There are times it feels so elusive and, for those in the midst of deep grief, even more so.
But in those difficult moments in my life and yours, we must, even if trembling, intentionally choose that which is not felt: HIS joy.
For those experiencing a gaping loss, the only way to experience joy is choosing to rest in Christ and lean on His strength; a choosing that can feel like a raging battle.
The longing for that which has been lost in any way may not change, but our ability to be comforted and strengthened by Holy Spirit in that moment cannot be denied.
Joy may be remembering with tears; yet, in those tears, giving thanks to the Lord for the sweetness of those moments that make up our memories.
Joy may simply be one step in front of the other; doing “the next thing.”
Joy may be intentionally choosing to forgive and pray for the one or ones who have hurt us.
Joy may be clinging to specific truths and promises in His Word and singing out songs of praise and worship when we struggle to “remember” His goodness.
Joy may be giving our deepest concerns to the LORD and learning to rest in His sovereign ways and plans, knowing He is good even when “what is” doesn’t feel good.
For the joy of the Lord is not based on circumstances; it is not an emotional happiness.
Rather it is a steadfast hope, a true assurance, the ability to stand and settle on the surety of His presence and care.
It is the rest that comes from recognizing who He is and how He is able to comfort.
He is our Creator, our Sustainer, our Comforter, our Savior, the Rock on which we stand and in whose shadow we abide.
When friends fail us.
When we have failed.
When close family hurts us.
When the finality of death weighs so heavy.
When “sorrows like sea billows roll.”
In Christ, it is well.
In Christ, it is His joy that brings us strength.
It is His joy that helps us forgive.
It is His joy that helps us ask for and receive His forgiveness, putting off the old for newness of life.
It is His joy that enables us to not fear.
It is His joy that allows us to grieve deeply but with hope and assurance.
It is His people that He often uses to remind us of truth and help us experience that joy as we “encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today.'” (Hebrews 3:13)
And, we can “set our eyes on Jesus, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross,” * as we endure any level of sadness or wound in great anticipation of our soon and coming King.
We can, in Christ, live in that steadfast hope, amidst any tears but also experience it more deeply in the midst of sweet times of delight!
And we can settle into that perfect joy and rest that cannot be shaken.
For truly, the joy of the LORD is the strength of those who trust Him with all of life regardless of our feelings.””
“Those who look to Him are radiant with joy…” (Psalm 34:5, BSB)
If I can pray for you in any way, I would count it a privilege and a joy, to “encourage you… while it is still called ‘Today.'”
“…the joy of the LORD is your strength!” Nehemiah 8:10
“But none of these things move me… so that I may finish my race with joy… to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes it’s boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together!
I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all of my fears.”
We are halfway through January and my Christmas tree still stands.
There are those that will not understand…but it’s part tradition (my mom always kept ours up until the Super Bowl…when the Super Bowl was in January), but it’s also still so welcoming!
I love a live tree and, thankfully, the needles have remained fresh long beyond what I ever anticipated, a hint of pine still lingers in the air, and it still brings me joy to see it in its place.
For the most part, the ornaments are off, each one full of some memory of people, places, or events. Whether handmade or store bought, each one tells a story and is part of our story or of our children’s stories.
When I bring them down each year, I think about those times gone by and smiles trace my face. Even if some bring a hint of sadness because the person is no longer with us, I can’t help but also feel delight as I truly thank the Lord for each one and all of that and those which have made up my life from the beginning to now!
The lights remain, hung loosely in and through the branches, so another smile.
In the evenings, when the lights in the living room are low and the fireplace is crackling (or not), I sometimes just enjoy looking and remembering – not just about the years gone by but what was happening around this tree just a few short weeks ago when there was, at one time eight people, a dog and two cats (the animals tagged along with one of my sons and family), lots of laughter, squeals, sights, smells, and quiet (and not so quiet) conversations…and yes some little ones’ tears at times.
There were games and art projects, music and imagination, and the sweet aroma from requested food favorites to satisfy the taste buds of every person that entered our home!
And, best of all, the Golden Gift box – still under the tree – revealed the truth of the season to the littles specifically but as an intentional reminder to all of us.
Outside, even in the cold, there were walks to explore the neighborhood, digging in the dirt, chase and tag, throwing balls, interacting with our neighbors, riding bikes, and sliding on slides…mostly without argument or conflict.
But, in the quiet and still now, I treasure those memories of just fifteen days ago even as I enjoy a little more sleep!
It was, as I declared in the moment, beautiful chaos, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way!
For all the noise and a few toddler conflicts, the puppy that found the lake too appealing and ended up in it for a swim then up through the mud, the endless array of dirty dishes and lots and lots of cooking, it was family!
It was time!
It was as I hoped it would be!
Together!
Though spread out between three states now, everyone was here at some point and at one point all at once (except for one daughter in love), at least for 24 hours.
And it was beautiful!
I won’t forget!
So, as I look at the lights on the tree, twinkling as they might be – I see beauty!
I see the faces!
I think of the twinkling of the littles’ eyes, and it reflects back on my heart.
But it’s not just the memory of the people and the places that delights me.
When I see the tree and the empty spaces naturally spread throughout, I am reminded that our lives are like that tree and those branches, each one providing its own unique beauty and strength.
Among other things, those empty spaces remind me of those no longer with us or those who couldn’t be with us to celebrate in the same place.
They cause me to thank the Lord for those I love, both during this season of life and in other seasons of life as well.
Those empty spaces do bring some tears when I think of ones we love that the Lord has called home, even so recently. But it also reminds me to thank Him for the privilege and blessing of having those people in our lives – family and friends whose loss is felt so deeply – and yet, for those dear ones in Christ, they were most assuredly worshipping and celebrating before the very throne of God this Christmas in ways we can only imagine!
But the tree is also a reminder of truth – full and still full of life, still nourished by the water as we are nourished by the Living Water of the Word of God.
The lights remind me that Jesus is the light of the world! Even in the dim light, the darkness is shattered.
“Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)
The busyness of Christmas can cause that truth to be overshadowed, but it remains, and the lights, for me, are a constant reminder.
In Him, darkness cannot remain!
