joy

The Power of the Resurrection – VOTD.03.27.18

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this? John 11:23-26

Today’s verses expose a common limitation that we find even today about the resurrection of Jesus. When He said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life,” Martha immediately concluded that He was talking about heaven some day. And it wasn’t that she was wrong, but Jesus wanted to expand her understanding.

The Power of Jesus’ Resurrection is at work today: The Power of the Resurrection that is just as powerful now, as it was then, and when it will be through eternity. Yes, it’s what makes us Christians today. It’s the only reason that we can be Christians.

Power of the Resurrection is the SALVATION of Jesus.
· It’s the Power of the Resurrection that gives us Faith to call upon the name of Jesus.
· It’s the Power of the Resurrection that gives you and me the power to draw others into God’s Kingdom.

But what the Resurrection has given you and me is more than Salvation, as wonderful as that is. It’s more than the Saints being raised up in a cloud with Believers when the last trumpet sounds. The Power of the Resurrection isn’t a “thing” or a “force”. The power of Jesus’ resurrection is Love, Hope, Joy, Peace, Victory, and Freedom: (more…)

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Understanding – VOTD.02.26.18

Do you understand what you are reading? Acts 8:30

I was chatting with some very Bible-literate friends and they were marveling that so much of what the Bible is clear on is missed by so many people who avidly read the Bible. How can people miss what’s right in front of their eyes? I was explaining, from my background in cognition, how our brains pick up on an idea and then filter all new data through the filter of what we already know (or assume) and that makes us likely to read right over things that don’t square with the filter of what we already think.

It works like this: An idea is planted in our heads that we buy into. Then other ideas come along that don’t support or challenge our original idea. If we actually stop to consider these new ideas, we may find they create dissonance with our closely held belief. So, since our minds don’t like dissonance very much, rather than put up with the dissonance, we will either get angry at the person or book that presents the new idea, or more often, ignore it, without even realizing we’re doing it.

The evidence of this problem is everywhere. It’s the reason mystery-fiction writers can snooker us right up to the very end despite planting clues blatantly before our eyes. It’s the reason that political and religious zealots can completely miss the evidences that don’t support their mantra. It’s so pervasive in Bible teaching that I often pray that God would lead me beyond my own assumptions and understanding when I come to read or teach the Word. In fact, He has often answered that prayer and stretched my understanding. (more…)

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The Promises of God – VOTD.02.19.18

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him. (1 Jn 5:14)

Hope, peace, and joy are only a few of the promises of God to every believer. His promises are both universal and unique – That means He has promises that apply to all believers and He has promises that apply only to me or to you, individually. Either way, it is in these promises that we walk out our Christian journey.

But it’s important to understand that God’s promises are not always inevitable – We may or may not experience all that God has promised us. Yes, God always keeps His promises. But often, whether or not we experience the fulfillment of one or more of His promises depends on whether we receive it and act on it. God’s promises are more like an invitation that He wants us to agree to join Him in.

So God has given each one of us an invitation, but we still need to RSVP. For example, He promises us, “Open your mouth and I will fulfill it. And you will see. The words that you speak, so shall it be.” (Ps 81:10) Now, that’s a promise. He’ll give us what He wants us to say, and He’ll back up the Words He puts in our mouths. But it depends on whether our “mouths” – our appetites for Him – are open to receive how much of that promise we will experience in our lives.

The point is, when it comes to God’s promises to us, we’re not passive in receiving His promises. We are co-laborers with Him. He is the King and we are the bride and we are called to actively walk out the faith that He provides us and by that faith to walk in the promises He has made. (more…)

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Hope, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit – VOTD.02.13.18

… so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

I want to tie up some loose ends today: The Holy Spirit is the one that produces His holiness in us as we walk in dependence on Him (Gal. 5:16-23; 1 Cor. 6:11). The Spirit opens our minds so that we can understand the truths of God’s Word (1 Cor. 2:9-13). These are some of our first baby steps in the Spirit.

The Spirit confirms our adoption as children of God and helps us as we struggle to pray (Rom. 8:15-17, 26). The Spirit strengthens us with power in the inner being so that Jesus dwells in our hearts through faith (Eph. 3:16-17). The Holy Spirit seals every believer so that we are kept for the day of redemption (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30).

