer and asked if he could somehow not go through with it. Then he acknowledged his true goal: to do the will of his father.

He saw beyond the cross.

Jesus knew what was ahead of him and how it would feel. There would be painful, skin-ripping torture.  He would have nails driven into his skin. He also knew that pain would be temporary.

So he looked at the joy.

How does one find joy in an upcoming torture and crucifixion? The joy in Jesus was greater than the pain. The joy was not temporary, but eternal.

When he prayed about what he had to experience, he was battling through the temptations we all face as humans. He was not above temptation, but dealt with it daily. His flesh cried out in anticipation of the soon-coming pain. But Jesus knew his purpose.

He’s our Savior. He came to us to show us the great love of God. Without his sacrifice, we would all be dealing with our own sins. Instead, his sacrifice in our place paved the way for our return to God. Because of his persevering obedience, we can be gathered into the embrace of God for all eternity.

His pain paid for our freedom. And now, we can accept his invitation to live in his joy.

Jesus knew we would be together with him. He did whatever he had to do to make that happen.

He lived and died for the joy of eternity with us.

So anytime you think you’re not special to God, just look at a cross.

Make Your Community Better, part four

2 Corinthians 9:7

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Part Four: Give with a passion

Show some passion for doing what you love. Many people get involved in a job they love, but allow the mundaneness of everyday life to drag all the joy out of it. After a while, they are burned out and uninterested in something that used to make them excited to go to work. 

If this is you, take a moment to reflect on the reasons you used to love what you do. Find out if there is anything still in you that thrills you about that job. You can make a list of ways you used to do things and revisit them one by one to see if you can revitalize your passion. 

Then jump in. Dive into your job with renewed vigor. Use your job as a ministry where you can serve your coworkers and customers with the renewed passion that is building up in you.

Serve with verve. Give to others with exuberance and put some pep in your step. 

Coming up: Part Five! 

Want to start at the beginning? Here's Part One.

With God, All Things Are Possible

Matthew 19:26

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

In 2016, I started writing again in the hope that I would push past all the barriers that held me back from publishing for the last two decades. 

In an effort to stay focused, I went on a writing retreat and wrote the first third of a new novel. But life got in the way. My writing was paused while I juggled all of the different areas of my responsibilities. 

I held steadfastly to the belief that I could put a product in the marketplace and earn some money. The plan was to produce a book that would be beneficial to my readers. So I wrote Heroine: Rising to the Challenge, a nonfiction book for women. In a few short months, I edited and formatted it, and I bought a book cover.

I published that book in January of 2017. 

The struggle of self-publishing taught me a lot. The book in my hands was proof that I could actually create a book that other people would pay me real money for. So I continued the struggle to produce a novel. 

Over the years, I had started plenty of novels. I never really stopped writing, just hopped from one story to the next as I got stuck in each one. In an effort to make sure my novel was the best it could be, I hired a writing coach who would steer me around the possible problems and help me avoid big mistakes. I hired an editor and a formatter to make the product look professional and to improve the book’s readability. 

Only eleven short months after my first book was published, I released my debut novel, The Promotion, as an ebook. 

God was the one who gave me the gift of writing, the stubbornness to keep at it, and the encouragement and support along the way. I knew God wanted me to keep writing, so I kept the giver of my gift in mind as I wrote. I wanted him to be proud of my work. 

Now I can celebrate my victory with joy and thanksgiving because I know the reason behind my accomplishment is God. 

It’s important to remember what God wants you to do. He’s the one who makes all things possible for us. 

Want to learn more about becoming a published author? Take this free course today. And read this blog post about self-publishing on Amazon.

Songs of Joy

Psalm 126:2

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

I remember singing “Bringing in the Sheaves” when I was growing up in church. I found out that sheaves were the cut and bound grains that were brought in from the field at harvest time. Several of my great-grandparents were farmers. They knew all about waiting for the harvest, wondering if all their hard work would pay off. Psalm 126 tells the story of farmers rejoicing at harvest time.

People who work in fields of grain (farmers) feel joy when their crop comes in and gives them a good payoff. All during the growing season, they had to protect their crop from its natural enemies: bad weather, drought, insects, disease.

Likewise, people who work in fields of spiritual rebirth (pastors, missionaries, Christians world-wide) feel joy when they see the harvest from the seeds they’ve sown. They’ve prayed over their seeds that God would protect their growing season and allow a good harvest. When they see the person who had been captive to sin making the decision to hold onto God’s hand and trust him for their rescue, they are filled with more joy than the farmers experience.

Songs of joy are a natural response when a period of waiting is followed by good news. How many times have you heard a loud “Hallelujah!” as if someone was at a Handel’s Messiah sing-a-long, only to discover that the person had just received good news?

We train our children to say “Thank you” when someone does something good for them. Singing a song of thanksgiving to God is so easy. He’s always listening.

David

Psalm 27:4

One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

When I think of strong men, I think of Moses who led millions out of slavery. I think of Caleb and Joshua who were the only two who brought back a good report from the land flowing with milk and honey. I think of Daniel who refused to worship anyone but the one true God, even if that meant being thrown to the lions. I think of John who identified himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved, even at the cross. In the home of Lazarus, Jesus explained (in Luke 10:42) that “few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

What was the “one thing” that both Mary and David knew was important? Being with God.

If you are someone who gets quiet before God and really listens, you are developing your “one thing”. Your relationship with God is such a precious thing. It must be nurtured and protected and valued.

