God is good. All the time. God is good to me. All the time.
The ironic thing is that I don't realize this all the time. I wish I did.
I feel now, Sept. 1, 2009, is a point in my life where the scales have somehow been removed from my eyes and I'm seeing incredible amazing God and the blessings and gifts He's given to me in my life.
And I'm incredibly confused. Perplexed is a better word. I don't understand it. I want to understand it. I don't feel like I necessarily have to understand it. But it's really crazy!! (His grace)
The provision of relationships, and sustenance, and beauty...I am in a funk of "wha?"...for me??
I wonder if my life could get any better. I don't say that arrogantly, but with a genuine heart of thanks. And even in recognizing incredible blessings, there is still doubt present. I wonder, and I actually doubt, it could get better.
One thing I am certain of: I have an obligation, not a works obligation, but a responsibility of love obligation, to turn His blessings and provision around and put them to use to furthering His kingdom here on earth.
But ya, for now, I don't get grace and the joyful giving of Jesus. But I'm okay with that.
Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."
As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.
LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
-Psalm 16 (NIV)
Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label joy. Show all posts
9.01.2009
8.12.2009
a life verse?
I've never really been one for "life verses" or a "verse of the week." I'm not sure why. Maybe because I've thought that the ONE verse for the week or the life is too limiting. God's genius and wisdom is found in much more than just one verse...
but if I had a life verse, or perhaps, a life outlook, I think it might could be Proverbs 30:7-9:
"Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:
but if I had a life verse, or perhaps, a life outlook, I think it might could be Proverbs 30:7-9:
"Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, 'Who is the LORD ?'
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God."
I only ask that I would know only Christ and His truth as my truth, and that Christ would sustain me sufficiently as each day comes. My daily bread in relationships...trials, discipline, finances, opportunities to glorify Him, chances to serve for His name...Christ and Christ alone.
3.23.2009
satan always out to kill joy...
So I have to relate a story that really happened to me, because it seems clear to me that satan was out to kill my joy.
This past Sunday, I had some really good time in the Word before church. On top of that, I was coming off a retreat where I was really encouraged at the evidence of community and the power of the Lord and His ability to work powerfully through community to bring about His greater glory here in our corrupt and broken world.
You could say I was riding on a "spiritual" high. No drugs needed. Just Jesus.
I was riding my bike to church, and a block away from my house I turn right to go up a hill. A black truck turns onto the road behind me. Now, the driver, a male, has the whole street to pass me, and I'm riding close to the curb, out of the way. The truck slows down behind me, like I'm impeding its progress (he still has the whole street and an open lane)...after a few seconds, he roars ahead of me, slows down to cut me off, rolls the window down and yells "get on the god$*#$ sidewalk you motherfu*(#$".
I don't think he was talking to my bike. I was surprised at the random outburst, but wasn't really affected. My mind was on the earlier solid time with the Lord that morning and in that moment, I prayed for the guy in the truck.
I kid you not, not but 2 minutes later, I ride up to a major intersection, pull off on to the curb so I'm completely out of the road, and this time, a gold truck pulls up fast to the intersection, rolls its window down and yells "get on the $*$% sidewalk you idiot". Then quickly turns the corner and starts to speed off.
This time I quickly got enraged. I'm going to admit, not the right reaction. I was a little dumbfounded at how uncoincidental these two trucks with angry men yelling at me to get on the sidewalk were so close together in time (when riding your bike on sidewalks is against the law in most cities).
In my quick enrage, I flipped this truck guy the bird, and he was quick to flip it back. I was also gearing up to yell something to challenge him to come back and get out of his truck and I would get off my bike and then we'll see who would be up on the sidewalk, crying for momma. But I didn't.
I don't think these men were inherently evil, but I have to wonder about satan's ability to bring about evil through different means. My reaction in anger to the second guy wasn't right. Call me crazy, but after the fact, as I kept riding on to church, I was struck at how aggresive and timely these biker-hate events took place immediately after some solid intimate time with the Lord.
"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8 NASB)
After I arrived, church was great, the teaching was very solid and worship was fulfilling. But I couldn't help but think for the rest of the day, and how clear it was to me that satan is tireless, quite crafty, and will use any means necessary to distract or try to destroy any joy or intimacy, any at all, that arises between the Lord and me.
This past Sunday, I had some really good time in the Word before church. On top of that, I was coming off a retreat where I was really encouraged at the evidence of community and the power of the Lord and His ability to work powerfully through community to bring about His greater glory here in our corrupt and broken world.
You could say I was riding on a "spiritual" high. No drugs needed. Just Jesus.
