Category Archives: Joy

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February 3, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Joy, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Today: Make it Count

CONTENTMENT OR NOT: THE CHOICE IS OURS

bindweed (hedge)-ACL04WEBI don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me. [Philippians 4:11-13 (HCSB)]

How often do we sigh, “If only …” (fill in the blank) followed by the phrase, “then I’d be happy”? That attitude only fosters a spirit of discontent. If we’re busy waiting for something special in the future, we miss out on the joys of today. We have 86,400 seconds to spend today; we won’t have them tomorrow and any we squandered yesterday in regret or dissatisfaction can’t be salvaged. Let’s not waste a single moment today!

Heavenly Father, while we’re looking forward to tomorrow‘s blessings, help us find happiness and contentment in our present circumstances. Instead of lamenting the past or dreaming about something different in the future, show us how to joyfully accept our lives as they are now.

Single days experienced fully add up to a lifetime lived deeply and well. Today is your life – not yesterday and not tomorrow. If we have tomorrow, it will be a gift, but what we have today, right now, will have an accumulated effect on all our tomorrows. [From “Living a Beautiful Life” by Alexandra Stoddard]

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 (HCSB)]

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December 13, 2014

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Holidays & Holy Days, Joy, Love & Works, Today: Make it Count, Worry

JOY TO YOU

IMG_0762AwebTo you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: May blessing and peace of heart be your rich gifts from God our Father and from Jesus Christ our Lord. [1 Thessalonians 1:1 (TLB)]

Now that the Christmas season is in full swing, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed instead of over-joyed. Priorities get out of whack, deadlines loom, and both finances and relationships are strained. There never seems to be enough time or money for what we want to do. Gifts have to be purchased, packages mailed, cookies baked, cards sent, letters written, stockings hung, trees trimmed, homes cleaned, reservations made, and parties attended. The purpose of Christmas is not about our ability to channel Martha Stewart, the beauty of our decorations, the length of our Christmas card list, or how much money we managed to save on Black Friday. Christmas has nothing to do with the number of gifts we’ve purchased and wrapped; it’s about the gift of God’s amazing grace that was once wrapped in swaddling clothes in Bethlehem. It has nothing to do with the number of lights festooning our yards and houses; Christmas is about the gift of God’s son: the everlasting light that came into the world!

Joy is the true gift of Christmas, not the expensive gifts that call for time and money. We can communicate this joy simply: with a smile, a kind gesture, a little help, forgiveness. And the joy we give will certainly come back to us. … Let us pray that this presence of the liberating joy of God shines forth in our lives. [Pope Benedict XVI]

Later, in one of his talks, Jesus said to the people, “I am the Light of the world. So if you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, for living light will flood your path.” [John 8:12 (TLB)]

 

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December 2, 2014

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God's Plan, Joy, Miracles, Today: Make it Count

A FATAL REMINDER

I sank beneath the waves, and death was very near. The waters closed above me; the seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains that rise from the ocean floor. I was locked out of life and imprisoned in the land of death. But, O Lord my God, you have snatched me from the yawning jaws of death! When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord. And my earnest prayer went to you in your holy Temple. [Jonah 2:5-7 (TLB)]

Several days ago, a fatal accident occurred at the entrance to my subdivision. A car ran a red light and was hit by a dump truck. The car’s driver, a resident of our community, had made that left turn hundreds of time, but this time she made a fatal mistake and died because of it. Two people crossed paths and one is dead.

That same day, a few hundred miles north of here, a very different story unfolded. A young man, Jason Derfuss, narrowly escaped death. When he was leaving the university library, he passed another young man, one intent on death and destruction. Hearing gunshots, Jason immediately sped away. He didn’t realize how fortunate he was until hours later when he started to dig out the library books from his backpack. Jason saw a small rip in the pack’s fabric and then the mangled books in it. In the middle of a 304-page book was the slug that could have taken his life. Three other people, however, were shot before the gunman, a mentally disturbed man, was killed. Two people crossed paths and one is dead.

God has blessed us all with the gift of life and a divine purpose. If we’ve woken up today, our purpose has not been fulfilled and our job is not yet complete. Will his narrow brush with death change this twenty-one year old man? From his words, I think it will. As for me: I see the skid marks and ruts in the grass from that fatal crash every time I enter or exit my subdivision. Those marks are a sober reminder of how precarious and priceless life is and how much more needs to be done. Let’s not waste a single moment of this precious, irreplaceable, commodity: life.