We celebrate His birth but remember that He was born as the fulfillment of a promise, the promise of God, born for a purpose: to redeem, to bring light to the darkness of our souls created by our sin and to defeat that darkness once and for all and in the daily surrender to the One who is bringing light into our dark places to heal and transform our lives!
He was born to take the punishment we deserve for our rebellion against God, and His resurrection defeated death.
Because of Jesus, my sin no longer separates me from the Father, and I can live in newness of life in light of this sure hope.
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:19)
He covers the “holes” and wounds of my life as well so I can stand secure and rest in His faithfulness.
The lights remind me that there is a wonder in walking with Jesus, in recognizing His hand in all of creation and every circumstance of my life, in acknowledging Him as loving Father and Almighty King!
This tree won’t be up too much longer but, while it is, I will enjoy the wonder!
While it is, I will remember to give thanks for all I do not deserve – “for His indescribable gift” of salvation (2 Corinthians 9:15) and for the people throughout my life who have brought me great joy and shaped me in a multitude of ways.
While it is, I will remember to pray for those who still grieve deeply – experiencing fresh waves of grief over the season and beyond but also fresh waves of mercy – His goodness experienced in the here and now, tears and smiles mingled.
And when it is gone and the living room is again returned to its normal “space,” I will remember!
I will not forget!
I will be still, knowing it is God Himself who has placed all those in my life that have created the quiet moments and the beautiful chaos…
I am the creation of the self-existent One to be a reflection of Him, but I, as every human being, am created and sustained by this One who is our Creator.
Many will puff up believing themselves to be equal.
Many will scoff that any but themselves would be “in charge of their destiny” and have any say in their personal choices.
Many will mock that they can choose much of who they are.
But I rejoice that He has made me as I am for His glory, my joy, and, prayerfully, for the joy of those around me.
Sometimes I am perfectly content with all that I am.
But, if I’m honest, I am not always thrilled with that creation.
Yet He reminds me in those moments that I am His unique design, even in my imperfection.
Where it is my actions and attitudes that are broken by the fall and my own heart, I can trust that my Savior is more than able and will chip away and refine those parts of me that clash with His beautiful intent and will for me. And He will do that, whether I respond immediately or not!
He will do so for His glory.
He will do so for my joy and for that of those in my life!
How fearful for those who have been “given over” to their own ways because they won’t submit to Him, won’t give up those parts of themselves that reflect a love of self more than God or anyone else. I pray the Holy Spirit will always keep my heart soft to His voice and His work in me. How I pray that I will always have the humility to hear correction from those who love me and who are aligned with His Word.
But where it is in light of how He created me, mine is to thank Him and rest, even take joy, in His design of and for me rather than be concerned either about that or how how I am seen or perceived by others.
My greatest joy, my greatest delight is to hear from Him, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” I want to hear that in my every day as well as on that final day as His child and in the roles in which He has blessed me.
Relationally, as wife, mom, Yawnie, friend, and even acquaintance, and in various roles of ministry, work, and use of my talents and gifts, I want to feel his pleasure, as famed Olympic runner and missionary Eric Liddell once said.
And when I am feeling His pleasure as His child, I will grow in my own delight of those roles regardless of the very good and the hard in those places.
It’s not that I don’t want to bring joy to others, to serve others, to encourage others, to point them to Jesus. I absolutely do! But I’m seeking the applause of my Savior not men and women!
Today I choose to remember, as with a songwriter, that all I ever have to be is what You made me!
Today I choose to submit that to the One who created me for His glory and pleasure!
While God does cause “all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28), He does not call everything good.
Death is not good.
Sin is not good.
Self-rule is not good.
He created us for life, not death.
He created us to walk with Him unhindered, not to stumble in darkness.
He created us to love Him and righteousness, not to be self-serving and love our sin.
But, while death and sin are a part of our lives, God Himself redeems even through tears.
God carries us.
God provides for us.
God holds us when the tears won’t come or when they won’t stop.
And, in time, God heals us though memories be bittersweet, and scars be reminders of the pain but also His restoration.
He calls us to joy; not a fake smile and a self-determined choice to appear “happy.”
He calls us to joy that rests in Him, even when we don’t “feel” it.
He calls us to come to Him, cry out to Him, and settle in Him because of who He is.
He calls us to “give thanks” not because a circumstance is good but because He is.
In the pain, in the numbness of reality, He is there.
In the “one step in front of the other,“ He is carrying.
In the deep shadows of night, He hears our weeping and holds us.
In it all, He is our Living Hope.
He is our Living Hope in the darkness of death.
He is our Living Hope in the midst of the unknown.
He is our Living Hope in the betrayal of friends.
He is our Living Hope in the aching of a daily experience that cuts deep.
“Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:18)
We may not want that reality.
We may not understand it; I know that many times I don’t.
We may ask why.
Then we choose to praise Him, to give Him thanks even as we are honest about every single one of those statements, those emotions, those even sometimes guttural cries.
We choose to give thanks even while telling the Lord we don’t feel thankful in the moment, but we want to trust Him.
We choose to give thanks for who He is not necessarily for the place we find ourselves.
He created us to love deeply and, with that, there can be great pain this side of heaven.
He created us with emotions that can be exhilarating and exhausting.
He created us for Himself and draws us near when we feel so far away and alone, so unable to take the next step without trembling.
We seek to reset our gaze moment by moment not because we find our place comfortable or desirable but because He is worthy and it is only in His presence that His children find true rest.
I pray, even as I write, that those who read this, whether in the midst of a deep valley or at the peak of emotional happiness, will run to the One who created you and loves you deeply, who is not afraid of your tears or your honest questions, but who is worthy of our worship and praise in the midst of the lives He has given us and will lead as we ask, will comfort in ways we cannot fathom.
He sent His Son, Jesus, to give us life, not death.
He sent His Son to forgive and redeem us from our sin, from our self-rule and fears that threaten to undo us.
He sent His Son that He might transform our hearts, giving us a firm foundation on which to stand, a gentle heart in which to rest, and a deeper view of the One who created us and called His children by name.
He sent His Son that we might live in praise of Him and give thanks to Him!
Recently, I heard a new song from Perimeter Worship for the first time at the memorial for a family member, and it is on replay in my head and heart. May it encourage you, even through tears, to know and take shelter in the God who is good even when circumstances aren’t.