I was riding my bike to church, and a block away from my house I turn right to go up a hill. A black truck turns onto the road behind me. Now, the driver, a male, has the whole street to pass me, and I'm riding close to the curb, out of the way. The truck slows down behind me, like I'm impeding its progress (he still has the whole street and an open lane)...after a few seconds, he roars ahead of me, slows down to cut me off, rolls the window down and yells "get on the god$*#$ sidewalk you motherfu*(#$".
I don't think he was talking to my bike. I was surprised at the random outburst, but wasn't really affected. My mind was on the earlier solid time with the Lord that morning and in that moment, I prayed for the guy in the truck.
I kid you not, not but 2 minutes later, I ride up to a major intersection, pull off on to the curb so I'm completely out of the road, and this time, a gold truck pulls up fast to the intersection, rolls its window down and yells "get on the $*$% sidewalk you idiot". Then quickly turns the corner and starts to speed off.
This time I quickly got enraged. I'm going to admit, not the right reaction. I was a little dumbfounded at how uncoincidental these two trucks with angry men yelling at me to get on the sidewalk were so close together in time (when riding your bike on sidewalks is against the law in most cities).
In my quick enrage, I flipped this truck guy the bird, and he was quick to flip it back. I was also gearing up to yell something to challenge him to come back and get out of his truck and I would get off my bike and then we'll see who would be up on the sidewalk, crying for momma. But I didn't.
I don't think these men were inherently evil, but I have to wonder about satan's ability to bring about evil through different means. My reaction in anger to the second guy wasn't right. Call me crazy, but after the fact, as I kept riding on to church, I was struck at how aggresive and timely these biker-hate events took place immediately after some solid intimate time with the Lord.
"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8 NASB)
After I arrived, church was great, the teaching was very solid and worship was fulfilling. But I couldn't help but think for the rest of the day, and how clear it was to me that satan is tireless, quite crafty, and will use any means necessary to distract or try to destroy any joy or intimacy, any at all, that arises between the Lord and me.
12.03.2008
Scripture speaks clearly AGAIN!
A great game plan for carrying on this life that's short and to the point...
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 NIV)
11.17.2008
sharing what's been up with me: restoration
"Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalm 51:12 NIV)
This past weekend was awesome. God is graceful and compassionate in the least expected times. I went to Texas for a wedding which can only be described as: complete awesomeness. I mean primarily the wedding, but being in Texas didn't hurt matters. The fullness and completeness of the love and joy of Christ were so evident and visible throughout time with friends and the ceremony and festivities of the wedding. I wanted to bottle it up and take it home to have some more for later.
Before this weekend, I had just felt sort of blah, going through the motions, and this weekend helped me realize the complacency of that and how I was walking (or barely shuffling along) with Jesus, which is not ok. It's hard to describe exactly the specifics of the blah-ness, but it was there, and this weekend encouraged me through grace upon grace.
Different conversations and seeing the love surrounding the wedding provided a very clear distinction of what is found in Christ. That which is found only in Him. I talked with people and had conversations that resulted in a swelling up of compassion and recognition that Christ is so completely and extremely needed everywhere in this world. In every relationship, in every family, in every society. And in the wedding, I saw a clear and tangible proof of that.
And I don't think by coincidence, this morning, I woke up and really had a sense that there was more serious spiritual attack going on than normal. The enemy does not like it when your joy of salvation is exploding. So that's not saying a lot, other than I can positively testify that Christ is the Lord of compassion and all things good, and unto Him we are to take our brokenness, even if we forget to intentionally do so.
This past weekend was awesome. God is graceful and compassionate in the least expected times. I went to Texas for a wedding which can only be described as: complete awesomeness. I mean primarily the wedding, but being in Texas didn't hurt matters. The fullness and completeness of the love and joy of Christ were so evident and visible throughout time with friends and the ceremony and festivities of the wedding. I wanted to bottle it up and take it home to have some more for later.
Before this weekend, I had just felt sort of blah, going through the motions, and this weekend helped me realize the complacency of that and how I was walking (or barely shuffling along) with Jesus, which is not ok. It's hard to describe exactly the specifics of the blah-ness, but it was there, and this weekend encouraged me through grace upon grace.
Different conversations and seeing the love surrounding the wedding provided a very clear distinction of what is found in Christ. That which is found only in Him. I talked with people and had conversations that resulted in a swelling up of compassion and recognition that Christ is so completely and extremely needed everywhere in this world. In every relationship, in every family, in every society. And in the wedding, I saw a clear and tangible proof of that.
And I don't think by coincidence, this morning, I woke up and really had a sense that there was more serious spiritual attack going on than normal. The enemy does not like it when your joy of salvation is exploding. So that's not saying a lot, other than I can positively testify that Christ is the Lord of compassion and all things good, and unto Him we are to take our brokenness, even if we forget to intentionally do so.