So it’s not surprising that as time goes by, we find that the Holy Spirit is the power who produces in us His fruit, like Peace and Joy as we trust in Him, so that we abound in Hope.

This requires a shifting in how we think – how you and I perceive reality. We’re either going to limit our thinking to the natural, living in that place of limitation, or we’re going to open ourselves to the Spirit and enter into a Joy and a Peace that culminates in a life-attitude of Hope. (more…)

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Hope, Peace and Joy in Troubled Times – VOTD.02.12.18

Everything we could ever need for life and complete devotion to God has already been deposited inside us by his divine power. For all this has been lavished upon us through the rich experience of knowing him … As a result, he has given us magnificent promises … so that through the power of these tremendous promises we can partner with the God’s own nature.  1 Peter 1:3-4

This may sound so obvious you’d wonder why I bother mentioning it at all. But there are far too many Christians who, when reminded that they are supposed to be walking in joy and peace and hope, feel a sort of despair, or else they feel a huge burden – “I know I’m supposed to be that way and I try and try.” So I think it’s worth mentioning the obvious.

If we want joy, peace, and hope, the way to get it is by prayer, seeking God, and worship. There is no formula that can compare with this because God is the God of Hope, He’s the God of Peace, He’s the God of Joy. Outside of Him, it’s practically cruel to expect ourselves to have any of these fruits (results) of the Holy Spirit’s presence.

But God promises us Hope, Peace, and Joy. And like all of God’s promises, they come by us focusing on Him: A lot of God’s promises are found right in the Bible. Write them down on a list or memorize them so you can recite them over and over…especially when you aren’t feeling very peaceful, joyful or hopeful. The point isn’t the method, it’s that we meditate on God’s promises and focus on Him and His promises often.

Secondly, we need to change our minds about joylessness, grumbling, complaining, hopelessness, and peacelessness. They are not just unfortunate, they make us miserable and miserable to be around. They are the prayer language of hell. They are accusations against our God that He’s doing a bad job. Rather than bringing us closer to Jesus, which is the solution to all of this, they drive us further away.

When we feel overwhelmed with despair or depression, we need to use that as our cue to talk ourselves toward hope: Tell yourself again and again to hope in God. The depressed psalmist did this repeatedly: (more…)

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Joy in the Wilderness – VOTD.02.06.18

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baka (tears), they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength… For the Lord God is their sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from them… Psalm 84:5-11

Jesus is faithful. In fact, His name is “Faithful and True” (Rev 19:11). And He promises to withhold no good thing from us as we walk in communion with Him. For “the lovers of God who chase after righteousness,” Proverbs promises, “find all their dreams come true: an abundant life drenched with favor and a fountain that overflows with satisfaction” (21:2).

…But in the wildernesses of life (pilgrimage), when we’re stuck in the valley of tears (Baka), we can’t see how God will ever bring His promises to pass.  When we aren’t even certain we have a promise in the first place, it can be difficult to rest in Him, and find the joy of the Lord, even in our wilderness.

We all find ourselves in the valley of tears or sorrows. Yet God enables us in those times and place to dig deep springs in our wildernesses; and He fills our efforts with pools of water as we are energized by Him (from strength to strength). We find Him to be the Giver of good gifts (sun-the source of energy and warmth) as well as our shield (protector).

But too often our focus is in the wrong place – when we spin-in on all our troubles, we miss the joy that is in His presence. Maybe we neglect the opportunity to rejoice in Jesus because the atmosphere isn’t very conducive to being joyful. We don’t feel like it. But if keep putting it off until the promise is fulfilled, there’ll be another promise we need fulfilled just around the corner that we will wait for… and the result is that we’ll never find rest and we’ll never be joy-filled.

Joy in the wilderness requires faith in the Lord of the wilderness. Faith will always be needed as long as we live in this world where we face trouble, and we need to know how to be joyful and rest, even in our wildness. That joy and rest come from deeper communion with Jesus, rather than our finding solace in our immediate circumstances… to discover by experience that “in His presence there is fullness of joy” (Ps. 16:11). (more…)

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Hope, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit – VOTD.01.30.18

Now may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope! Romans 15:13

Today’s verse is what Paul prays for every believer to experience. When we read a verse like this, it can either fill us with excitement over what we have and the possibilities of where we can go from here, or it can be a bit daunting. “Does that verse even come close to describing me? Does my life is filled with all joy and peace in believing? Do I abound in hope?”