“I will rejoice when the night is long.
I will rejoice when the morning dawns.
In every change, my hope remains the same,
The Lord is my strength and my song!”…
From the mountains sing, ‘Alleluia!’”
From the valley sing, “It is well!”
For our God is King and His reign goes on
The Lord is my strength and my song!”
“The Lord is My Strength and My Song” written by Laura Story, Matthew Papa, Jonathan Wisdom
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy He has caused us to be born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” I Peter 1:3-5
Who prays for you relentlessly, for your encouragement, for either your salvation or your growth in Christ, for eyes to see truth and live it, and for all things that weigh heavy on your heart?
Who protects you when they are with you and when they are not?
Who cheers you on in whatever your efforts, even if they aren’t recognized by anyone else or they fall flat?
Who speaks well of you to others, even when you aren’t around to hear it?
Who knows when to say the hard things, when to wait for a better time, and/or when to just pray, even if it is persistent and unrelenting prayer, knowing God hears and God is at work in the seen and unseen lives of His children?
Who tells you things to encourage you but doesn’t tell you things that are false just to avoid conflict?
Whose words can you trust, knowing there is no deceit in them?
With whom do you feel confident to be who God created you to be, how He made you, and who are are – unafraid and trusting?
For the one or ones whose name(s) comes to mind, give God thanks not just right now, but continually and pray for them without ceasing!
Then ask yourself: who do you or can you love in these same ways, dying to self, for the glory of God and the good of another?
Who can you love not just in words but in actions, directly and indirectly, of all kinds?
The last questions are the ones we should constantly be considering – especially in light of those to whom we speak those words.
God defines love.
God is love.
Love is part of the very character of God, not as the world defines love, but as He is!
We only love because God first loved us. (I John 4:19)
Our love for others is to a reflection of that – not a love of self, but a giving up of self.
May we seek and choose to love as God has loved us, giving Himself for us.
May we seek and choose to love as He has defined it, not by feelings or how it benefits us, but by choosing and pursuing the good of another over our own good.
May we seek and choose to love not just with words or actions that can be seen but in ways that are unseen, in dying to self and intentionally living out the love we proclaim for Christ and others.
“You restore my soul, and You give me rest.” (Matt Maher, “Rest”)
I was listening to an old playlist this morning as the sun, in all its glorious colors, quietly made its way above the horizon to bring light to the morning.
I’m not sure how long it’s been since I heard this song, but oh how I heard it today as I drove. The lyrics grabbed my heart and caused me to be still, not in the same way but much like the Scripture from which they were derived, Psalm 23, has done time and again.
“O my Lord, beside still waters, You repair my heart. I trust in You….You restore my soul and You give me rest.”
We all yearn for rest!
We all long to be restored!
We all need The Shepherd to repair our hearts and settle our souls!
We all need the One who is strong to walk with us, hold us, remind us of who He is and who we are in Him.
He walked with Adam in the Garden in the cool of the day. That has always stopped me – Adam walked with God and had conversations with the Creator of the universe and walked in “rest.”
Because of Jesus, I can do the same. His Word, the Bible, is there to refresh and remind, but His Spirit also comforts and convicts. I can walk with God throughout my day as well. He is with me; “His rod and staff comfort me.”
Yet, at times, I lose sight of that.
When Adam and Eve believed the lie of the enemy over the truthful word of the Lord, God Himself showed His kindness in the midst of His discipline and took care of their need for clothing, sending them out of the Garden with the promise of One to come who would cover them in a greater way.
The world is shaking all around us.
The world is shaking for people I love dearly.
And because of that, and at times through waves and winds of my own, my world is shaking too.
But the God who set all things in motion,
The God who spoke the world into existence and said, “It is good,”
The God who is both justice and mercy and who set a promise for our deliverance long ago,
The God who fulfilled that promise and sent His Son to bridge the gap between us and God the Father because of His holiness and our own unrighteousness,
This same God is the Shepherd, my Shepherd.
This same God carries His sheep.
This same God holds us when the world and our world are shaking.
This same God walks with us in the cool of the day and in the shadow of death.
This same God is our Savior who hears our cries, sees our tears, and comforts in ways we may not even realize.
This same God cares about our fears and our concerns and is already going before us making a way in the desert even when we cannot see.
This same God knows our tremblings and is giving us the grace we need for today and preparing the grace and mercy He will give in the days ahead.
Psalm 23 reminds us that He is our Shepherd and will not leave us alone. He will seek us when we are lost and will draw us to Himself by any means so He can tend His own.
And, in the midst of the hard and difficult places we don’t want to walk but sometimes have to pass through, He will show glimpses of His grace and pour out His steadfast love that endures forever, even to the end of time.
As part of that grace, He gives us His rest that we could not create on our own by any means.
“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him.
He alone is my Rock and my Salvation;
He is my Fortress, I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:1
We can pray expectantly and pour out our desires before His throne boldly because of Jesus, and He hears. Sometimes His answers will delight us; other times those answers will make us tremble and threaten to undo us.
In either place, He is with us.
He is our Emmanuel.
We can set our gaze on Him, even through tears, speaking to ourselves the words of Scripture that are His very words to us – about Himself, our living and enduring Hope – and the promises that are without fail even when we can’t see the reasons for His answer.
We can rest, not in what we see and experience and feel, but in who He is!
He is my Rock, my Salvation, my Fortress.
I choose to rest in God alone!
“I will fear no evil, for You’re here with me.
Your goodness and Your love, they will never leave.
Just a closer walk with Thee, just a closer walk…
Even though I walk through the valley of death, You restore my soul, and You give me rest.
All the memories of Your faithfulness.
You restore my soul, and you give me rest.”
Matt Maher – “Rest”
Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me.
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
“This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” ( I John 1:5)
We see the stars shine, the moon and the sun in their respective times do as well.
We observe the fireflies dancing in the woods or across a grassy field.
We warm ourselves before a crackling fire or settle in beside the flicker of a candle.
Each shines according to God’s design for creation; each shine at His command.
Even the lights that make it almost as bright as the day in the cities, that light up our homes, that create delight in celebrations, that pave the way for us to see down a road or a shadowy path are a means to cut through the night.