8.02.2008
maybe it's like this...
So I thought of a visual analogy to how our lives work in relation to what we're filled up with and where our joy is found. This may be silly, but I think it makes some sense. And it's summer, so maybe it's more relevant.
For this, you need to remember something from Science class:
-the principle of water displacement. The mass of some object, when put in a water glass, will displace that same amount of water.
Think of a swimming pool. A big one in your back yard. We're the pool. What's in the pool, the toys, accessories, people, the water -- is what's in our lives. More specifically, the water in the pool represents the spiritual joy that comes from Jesus and Him alone. When we come to believe in Jesus and grow in His likeness, we're adding water to the pool. We get to a normal level, and everything is ok. You can throw in a float or two into a pool, maybe some diving rings to the bottom, but not much changes. These things might represent some simple material possessions that add joy to our real lives. Having a car, having a home to build a family up under God's grace, these things are not inherently wrong and they add contentment to our lives.
Don't forget people!
People fill up your pool much better than the floats or diving rings. In our lives, that principle holds true. More satisfaction SHOULD come from relationships with others than the material things that are in our pool.
As for the people, some people might dive into the pool, hopefully they do it so as not to splash too much water out of the pool. There are those people who sometimes do cannonballs into your pool, and that causes a lot of water to be lost. Remeber, the water = joy. The people who jump into your pool of life are those who make up your community and relationships. And yes, you'll have the occasional doof who pees in your pool. Overall, having people in your pool adds to the fun and enjoyment of it. The right number of people in your pool raises your water level almost to the top level of the pool. But still, most of what's in the pool is water, the joy found in Christ.
What happens when we start throwing in too many pool accessories into our pool? At first we think great!, more cool pool toys! but then we start losing the water that's in our pool. Uh oh, not good. This happens in our lives. We go beyond levels of satisfaction found in a relevant, minimal, meet-the-need set of material goods to where we start displacing the joy in our lives. The water flows out of our pool. And for what? An underwater motorized swimming machine? You mean to tell me we're getting rid of that universal, life-giving, life-sustaining water for some pool toy? Cool as it may be, is that the smartest move? What's going to happen in a severe heatwave? The fires of life...we better have a lot of water in our pool stored up before those come on, or our pool might evaporate completely then our pool foundation starts to crack.
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (John 7:37-38 NIV)
Be it summer, or whatever season of the year, that your life may be filled up as much as possible with the joy that is found and can only be found in the fullness of Jesus, the Christ.
For this, you need to remember something from Science class:
-the principle of water displacement. The mass of some object, when put in a water glass, will displace that same amount of water.
Think of a swimming pool. A big one in your back yard. We're the pool. What's in the pool, the toys, accessories, people, the water -- is what's in our lives. More specifically, the water in the pool represents the spiritual joy that comes from Jesus and Him alone. When we come to believe in Jesus and grow in His likeness, we're adding water to the pool. We get to a normal level, and everything is ok. You can throw in a float or two into a pool, maybe some diving rings to the bottom, but not much changes. These things might represent some simple material possessions that add joy to our real lives. Having a car, having a home to build a family up under God's grace, these things are not inherently wrong and they add contentment to our lives.
Don't forget people!
People fill up your pool much better than the floats or diving rings. In our lives, that principle holds true. More satisfaction SHOULD come from relationships with others than the material things that are in our pool.
As for the people, some people might dive into the pool, hopefully they do it so as not to splash too much water out of the pool. There are those people who sometimes do cannonballs into your pool, and that causes a lot of water to be lost. Remeber, the water = joy. The people who jump into your pool of life are those who make up your community and relationships. And yes, you'll have the occasional doof who pees in your pool. Overall, having people in your pool adds to the fun and enjoyment of it. The right number of people in your pool raises your water level almost to the top level of the pool. But still, most of what's in the pool is water, the joy found in Christ.
What happens when we start throwing in too many pool accessories into our pool? At first we think great!, more cool pool toys! but then we start losing the water that's in our pool. Uh oh, not good. This happens in our lives. We go beyond levels of satisfaction found in a relevant, minimal, meet-the-need set of material goods to where we start displacing the joy in our lives. The water flows out of our pool. And for what? An underwater motorized swimming machine? You mean to tell me we're getting rid of that universal, life-giving, life-sustaining water for some pool toy? Cool as it may be, is that the smartest move? What's going to happen in a severe heatwave? The fires of life...we better have a lot of water in our pool stored up before those come on, or our pool might evaporate completely then our pool foundation starts to crack.
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (John 7:37-38 NIV)
Be it summer, or whatever season of the year, that your life may be filled up as much as possible with the joy that is found and can only be found in the fullness of Jesus, the Christ.
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