Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Week Three - When Joy is Gone

What kills your joy? Trials, disappointments, fear of the future, debt, poor health? So many things come in life to challenge our joy and, sometimes, even kill it. But when joy is gone, we still have hope of its return. Why? Because joy is a fruit of the Spirit, and therefore, as we draw closer to the Spirit, He renews our joy despite our circumstances.


For my Bible reading, I read one chapter daily, and after I read, I create my own devotional commentary. Deuteronomy 12 was my reading the other day, and I noticed the word "rejoice" repeated. The children of Israel were to rejoice in all they put their hands to (vs. 7, 18) and rejoice before the Lord with their family and household (vs 12, 18). This rejoicing was based on their recognition of God's provision and directly linked to their obedience as they kept themselves away from the influences of the ungodly societies in Canaan land.


Innocence and purity hold great joy. When we experience the presence of evil, see it, read it, and participate in it, joy departs. Keeping ourselves unspotted by the world, according to James 1:27, is evidence of purity. So, if your joy is waning, this might be a good place to look first. Do you need to clean up your act and observe to do what God commands? Remember, the blessing is on the other side of obedience.


As I studied on that day, I came to another truth about joy. Trials do not inhibit joy because God's children know to run home when the storm comes. Poor old Job faced much affliction, but his prayer was not "Oh, that I might be healed, or even, O, that I might have my children and property restored. Job's cry was, "Oh, that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!" (Job 23:3). It is the spiritual instinct of God's children to seek shelter beneath His wings. 


Spurgeon said, "A hypocrite, when afflicted by God, resents the infliction and like a slave, would run from the Master who has scourged him; but not so the true heir of heaven, he kisses the hand which struck him, and seeks shelter from the rod in the bosom of the God who frowned upon him."


That's where the joy comes from, from the God of all comfort, the God who sees and desires to bless.


Spurgeon continues, "Turning away with bitter scorn from earth's hives, where we find no honey, but many sharp stings, we rejoice in Him whose faithful word is sweeter than honey or the honeycomb. In every trouble, we should first seek to realize God's presence with us. Only let's enjoy His smile, and we can bear our daily cross with a willing and joyful heart for His dear sake. Nothing teaches us so much the preciousness of the Creator as when we learn the emptiness of all besides.


So, when joy seems gone, examine your obedience and then run to your Saviour, the One who restores the joy of your salvation!

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Week Two - World Shakers

Many people on social media, in the news, governments, and elsewhere are noticed as world shakers. And truly, some of them hold the potential to shake things up. On the other hand, we have less visible influence, but without us, without our underpinning, those folks would be nothing—they'd have no followers to impress!

Does that mean we have no voice, no responsibility, no influence? Hardly. What we do with our lives matters. There are qualities we need to emulate that will shake our world, qualities that create a better place to live and increase our effectiveness for Christ.

The first quality we need is courage. Stepping out by faith in the face of rejection takes courage. No one wants to be rejected or overlooked, and sometimes our paths are full of opposition, but the strong Christian takes heart. As they rejected Christ, so they will reject us. Let that not matter at all. Let our heart's desire be faithfulness, and courage will rise. 

We need unwavering trust in Christ. Paul said, "None of these things move me" (Acts 20:24). He wouldn't be deterred from trusting the Lord. He desires to be strong in faith, nothing wavering. "For the Lord Jehovah will help me; therefore have I not been confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame" (Isaiah 50:7).

We need a clean slate, no hidden sin. Our words and meditations must be pure; our actions and motivations sincere. Our lives must be upright to make a world-shaking difference for Christ.

The world shaker has complete confidence in the battle, knowing God is able and counts on God in advance. When you know you are where God wants you to be and doing what God has ordained for you to do, you can rest your confidence in Him. He promised to work on your behalf.

Another quality of a world shaker is contentment. You are content that you have the right message, the truth of God, and you rest there. Your life choices indicate contentment, and as you study and apply God's Word, you find even a deeper source of contentment.