Darkness, especially without even a hint of light, can create fear, even dread.
For darkness is simply put, the absence of light.
And, for the most part, we love light!
Yet sometimes we prefer the obscurity to hide us not realizing what is absent in the dark.
Lies and deceit live in darkness because lies and deceit are the absence of truth.
Sin and evil grow in the darkness because they endure absent of God.
Darkness cannot exist with God for He is light.
And light cannot exist without God.
He alone is righteous.
He alone is true.
He alone is peace.
He alone is light.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
Light breaks through the darkness, shatters dread and brings peace.
Peace breaks through fear, enables rest.
Truth breaks through lies, establishes trust.
Good triumphs over evil, displays righteousness, because God alone is good, and God alone is holy.
God is the Light that breaks through the fog of our sadness, our fear, our deepest longings.
God is the Light that shatters our own darkness of sin and self-rule.
God is the Light that reveals our rebellion and calls us to turn from it and walk by faith in His grace, submitting to Him.
God is the Light that exposes our deceit and calls us to walk in Truth.
We don’t need to tremble in the Light if we set our gaze and our very lives on the One who IS Himself that Light.
His Light is for His glory.
His Light is for our good.
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” (John 14:6)
We need not fear the darkness nor those who walk in it.
He triumphs and will always triumph because He is the only Light, the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life!
He calls us to Himself.
Walk in the Light of the glorious grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and you can “fear no evil, for (He is) with (us).” (Psalm 23:4)
Even when trembling, you can stand as you stand in the Light of His Presence.
“Blessed are those who know the joyful sound, who walk, O LORD, in the light of Your presence.” Psalm 89:15
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light!” Ephesians 5:8
The awesomeness of the Holy Spirit indwelling those who are His, to reveal, to comfort, and to convict!
The dangerous delight of the presence of God.
It can bring peace, and it can rattle the soul!
But are we sometimes too complacent?
Are we so familiar with God and His Word, so lazy with His truth and conviction that we don’t believe Him as we ought?
Are we so self-satisfied and even puffed up with our knowledge of Him that we are too casual with His grace and mercy as well as when He cuts to our hearts?
Are we functionally unthankful for it all in the midst of life, from the incredibly good days to the hard and even the mundane?
Do we, who are truly His, sometimes settle for mediocrity in our walk with Him?
Do we too quickly forget the riches of His mercy in the midst of our every day?
Are we often in danger of being reckless and even losing the wonder of the scandalous beauty of redemption?
May it never be!
The LORD came to a pagan named Abram and promised him something physically impossible, and he believed God. (Genesis 15)
Let that sink in!
The LORD spoke, and Abram believed Him!
He believed what He said, and He trusted Him.
“Abram didn’t believe IN God – THAT He exists. He believed GOD and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:22) (Study on Jonah, Page Brown)
And the people of Ninevah did the same when Jonah proclaimed the Word of the LORD.
They didn’t believe Jonah.
They didn’t just believe IN God.
They BELIEVED GOD!
And that belief led to repentance.
That belief led to an awe of God and a different way of thinking and living.
That belief led to new life.
That belief led them to become new creations.
Do we believe God?
Do we, who have access to the Word of the LORD, the Bible, 24/7, believe God enough to trust Him, to submit to Him, to obey His commands (the ones we find easy and the ones we would rather not exist), to truly repent and be the new creations He has redeemed for His pleasure?
Do we believe Him enough to share the glorious good news of His steadfast love with those we enjoy being around and those we have “written off” as ones who won’t come?
Do we believe Him enough to let go of unforgiveness and/or roots of bitterness for either right or wrong causes?
Do we believe Him enough to be humble in our dealings with one another as believers, walking in freedom from sin and to righteousness, and so able to live with one another in full not partial truth and without deceit because we walk in mercy from God and for each other?
Do we believe Him enough to live a life – in words, attitudes and actions – that reflects Him to unbelievers as well, who know we claim Christ and who are watching to see if it makes a difference in who we are?
Do we believe Him enough to rest in His sovereign will for us even if it feels mundane, ordinary, uncomfortable, or, on a completely different level, devastating?
Or do we have lots of knowledge of Him, believe in Him, and live in two worlds that cannot co-exist rightly – faithfulness to Him and self-rule?
The one is where we see and acknowledge Jesus as LORD and Savior, God as King and the supreme authority in our lives and so submit to that rule and allow Him to change our desires and die to self.
The other is where we decide which commands we will obey and what commands we will tweak to fit our comfort, our self-determining hearts, and what we feel and desire apart from the LORD, where we live as if we are repeating the deceitful question from across the ages, “Did God really say?”
There is freedom in BELIEVING God!
There is joy in BELIEVING God!
There is a steadiness in BELIEVING God!
There is danger in only believing IN God – “…even the demons believe and shudder.” (James 2:19) It is for that reason some wander from the faith and will hear on that final day, “Depart from Me. I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:21-24)
It doesn’t mean we will not wrestle, but our wrestling must always lead to rest in Him, to submitting our lives, choices, and circumstances to Him knowing He is good and His commands and His will for us are good…even when it doesn’t feel good or is contrary to our wants and desires, even ones rooted in what is good and right.
It must always lead to yielding our lives and saying, “Not my will but yours, Lord. Use me where and how you will.”
It must always lead to surrendering our time, gifts, and all we are and have to His purposes.
They BELIEVED God alone and were able to walk away from everything that kept them from walking in freedom.
They BELIEVED God and were able to come to Him in true repentance when “self” got in the way.
They BELIEVED God alone and found relationship with Him!
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
There are a lot of things that can crush our spirits.
Circumstances we can’t change.
Broken bodies.
Weary souls.
Words spoken and words left unspoken.
Unforgiveness and an unforgiving heart.
But the LORD IS close to the brokenhearted, and He will hear and be near those who are crushed in spirit.
We may still feel the weight.
We may have to endure broken bodies and weary souls.
We may have to pray for words to bring healing and seek to mend relationships.
We may have to choose forgiveness or pray for another to forgive.
But we will not do that alone, even in the unknown.
He knows.
He sees.
He guards our way protectively.