David knew as a boy that his strength in protecting the sheep wasn’t his own ability. He knew his victory over Goliath wasn’t a man-made victory. He knew his time with God was the energy behind all of his triumphs.

David sang songs of praise to God in the sheep pastures. He wasn’t working on a singer-songrwriter career. He just wanted to praise his God. I don’t know if he realized he was building his strength in those moments.

It wasn’t a surprise to those who knew him that he danced before God like a wild man. In 2 Samuel 6:5, we find that David and 30,000 men were “celebrating with all their might”. Picture a procession of 30,000 energetic men playing castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals and guiding a cart with the ark of God on it. David wasn’t dancing to put on a show, but to honor and praise God.

A strong man can ignore the stares of people who don’t understand the joy of a relationship with God. A strong man can ignore jealous nay-sayers who are skeptical when he explains his celebration. A strong man can stay faithful to God even when his life is threatened by a giant.

How are you becoming a strong man or woman?

Facing Disease

Luke 17:15-16

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan.

I understand from Bible stories that Jews and Samaritans did not get along very well. Yet two popular stories speak well of Samaritans. The Good Samaritan was someone who took care of a wounded person on the side of the road – someone who probably wouldn’t have taken care of him if their roles were reversed. Another Samaritan was one of ten men with leprosy.

Luke 17:11-19 tells the story of the one out of ten who thanked God for healing him. The oft-asked question is: why didn’t the other nine throw themselves at the feet of Jesus and thank him?

I couldn’t begin to put myself in their position since I’ve never been faced with that kind of torturous, flesh-eating disease. It would be a very scary situation. It’s a rot-while-you-wait kind of slow death. I would imagine living in a colony of lepers and watching everyone around you go through the same pain you’re feeling could destroy anyone’s positive outlook.

When these ten men saw Jesus, they yelled and tried to get his attention. They wanted relief, and Jesus had a reputation for giving people their lives back. When Jesus yelled back for them to go to the priest, he wasn’t putting them off. They were supposed to let the priest officially pronounce them clean and healed.

I don’t know what the other nine were thinking as they went on their way. However, I know that when your life is given back to you because of a miraculous healing, God did it. God should be thanked.

If something good happens to you that turns your life upside down, I wonder if you automatically think, “Wow, this is my lucky day.” Or do you thank God?

I’m pretty sure Jesus appreciated the joyful praises that came from the Samaritan. You and I don’t have to wait for God to perform another miracle. We can fill the air with joyful praises to God for what he’s already done. Why wait for God to answer another prayer when he’s already done so much for us? We don’t have to wait. We can praise God right now.

Summer Reading, part twenty-three

Today’s selection, Psalms 120-126, can be described using the word SHORT. These seven psalms each have fewer than ten verses. Quite a contrast from Psalm 119.

Three of these psalms specifically mention a desire for peace for Israel or Jerusalem. One psalm suggests peace by describing the comfort of knowing God watches over Israel. One psalm cries out for mercy. One describes rescue. And Psalm 126 speaks of the joy of restored fortunes. So peace is the common theme in these seven psalms, whether by word or feeling.

I like the comfort given in Psalm 125: 2, “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.” It sounds to me like God hugs his children. That kind of protection feels good.

Next time, we’ll take a look at Psalms 127-136. This next selection includes one of my all-time favorites.

Summer Reading, part nineteen

This section, Psalms 100-104, is jam-packed with memorable verses.

Psalm 100 is five verses of joy. But I found eight reasons to shout.

1. “Come before him with joyful songs.” We get to come before God with singing. We are not judged by our vocal talents, but enjoyed by the one who designed those vocal chords.

2. “Know that the Lord is God.” We know who God is. We don’t wander around with no idea that a “God” even exists.

3. “It is he who made us.” We can grow in our scientific discovery of our own bodies because we can ask questions of the one who made the bodies.

4. “and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” It is so comforting to know I belong to God. Knowing I am his brings limitless joy.

5. “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.” We get to enter into God’s place. I don’t get to enter The White House any time I want. I can’t get in to see many business owners without an appointment. But I can run to God and enter his courts day or night with praise on my lips.

 6. “For the Lord is good.” If you’ve been forgiven, then you know God is good. You know the difference between trying to live without God and trying to live within the limitations of his joy. Contrasting the chaos of living in our own foolish plans with the order of living in God’s plan gives us the confirmation that there isn’t anyone like God. He is good to us.

7. “his love endures forever.” I don’t know what forever looks like. I only know that time exists because of God. Time exists inside God. God doesn’t exist inside time. I have limitations, so I can’t know what the end of time looks like. And even with my limitations, I know that at the end of time, God’s love will still be strong.

8. “his faithfulness continues through all generations.” I’ve seen children who look a lot like a grandparent or a great-grandparent. I know that some of the genetically-transferred parts of us show up more in some generations than in others. And I know that God’s faithfulness isn’t shown to his people based on genetics. God is faithful, regardless of what we do. God is faithful whether we respond to his faithfulness or not. God is faithful. Period.

Do you feel like shouting now?

If not, keep reading. Psalm 103 lists the benefits of knowing God. He forgives us, heals us, redeems us, crowns us, and satisfies us. And he renews our youth. Not shouting yet? Read Psalm 103: 8-12. In fact, read the whole psalm out loud. So loud your flesh can feel it. “He does not treat us as our sins deserve.”

Make sure you read all of the psalms in today’s selection. You’ll finish with a smile.