Have you met anyone with these qualities? Do you marvel at them? Do they shake your perceptions? They should. 

You don't have to be on the public stage to be a world shaker. Your home and workplace are your platform. From there, you make a difference. And the more of us that set our hearts to this task, the greater the influence overall. 

Have courage, unwavering trust, purity, confidence, and contentment in the Lord, and He can use you to be a world-shaker in your realm.

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Week One - Gifts

Each day of 2024 and of 2025 ahead is a gift, watered by God's hand and designed for His glory. For us, the days look endless and maybe even ominous because we don't know what they hold. We see through the glass dimly and tremble at the future, but our Lord doesn't tremble. He doesn't see dimly; He sees with perfect clarity. How beautiful can our rest be when we entrust the days ahead to Him! We can rejoice and delight in the Lord. Instead of opening the year with dread, we open it with the sweet strains of joy and the brightness of a cymbal. We have arrived at 2025!

Spurgeon says, "We, the called, faithful, and chosen, will drive away our griefs and set up our banners of confidence in the name of God. Let others lament over their troubles; we who have the sweetening tree to cast into Marah's bitter pool will joyfully magnify the Lord. We will rejoice and delight: two words: with one sense, double bliss, blessedness upon blessedness."  

What will your year look like? No one can tell you, but I can assure you that your mindset holds great sway over how your days progress. You can choose to be blessed, grateful, excited, thankful, and happy.  You can create rest and peace. Or you can create drama. 

You have 365 days to make a difference in your life and the lives of those under your influence. What will you do? How will you use your time? The gift of this year is yours. Should God allow you to have the full days, measure them out with joy. Move through them in faith and set your heart to thankfulness. Rejoice and delight! Then, meet me here next year, and we'll share all God has done!


Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Week Fifty Two - The Big Day

It's Christmas morning, a time filled with the delightful anticipation of a joyous day. For some, the day begins with the rise of mom and dad and the delightful squeals of wide-eyed children rushing down the stairs. Amidst the flood of wrapping paper and thrills of joy, the cherished Christmas traditions come to life. 

But let's pause a moment and remember that Big Day in Bethlehem. Out on the hillside, the shepherds are quietly tending their sheep.

"And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy; which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. (Luke 2:8-16).

What a Big Day that was! We can sing with the shepherds and the angelic chorus, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given! (Isaiah 9:6) His was a miraculous conception, the fulfillment of God's promise, and the hope of all mankind. God with us. 

As Spurgeon says, "God with us in our nature, in our sorrow, in our life work, in our punishment, in our grave, and now with us, or rather we with Him, in resurrection, ascension triumph, and coming splendor." 

Jesus's birth was a big, momentous day. Let's not let the splendor of His birth be overshadowed by Christmas traditions. Before you partake in your festive meal, take a moment to offer a prayer of thanks. Discuss the true significance of the season with your loved ones, and as you rest your head at the end of this joyous day, let it be filled with gratitude and praise for God's unspeakable gift.

Monday, December 16, 2024

Week Fifty One - Stranger Danger

In Deuteronomy 10, Moses reminds Israel of their history and challenges them to remain faithful to God, fear Him, walk in His ways, love and serve Him, and obey the commandments. This is something oft-repeated! And it makes for good advice for us as well, but in verse 19, Moses adds a little reminder for Israel—one that we might benefit from today.

"Love ye therefore the stranger" (Deuteronomy 10:19).

When we follow the history of Israel, we see they did not love the stranger. They grew so insular that they would not touch the unclean; any non-Jew was considered unclean. They would not enter their houses, eat their food, or even rub shoulders with them. They took stranger danger to the extreme and became a stumbling block to spreading faith in God.

Now, lest we condemn them too quickly, we would be wise to examine our own Christianity. How often do we allow pride to slip in? We love, obey, and worship God, but push away strangers. We fear things outside our control, things we don't understand. We grow so separated that we exist only in our Christian bubble and have no room for any strangers.