We can cry out, with groanings too deep for words, to the One who remains close and who can bring His peace through the hardest of places, strength to the weary, reconciliation and restoration to the distant ones.
Seek Him, even through tears.
He is able.
He is willing.
“…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words…the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27
“You, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.” Psalm 3:3
Sometimes the Lord brings to our lives or allows difficult situations, painful ones.
Sometimes He brings in or allows the most devastating of circumstances.
And we are numb, unable to process where we are.
The oft spoken, “God will never give you more than you can handle” is false.
Often what comes into our lives is far more than we can handle but never more than we can handle with Christ as our captain, our stronghold, the Rock on which we stand, and the One who, when we can no longer stand, carries us over and under the waves.
In Christ, we are not alone.
I was reminded of His great and precious promises by a much loved eight year old going through his own fears but leaning on the promises and truths he knows, found in part in Psalm 23, and on which he stands.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)
“He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leadsthose that have young.” (Isaiah 40:11)
What a beautiful picture of the tender care and protection of our God who, like a shepherd with his staff, draws us to Himself and keeps us; who reminded His people in the actual desert but also promises us the same in our desert .
“...the LORD your God is the One who is going with you. He will not desert you or abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
His presence is sure, His Spirit comforting in ways we would never imagine.
And He sends His people, our people to lift weary heads, to give their shoulders that the tired one might stand up them, above the fray, and breathe, and who, like Aaron to Moses, will lift up the arms of the weary to give us strength.
In the Bible, we read of a man who was ill for quite some time. He didn’t have the faith or the physical ability to go to Jesus so his friends took him to Him, lowered him through a roof to lay him before the feet of Jesus.
In our time, there are those weary, torn, sad, afraid, unsure of what is next.
We can be the ones to take them to Jesus, to lay them before the throne of grace, before our Savior’s feet and entrust them to Him.
We can remind them of the trusts of who God is and the promises on which we can stand regardless of the circumstances or outcome.
We can walk their hard road and weep with them.
We can listen without a word if need be.
We can love them with the love of Christ in whatever way they need.
See the need.
Know the heart.
Love well.
But go in the strength of Him who has said:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned,
and the flames shall not consume you.
For I Am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 42:1-3)
Several summers back, we went to work with a beloved ministry in the northwest among some indian tribes with whom our family has partnered over many years. At this particular time, along with our daughter, we helped in the community garden.
We weeded and raked, readied the soil in some places and tended to the fences, water lines, and raised bed boxes in others. Our job was not to harvest; it was to cultivate and to come alongside others who did the same in readiness for the harvest.
Cultivate.
“To prepare; to raise, to grow.”
We see it in the preparation of soil to make it ready for planting, with full intention that whatever grows will be established, strong, and will yield a harvest.
We see it in the tending of gardens and fields and flowers as one keeps the weeds from choking out the anticipated beauty.
We see it in watering of the soil, feeding it with what is necessary to yield the fruit of one’s labors.
If the soil is good and the cultivation intentional, that which it produces will likely be rich and full.
As a tree planted by streams of living water, so is the man who “does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But His delight is in the Law of the LORD and on His law He medidates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2)
That man or woman, the one who cultivates within their own life, is deliberate not only about what they do but about what they think, what they see, what they imagine, what they feel; they meditate on the Word of God not to gain mere facts or to simply be comforted, but to be empowered, equipped, prepared, ready to do battle against anything that would threaten to undo them or those around them…all for the glory of God and the strength of his or her relationship with Him.
He doesn’t just read it and walk away to do whatever he feels like doing.
He doesn’t just hear it and gain more knowledge but not apply it.
He doesn’t just look in a mirror and forget what he has seen, being a hearer of the word not a doer and thus deceiving himself. (James 1:23-24)
He doesn’t just know the truth and adjust it to fit his wants and desires rather than the other way around.
He thinks on it and acts on it.
He lives it.
He reads, he listens, and he allows the Holy Spirit to convict, apply, and equip him to stand.
He reads, he listens, and he allows the Holy Spirit to guard his heart and mind in Christ Jesus and not run after the things and/or the emotions that will cause him to be mesmerized by self and what he can see and feel more than the One who “rescued (him) from the dominion of darkness and brought (him) into the Kingdom of the Son He loves.” (Colossians 1:13)
He intentionally cultivates a love for and faithfulness to the LORD and so for and to every other relationship and area of his life.
And, lest someone be so blind to think I am only referring to “that man,” “that woman” can equally be a cultivator or a destroyer of the garden in which she is planted.
Just as a flower, garden, or plant left to itself, untended, may flourish, without intentional care such as watering in the dry seasons, keeping the weeds from choking it out because the one tending it doesn’t have the time or the desire to nurture it, it will likely be anemic if not choked and dead while still “appearing” to be alive.
So will our relationship with the LORD and others suffer when the weeds choke out the truths we know, when the dry seasons make us hungry for the things that won’t satisfy and that will actually destroy us.
But as with “a tree planted by streams of living water, that yields its fruit in season,” (Psalm 1:3) the one who cultivates his relationship with the LORD by being in and living out the truths in God’s Word according to the power of the Holy Spirit rather than being “carried along by every wind” of selfish desire, emotion, or philosophy, “will prosper in all he does.” (Psalm 1:3)
That one who cultivates will be found:
Yielding a harvest of righeousness.
Yielding trust in the LORD and in the relationsips where trust has been nurtured.
Yielding a deeper love for the LORD and others.
Yielding forgiveness for hurt.
And we see what comes from a garden not cultivated.
Unfruitfulness in every way.
Discipline and difficulties will come into the life of the believer.
Discipline and difficulties will not automatically “yield a harvest of righteousness” on its own. It will, however, yield that fruit for those who cultivate their relationship with Christ, for those who desire to put off their earthly nature, put on their new self being renewed day by day, and let the Word of Christ dwell richly in them, cultivating the soil of their lives, their hearts, and their minds. (Colossians 3:5,10,16)
Discipline and difficulties will yield that desired fruit for those “who have been trained by it.”
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11
It is God who calls us; it is He who plants us and waters our souls. But He has called us to be alert, “preparing our minds for action…setting our hope fully on the grace” (I Peter 1:13), to cultivating our hearts and minds.
