Friday, November 5, 2010

More than Joy

Today, as I did some homeschooling lessons with my daughter I stumbled across this prayer from St.Francis of Assisi.

"Lord, make us instruments of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; Where there is injury, let there be pardon; Where there is discord, union; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; Where there is sadness, joy; For Your mercy and for Your truth's sake."

How very appropriate. When we are under adversity our response is generally the opposite to what God calls us to be. Humility is not easy but it is the easiest way to Joy. Along the same lines...This morning my Bible study was in Philippians 2. I have memorized much of Philippians 2 over the years, but this morning it had a greater impact than I expected. I am still mulling over the fruits of the spirit as I mentioned in a previous post...I think that today's lesson in humility goes along very well with my pursuit of Joy. My prayer is that God continue to do His good work in me and conforming everyday closer to His image. Also notice the word Joy once again in my path. God is consistent~ of that I am sure!

Philippians 2
Imitating Christ’s Humility
1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Do Everything Without Grumbling
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. 14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Timothy and Epaphroditus
19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon. 25 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. 26 For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29 So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Joy

This past summer my oldest daugher, Maddie, discovered how to make rainbows with the water hose. She would take the hose and put the nozzle onto the mist setting and spray wildly into the sunshine. It took some practice but eventually she discovered how to find the rainbows around our yard. Maddie also found rainbows at the water park and even at the Zoo one day. She was just enraptured by the beauty of these perfect rainbows there were hidden everywhere. Every found secret rainbow unleashed a new sense of Joy! When she asked me how it worked I explained that when the water and the sunlight mixed, we would be able to see all of the rainbows that God has hidden for us. It got me thinking about what a wonderful God we serve that He would hide Joy in the most currious places.

So moves me to my point~Joy. There has been something strange happening to me lately that I can only assume is a God thing. Joy. I see Joy everywhere. And what I mean by that is I see the word Joy everywhere. I was reading a new book this week and there was a baby named Joyce they called Joy, my daughter was singing Joy to the World and asked me to spell Joy, I found a Christmas ornament JOY and this past weekend we were at a store and I saw the word Joy at least 30 times. I started thinking about what that word meant. What is real Joy? I have this image of the Bible my mother had when I was a little girl-called "The Way". There was a woman on the cover that was looking heavenward and had this look of unexpliciable Joy on her face. I loved that picture. She was so happy and I knew it was because she was on the cover of Jesus' book. I know that was cheezzy but it made me smile as I wrote it-because it really was what I thought at the time. My love for that old Bible was shared by my mother, who read it until it literally fell apart (in my opinion the best way to see a Bible).

In my life, I don't know many times that I have felt that sort of pure Joy. I can name a few- my wedding day just before we said I do- I was consummed with so much Joy I nearly kissed my groom too soon, the first time I held Maddie, the first time I held Sydney and a couple of times when I was worshiping that I felt as if I had been physically in the presence of the Lord. And although I look at these moments as pure gifts from my loving Father I am certain that there are more moments than just these few that He has given to us. Are we missing the Joy simply because we don't look for it or is it related to our obedience and complete submission to Him? I don't think that the Bible would have mentioned it as one of the fruits of the Spirit if the Lord didn't intend on us receiving it. Unfortunately, I think we focus on love and peace way more then we ever think of Joy or patience or kindness or goodness or self-control or faithfullness or gentleness. They are all the fruits of a surrendered life but we refuse to surrender and therefore find none of them.

So maybe God is telling me to surrender- to finally find that Joy that I keep hearing about. Surrender is work though. It's funny because the word itself make you appear weak but think about it-surrender is work. It is not easy to give up your personal control and allow God to move. We don't want to repent, change, be uncomfortable. We want what we want-sometimes with only a slight consideration of what God's will is. Our will trumps God's even though the voice in the back of our head (ahem...the Holy Spirit) is telling us to re-think the situatiion. We miss out on so much Joy because we refuse to obey and ultimately surrender to the God of our life.

Well for what it is worth, I believe that Joy is like those rainbows, or one of Maddie's hidden picture games~it is everywhere~we just have to surrender and allow God to reveal it. Couldn't you use some Joy in your life? I know I could.

Joy.

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.