As Bethlehem bustled with excitement, Mary and Joseph faced rejection. There was no room for the strangers arriving in town. We think the innkeeper is heartless, but he doesn't know who is at his doorstep.
How could he? And how can we know who God places before us?

Strangers are arriving on our doorsteps, towns, and churches. Will we turn them away? Will we not "touch" the unclean? Because they are not like us, will we push them away? Are we so separated that mercy only extends to those who agree with us or look like us? 

Deuteronomy 10:18 says God "loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment." Are we willing to do the same?

So here's the challenge: To fulfill the Great Commission's demands, we must interact with strangers. You cannot give someone the Gospel or hope to build an opportunity to witness without personal interaction. 
Don't let stranger danger keep you from sharing God's Word or opening your hand of mercy.


Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Week Fifty - Cookie Cutters

Today, I wanted to share some thoughts about cookies—not the type associated with computers, but those we see in abundance during the Christmas season—those we make and decorate with our kids, those shaped to look like gingerbread men, Christmas trees, or even reindeer.

I've had many fails with Christmas cookies! Some I rolled too thin, and they turned out crunchy; some lost their shame and came out like blobs. And my decorating skills are almost zero when it comes to icing cookies or cupcakes! But that's not what I want to think about with you either.

You and I are not cookies—that's my thought! We are uniquely designed. No two of God's children are the same, but His will for His children is consistent. All of us are to give thanks, walk worthy, be saved, and live sanctified lives. That's His perfect recipe, but none of us are the same because He designs each of us according to His specific purpose. That's what makes us individually unique.

As I thought more about our individuality, I understood that we will give individual accounts to God for what we decided to do with Jesus in salvation, how we obeyed His Word, and how we served the Lord. We have only one life, one opportunity to fulfill God's perfect design for our lives, but there is no need to fret and search with bewilderment. His Word reveals His ideal design. All we have to do is follow the instructions given in the recipe.

If we do that, if we follow God's instructions, we won't miss His plan for our lives. However, if we cheat on the recipe, cut corners, swap things out, or fail to follow the instructions, things won't turn out so well. And yet, God knows all about that, too! Even misshaped cookies taste okay!

Everyone who knows Christ as Saviour is worthy in God's eyes—not because we are cookie-cutter perfect, but because of Christ's sacrifice. We are the apple of His eye, the child in whom He delights, and He directs His eternal love toward us, even those of us who are a bit too crispy or look like a blob!


Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Week Forty-Nine - Who Are You Listening To?

It is often difficult to distinguish lies from truth on the news and social media. It all depends on who you listen to and the motivation behind their information. 

I got to thinking about the war in Ukraine, Trump, Biden, and Putin, increased energy prices, the new government here in the UK, and a host of other things. I grew concerned, trying to figure this all out. 

Well, you know that was a waste of effort. I'm not in charge or responsible for any of those things. I cannot change them, and my voice would make little difference. Neither would yours. We are just peons, victims of this world's actions. But are we?

I had to align my thinking with scripture. When it comes to war, God said we would experience it. Nothing new there. Trump and Biden? Putin? God is the one who raises up and takes down leaders. Increased prices are scary and unpredictable, but these things always fluctuate. God already knows about that, and He knows the outcome of everything. It is all His to design.

Isaiah 40 popped up in my mind. It holds several promises and thoughts. Verse 4 assures us God will make the crooked places straight and the rough places plain. He will make a path for us, and His Word will stand forever, verse 8.

Then, verses 13 and 14 put before us a serious question. "Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?" In other words, who am I to think I could outfigure God or tell Him what to do? I needed to get back into my place.

Then, verses 15 and 17 really caught my attention. "Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket and are counted as the small dust of the balance... All nations before him are as nothing." Wow! What difference when you get things back into God's perspective.

Chapter 40 finishes with a couple more great verses. Verses 28 and 31 read, "Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding...But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faith.

Finally, Proverbs 14:15 gives this admonition, "The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his goings." So, let's not listen more intently to the news and the world than we do to our God's eternal, unchanging voice.