Over and over we read that we are to “put off and put on,” “flee youthful passions (of all kind) and to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart,” (2 Timothy 2:22) “work out (or walk out) our salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12)
We aren’t to come to faith in Christ and then determine what we will or will not do in light of His transforming grace and love-infused commands.
We are to cultivate our hearts and our relationships according to His character and commands for His glory, our great joy, and the delight of those with whom we live in “this garden.”
As Charles Spurgeon wrote: “Do we know ourselves to be new creatures in Christ Jesus? If you are what you always were, you are what I pray you may not always be! But if you are new, changed, transformed, or, to come back to the text, transplanted, then I trust you may continue to thrive according to the promise, ‘They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.’ (Psalm 92:13) ‘That little garden walled around, chosen and made peculiar ground, That little spot enclosed by grace out of the world’s wild wilderness’ is not intended to be occupied by dead trees! If there is such in it He will come and say, “Cut it down! Why does it cumber the ground?” It is a living tree that He desires to have there. GRASP THE PROMISE! Those who are planted (cultivated from without and within) will flourish!” (“The Trees in God’s Courts” Charles Spurgeon)
And one more joy-filled declaration of intent from Spurgeon that has longed caused me to desire to cultivate – water, weed, tear out, and replant as needed – my own little garden, my own heart, my own tree:
“Oh, to have one’s soul under heavenly cultivation; no longer a wilderness, but a garden of the Lord! Walled around by grace, planted by instruction, visited by love, weeded by heavenly discipline, and guarded by divine power. One’s soul thus favored is prepared to yield fruit unto the glory of God.” (Charles Spurgeon)
Cultivate your life with me, my friend!
Prepare the soil of your minds, hearts, and lives to receive truth from the living water of the Word.
With strong determination, rip out the weeds choking out your faithfulness to God and so choking out your true joy, your true peace, your relationships.
Get out of the wilderness that you find, at times, desirous but that is robbing you of the very things for which you were created and for which you long.
Decide now to live in one garden rather than running between the old man or woman and the new.
I will alongside you!
Cultivate this life in Christ we have been called to and for which we are now equipped.
Be the tree planted by streams of living water!
Thrive and prosper with great joy!
And give the joy of a redeemed life to others!
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror, and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” James 1:22-25
“Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. When you lived among them, you also used to walk in these ways. But now you must put aside all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.
Do not lie to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator...Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you… ” Colossians 3:1-10, 16
I don’t know about where you live, but for the last two months we have had sunny skies and hot temps every day.
Oh the skies have been a beautiful blue and the sun has glistened off nearby waters. But water from the sky has been non-existent.
I am one who loves sunshine and warm temps, but even I have longed for some clouds and precipitation and relief from the oppressive heat.
A good “rainy day and Monday” wouldn’t get me down…I would be singing and dancing in the streets!
The ground has been so parched that there are places around our neighborhood where the earth is sinking and the borders of the lakes are creeping further back from the brittle grassy edges.
Foundations are cracking as thirsty trees draw the moisture from underneath through their spreading roots.
Plants and flowers, once flourishing, reach to the sky hoping for a drop only to droop in the unfilled longing.
Then one day, not long ago, it happened.
It came down and the parched ground soaked it up.
A puddle or two remained.
The plants and the ground said “ah,” and so did I.
A reprieve in the midst of the heat and sunbaked earth.
We have returned to our “no rain” pattern, but that day we were reminded of the “sure hope” of a wetter season that would return…eventually.
So many times we take rain and our need for it for granted. We may even mutter about a wet weather pattern interrupting our plans, not mindful of how much of a gift it is (apart from times of flooding).
As I considered these things, I began to realize that all I am witnessing is a reminder of the soul’s true longing, even if unrecognized.
Often times we find ourselves spiritually dry and in need!
A thirst for the Lord!
A thirst for His very words.
A thirst for the truth that is necessary in our time yet many seek to avoid it.
We fill our time with trivialities.
We fill our minds with information and knowledge and empty man made philosophies but not wisdom.
We fill our minds and our eyes with that which “seems right” to us but in the end leads to death: physically, spiritually, relationally.
We fill our souls with our emotions and how we feel about life and circumstances more than what is true and fail to take those thoughts and emotions captive.
But apart from a fear of the Lord and the truth found only in His Word, we never find truth. We never find wisdom. We never find life.
Apart from surrender to the One who restores, we wrestle without end.
We never find true joy.
We never find rest.
We never find purpose.
We never find refreshment.
We remain parched.
We are dry.
While recreation and some “frivolities” are not necessarily wrong or even bad in right balance, quick fixes of pleasure can overtake us and become what we live for rather than a sidebar.
Sometimes it is sin for a season.
Sometimes it is busyness that “robs” us of time.
Sometimes it is fear or worry that takes away our peace.
Sometimes it is hurt from another that draws out our dryness.
Sometimes it is good things made ultimate things.
But the Lord, in His grace and mercy, calls us to His rest, to Himself, to that which will bring Him glory, cause us to seek and do good to others, build our closest relationships, and ultimately truly refreshes and strengthens our souls.
Sometimes it will mean repentance before God and maybe even before someone we have hurt.
“Repent, therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…” (Acts 19-20)
Sometimes it will mean intentionally making time to get away, alone before the Lord, and be still…to know that He is God and that He will be exalted regardless of what what we see. (Psalm 46:10)
Sometimes it will mean that, in believing, seeking, and trusting the Lord, we will seek pleasures that are not centered on ourselves but increase our love for others and give glory to God.
“Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:28)
We live in a “dry and weary landwhere there is nowater” both literally and figuratively, but our God is able.
Just as He is able to turn a river into dry land so He is able to pour out the rain on the dry ground and cause it to flourish.
Even more delightful and precious is that He is able and does pour out His Spirit on a dry and thirstysoulandbringlifeandbreath and hope andjoy, His presence, even in our desert times.
“God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1)
“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.“ (Isaiah 44:3)
Sometimes we have to cease the noise, the images, and the voices and revel in what is true, honorable, just, whatever is pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy(Philippians 4:8), where refreshment is found.
The rain will come in time.