To varying degrees we all fall short of experiencing the uncontainable joy and perfect peace and life-radiating hope that Paul prays for each of us. But considering the dullness of many Christians’ faith-experience, it makes sense to seriously seek God to fill us with all joy and peace, so that we will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So in a sense today’s verse is one of the most practical passages in the Bible for us all as we navigate life in a world where we are promised trouble (Jn 14:33). Firstly, if we face discouragement and disappointment, the place to go is God. He’s the source or supplier of hope. In fact, He is also the focus of our hope. Paul describes Him in 15:33 and 16:20 as “the God of peace.” He gives peace to His people. If we lack hope or peace or joy, the first place we should look for it in God, who is the source of all three.

Secondly, while the foundation for this abundant is hope found in Jesus, the structure of hope that is built on that foundation is being filled with all joy and peace. And Paul doesn’t pray that we will have a little bit of joy and peace trickling into our lives now and then. He piles up these superlatives to show us that God’s method of building on the foundation of hope is to fill us with all joy and peace so that we will abound in hope. (more…)

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Clap for Joy – VOTD.12.26.17

Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! Psalm 47:1

I hope you had a merry (joyful) Christmas!

Think of a child opening a big brightly-wrapped Christmas present. There’s something inside them that needs to be expressed as they discover what the gift is. You can see it when the young kid claps with glee as they discover the exciting gift inside. That’s the idea behind today’s verse: That spontaneous, joyful response.

Everyone clap your hands, (All people)
Everyone shout to God with loud songs of joy!

It sounds like the Sons of Korah (who wrote this psalm) were familiar with exuberant displays of worship. And part of that exuberant display were loud songs of joy. The biblical concept of clapping to the Lord includes more than keeping time to music. When God’s children drink from the river of His delights (Ps 36:8) or discover the gifts of His grace, we can’t help but respond in joy. (more…)

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In Search of Joy in a Discouraged World Pt 2 – VOTD.08.29.17

You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with Joy in your presence. Psalms 16:11

Last time we saw that we can have a hard time living in the joy that Jesus wants us to live in and gave a few suggestions about what each of us can do about it as we continue to live in an unspeakably distressed world and is filled with negativity.

1. Joyful Christians have unshakable faith
2. Joyful Christians are grateful for what we have
3. Joyful Christians don’t settle for less
4. Joyful Christians are respectful and honor others
5. Joyful Christians surround themselves with joyful people

6. Joyful Christians aren’t afraid to make changes. A lot of Christians aren’t joyful because they are stuck in a deep rut…a pattern of living that doesn’t serve their calling or purpose in life and from which they can’t seem to get out. Joyful people, on the other hand, are dynamic without being out of control; confident without being arrogant. Often, it’s our fear of being different makes us bored (and boring). Joyful people are constantly trying new ways and practices that add spice to their life (and make them more interesting people). (more…)

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In Search of Joy in a Discouraged World Pt 1 – VOTD.08.28.17

Even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an unspeakable joy that is full of glory. 1 Peter 1:8

God fills His people with joy. But we often have a hard time living in that joy. You see, we live in an unspeakably distressed world and that negativity affects us, and those depressing events can end up leaving us feel hopeless and dejected. Even if discouragement sometimes seems like the easiest mindset to fall into, we know that joy is by far the happiest and most fulfilling way to live our lives.

It is in joy that we are filled with God’s own glory. Joyful people are more content with their life circumstances, and are more fulfilled and satisfied with life. Joyful people are more content in the mundane tasks of life, and they are more engaged in their work and more productive.

Have you ever wondered how joyful Christians manage to routinely be that way? I want to share a few ideas on that this week:

1. Joyful Christians have unshakable faith that God is working all things out for our good for us (Rom 8:28). Confidence in God is always the key to feeling good about ourselves, and joyfulness is no exception. When we know that we know that God is in control and He’s a good God—then we have the confidence to reach for all we can be in Him—then joy is the natural result. (more…)

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