Likely we will have a lot of it in the coming days, and we will rejoice and be glad as the clouds gather then open on a land and people who have long awaited the refreshment with arms wide open!
I hope I don’t forget this moment, the longing so that I will remember to be thankful when it comes down for days without end.
But for now, I want to look at the cracked ground, the thirsty leaves, the brittle grass and be reminded that my soul is like that apart from my God.
I want to be reminded that, as my soul is watered by the Giver of all good gifts even in the dry, I am filled.
I want to be reminded that those things that weigh on my mind and heart don’t have to lead to a parched soul but to the very One who revives me, to “the Rock that is higher than I!” (Psalm 61:2)
As I close, I’m reminded of some lyrics from an old Michael Card song.
In this day, let us seek to water our hearts, our minds, our souls with that which will satisfy and run to His Light in the darkness.
Let us be the ones used to do the same for others – to share the Living Water who is Jesus Christ, Savior and Redeemer of those who call on Him in spirit and in truth; to those who have yet to hear, yet to know.
“There’llcome a time, the prophets would say When the joy of mankind will be withered away A want not for water, but a hunger for more A famine for hearing the Word of the Lord.
So many books, so little time, so many hunger, so many blind Starving for words, they must wait in the night To open a Bible and move towards the Light!”
Throughout the course of history, there have been many “perfect storms” where the meteorological conditions collide for a massive, even violent, weather event.
What follows is often devastation unimaginable for many.
Stunned, they try to pick up the pieces and move forward.
In recent days, we have seen them – from fires to flood.
We have read the stories of loss.
But, even in those storms, God is in the midst.
He is not unaware.
He is not sleeping.
He is very much in control, providing and caring in ways many might miss if they don’t have eyes to see.
Yet, for those with eyes to see His hand, His tender mercies new every morning display evidence to settle the heart even through trembling, even through tears.
In life, there are often “perfect storms” that no one anticipates but which come nonetheless and wreak havoc on otherwise beautiful and often ordinary lives.
God’s people are faithfully living out their days with joy, yes struggles and not without sin, but with the grace of redemption, repentance, and God’s transforming power, without the cares they have watched others endure. They are seeking the will of God and genuinely want to grow in their faithfulness to and trust of the God who has created them and in whom they “live and move and have (their) being.” (Acts 17:28)
And in one moment, everything changes.
The diagnosis is bleak, the prognosis is scary.
The job that was sure and in which they thrived is no more.
The call came out of nowhere.
But, even in THOSE storms, God is in the midst.
He is not unaware.
He is not sleeping.
He is very much in control, providing and caring in ways many might miss if they don’t have eyes to see.
Yet, for those with eyes to see His hand, His tender mercies new every morning display evidence to settle the heart even through trembling, even through tears.
No one will escape the “perfect storms” of living in this world nor the lesser yet still hard difficulties that invade every life on a more regular basis. But we don’t need to live in fear of them, anticipating what the next moment might hold.
We live out our lives, not in fear but in simple faith and trust.
Because…
He knows.
He is preparing.
He is training us now to be faithful in the small things as He readies us for the bigger ones.
He is weaving His goodness amongst the terribly stifling and scary, the hard.
He is tender and merciful even in preparing us.
Are we listening?
Are we leaning in to Him or looking within ourselves?
Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart – I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Yes, we will all have the “hard.” It is His desire to use that hard to take our eyes off ourselves and rest in Him, grow in humility, dying to self and living for Him.
Your “hard” may not be the “perfect storm,” but it is the place God has you in a particular moment.
Every follower of Christ is called to grow in grace, to hate sin in and outside of us and to love righteousness, to stop living according to our own desires and passions, and let Him transform them to be in line with His.
All of us are all learning to rest in our Savior!
Regardless of the circumstances and our emotions, we are called to be still, to not fear regardless of the grief that comes from whatever the loss.
We are called to hope!
In the midst of the “perfect storm” or the “hard” that can feel unattainable.
Yet hundreds of times in the Bible, the very Word of God, we read, “Do not fear!” We may not understand how that can be, but we can experience His removal of fear supernaturally as we call on His Name in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)
If He told us to do it, He will equip us.
As a family, we have walked through some “perfect storms” – individually and together over the years – and weathered them only through the strong right arm of the God who made a way for His people through the desert and who does it still.
We have found our Savior tenderly walking beside us, protectively, even carrying us, calling us to Himself, asking us to lay down the heavy burden and let Him hold it.
In some of those storms, we have walked alone; in others, He has brought dear ones to walk alongside us and take us to the cross when we needed an “army” to join us. It is these people who have answered the call to carry or to “Bear each other’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)
And now, we journey with dear family and friends in their own “perfect storms.”
A diagnosis followed by healing, trailed by a second diagnosis with joy in between. And now they battle again.
A chronic, debilitating disease wracks the body and makes life fully limiting.
A job shift out of nowhere despite great success and with more evidence of faithfulness in the future.
A call as a reminder of silence and broken relationships.
In each of these stories, there is sadness, a battle against fear of the known and unknown, a weariness…but there is more.
There is trust.
There is hope.
There is joy.
Not in the circumstances but in the Savior.
Yes, there are tears.
Yes, there are struggles laid at the feet of Jesus minute by minute.
But they say to themselves and to the watching world:
“I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my portion; therefore, I will wait for Him.’ The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him… Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love.” Lamentations 3:24, 25, 32
And we walk with them.
We pray for and with them.
We weep with them.
We rejoice with them.
We boldly take them to the throne of grace that they may “receive mercy and grace to help in times of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
We trust the Savior for them and with them.
We wait with them.
And we stand shoulder to shoulder in the hard, whatever that looks like.
Today, my precious niece, who herself is in the midst of one of those “perfect storms,” shared the following from a piece that was a reminder that, in the midst of whatever “hard” place we are in, we are not alone.
Finally, and maybe most important of all, let us remember that God knows “hard” more than any of us. He gave up His Son for us. And Jesus knows “hard.” The cross was ever before Him but remember what He did: “Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.’” (Matthew 26:39)
Jesus asked God to take away the hard! He showed us that it is okay, and maybe it is even more than okay … maybe it is holy and good to ask God to take our hard. Yet, He also acknowledged that may not be His Father’s plan. His plan was for Jesus to walk right into the hardest thing of all and, in doing so, to conquer it. Jesus stayed in the hard. He bore the hard. He conquered the hard.
LET US FOLLOW JESUS’ LEAD. LET US CRY OUT TO THE LORD WHEN THINGS ARE HARD OR NEW OR UNCOMFORTABLE. LET US LISTEN AND HEAR FROM OUR FATHER.
And, in this covenant community, let us cheer one another on as we are often called to walk right in the midst of the things that He has graciously called us to – as parents, as students, and as the family of Christ.
(Ansley Bonaventure, Perimeter Christian School)
We are promised difficult times, but, for the child of God, we are also promised the presence of our Savior.
We are promised hope.
We can walk the hard.
We will walk the hard.
Let us walk it with our gaze fixed, not on ourselves, our circumstances, or the fearful future, but on the God who formed us, who called us by name, who promises to walk through the flood and the flame with us.
Let us walk it with those who love us deeply and intend to point us to our Living Hope.
Let us see Him…and He will give us rest in the weariest of our moments.
“Through (Jesus Christ) we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:2-5
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” I Peter 1:3-9
Sometimes we think “small” compromises don’t matter.
Sometimes we think we can fall back on our tendencies as a woman or as a man, as a teen or a child and rationalize them away.
Sometimes we think we can’t do anything to change; sometimes we don’t want to.
But all of it matters.
To the God we serve first and foremost.
To the one and the ones we are closest to.
To our hearts.
To our minds.
To our souls.
It matters.
And to that end, the God who formed us has called us to delight in Him!
The God who formed us has told us to follow Him, not others. Any we follow apart from God is only insomuch as they “imitate Christ” and “follow Him.” (I Corinthians 11:1)
The God who formed us has told us to conform to His image not to the image of any other, including our old nature.
The God who formed us has told us to take our thoughts captive to Him through our eyes, our ears, our mind.
The God who formed us has told us He equips us to think differently and do differently from our “before redemption” nature, replete with our self-focused desires and ways of thinking.
“His power has given us everything we need for life and godliness…” (2 Peter 1:3)
Do we believe that?
Will we live it?
To do life according to His desires and so change our own is possible when we are in Christ and because we are in Christ.
To desire that change more as we “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord our Savior, Jesus Christ” (I Peter 2:18) is a treasure we recognize as not of ourselves but as a gift of God who does theequipping for those who are His redeemed.
For His glory and our delight.
The awesome joy of being hidden in Christ matters.
Our faithfulness matters.
Our repentance as we grow in grace matters.
That our hearts are tender to the Lord, humble enough to hear His correction matters.
That our hearts are one with His and that from our surrender and in our growing we know His great love and true desire for us matters.
That we are knit together with others who also love Him and us in unity and transparency matters.
The God who formed us said it matters.
All of it.
“…to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:6
Not as the songs declare or as the movies depict neither as one’s feelings dictate or one’s self perceives.
But what if we loved as defined by Love Himself.
What if we died to ourselves for the glory of God and the joy of another.
What if we encouraged one another and built each other up.
What if our thoughts and words weren’t primarily for ourselves but were for the delight of the Father and the good of another.
What if we spoke the truth to one another not to shame but to mutually grow in grace and transformation.
What if we hid nothing but allowed another to weep with us when we weep or stumble and to rejoice with us in joy and success.
What if we knew one another fully and loved without hindrance.
What if we prayerfully waged war for another, against their hard places and biggest temptations, against our interactions, and against the world.
What if we took no pleasure in evil but rejoiced in the truth.
What if we bore all things, believed all things, hoped all things, endured all things.
What if we loved, truly loved.
Love defined.
Love expressed.
“We love because He first loved us.” I John 4:19
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” I Corinthians 13:4-7
We hide from God and from those we love, fearful that if they knew us fully, their love would grow less; unaware that when we allow someone in completely, even to our most vulnerable places, comfort is found for love is stronger than any hard place and trust is increased.
When we hide, trust is eroded and it conveys to the other person that we don’t trust them enough to allow them into either our wounded places or our deepest battles.
We think we are not known.
Yet, it is often true that those who love us most, know us better than we think…and still love without condition.
We often miss the joy of being fully known and fully loved because we functionally believe the whispers of the enemy of our souls more than God. He wants to rob us of truth and relationship; God is Truth and wants us to live in relationship with Him and others in light of that Truth.
And, all the more, there is One who knows us fully and loves us without fail.
The Lord will discipline those He loves, but He will not reject His children.
He will not allow us to hide or rationalize our self-loving choices that are contrary to His character and His commands.
He will expose us through conviction and sometimes to others, never to bring shame but to lead us to repentance, restoration, and so, steadfastness and true joy.
That is the place where we are confronted.
That is the place of refuge.
That is the place where we are to lay down our self-love and are loved well by the Father so we can learn to love Him more deeply and others as well.
That is the place where we are equipped to stand and find freedom, true satisfaction, and delight.
I am all God created me to be and where I am not, in the things that matter, He refines.
Where I am not, He equips.
Where I am not, I rest in His power to recreate me.
Where I am not, I am called to intentionally “work out my salvation with fear and trembling” by His power.
Not for my glory. For His.
Not for my acclamation. For His.
Not for the expectations of others. For His.
I am not called to blend in but to stand out.
If my actions and words in this life do not reflect a life redeemed, both privately and publicly, if they do not glorify Him, if they are not in line with His revealed will – they are selfish rebellion, and I must reject them.
As we walk, stand, and sit in the presence of others, we are changed.
Are we changed more and more into His likeness or more and more into the likeness of those playing Christianity or rejecting it completely?
Are we changed more and more for His glory or for the selfish desires of our hearts?
The latter is more insidious because it deceives us into thinking that those rejecting God are okay and so are we.
We are not enough.
But we are called to strive, strain, press on in the power of the Holy Spirit to win the prize, to be restored, to be transformed…to more and more be set apart.
The joy of the Lord is my strength.
Morning comes
Sometimes the Lord brings to our lives or allows difficult situations, painful ones.
Sunshine.
Sometimes we think what we do doesn’t matter.
Joy in My Journey 