You can literally die at any moment and never see it coming.… I’m twenty-one – I thought I was invincible.… The truth is I was almost killed tonight and God intervened. I know conceptually He can do all things, but to physically witness the impossible and to be surrounded by such grace is indescribable. To God be the glory, forever and ever, Amen. [Jason Derfuss, survivor of FSU shooting]

How do you know what is going to happen tomorrow? For the length of your lives is as uncertain as the morning fog—now you see it; soon it is gone. [James 4:14 (TLB)]

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October 29, 2014

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Family, Friends & Fellowship, Joy, Love & Works

BUCKETS OF LOVE IN RETURN

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. [Luke 6:38 (NLT)]

Before posting yesterday’s message about Luther (“A Disciple of Christ”), I checked to make sure I could use both his name and picture.  In getting the answer, I learned more about him and, more important, more about love. Truly, what we sow will be harvested: the more love we give, the more we will receive!

Although he lived alone with no family near, Luther was never short of people who loved him. Members of our church, the people with whom Luther shared God’s love, became his family. When the Wednesday evening Bible study started doing “brown bag” dinners before class, the official purpose was to promote church fellowship; the real purpose was to have dinner with Luther! The churchwomen always made sure that he had a place to go for every holiday meal. When Luther came home after surgery several years ago, a church friend stayed with him for a week to help. Other church members brought in meals. I never even knew his last name, but I was so moved by Luther’s outpouring of love, that the last time I saw him, I gave him a photo/prayer book I’d written. “Jesus loves you and I do, too!” was written inside. In Luther’s present residence, he doesn’t have easy access to the internet, so another church member continues to send him CDs of all of the sermons. Moreover, his church family continues to keep him in their prayers. Luther’s motive in spreading God’s love had nothing to do with getting anything in return, but God’s love continues to pour down on him in buckets!

Love is demonstrably superior to money, not only on a sentimental plane, but even on a computable basis: The more money you give away, the less you have, but the more love you give away, the more comes back to you. (Sydney J. Harris)

There is a brotherhood within the body of believers, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the common denominator. Friendship and fellowship are the legal tender among believers. [J. Vernon McGee]

And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. [1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NLT)]

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October 25, 2014

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God's Promises, Joy, Knowing Him, Salvation: A New You

HEAVENLY BLISS

10-25-14 heaven-cropreducedWEBNo one has ever seen this, and no one has ever heard about it. No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. [1 Corinthians 2:9 (NCV)]

I sat on a comfy sofa in a beautifully appointed store, eating delectable salted caramel gelato, looking at an exquisite display of Dutch chocolates, listening to soothing music and knowing I could finish up with a tasty truffle and a delicious coffee drink from the espresso bar. To my left was a desk for the spa located upstairs; a sign offered chair massages in the store. “This could be heaven,” I said as I relaxed into the cushions, “especially if they added some fruit, cheese and wine!”

I know, however, that heaven will be far better than comfortable seats, pleasant music, elegant surroundings, yummy gelato, scrumptious chocolates, mocha lattes, vintage wine, aged cheese, luscious fruit, and pampering with massages, pedicures, and facials. As delightful as it sounds to me, I think that would get incredibly boring in a short time. Heaven will be way beyond my wildest dreams because going there means having an eternal home with Almighty God. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, will be sitting at His right hand. Heaven will be a place of love, peace and joy and there will be nothing boring about that!

We may speak about a place where there are no tears, no death, no fear, no night; but those are just the benefits of heaven. The beauty of heaven is seeing God. [Max Lucado]

Since you were raised from the dead with Christ, aim at what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. [Colossians 3:1 (NCV)]

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October 16, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Joy, Today: Make it Count

OPEN THE PRESENT

Both day and night belong to you; you made the starlight and the sun. You set the boundaries of the earth, and you made both summer and winter. [Psalm 74:16-17 (NLT)]

Seasons come and seasons go and it seems as if we’re never satisfied with the season we’re in. In the fall, we can’t wait for December and the holidays, but by January we’re protesting the cold and wondering when spring will arrive. Spring finally appears; we complain about the rain, saying we can’t wait for summer’s sun. In the summer, it’s too hot and humid for us; we grumble about the garden work and wish for the cool of autumn. When autumn arrives, we gripe about the shortened days and piles of leaves and anxiously await the first snowfall. Of course, we complain the first time we shovel snow and the cycle starts again.

Life has seasons, too, and some of them, like the weather, are more pleasant than others. We can’t wait until we get out of college, only to miss the flexibility, fun and long holidays we enjoyed in school. When we’re poor newlyweds, we can’t wait until we’ve got great careers and a big house, only to discover how much stress goes along with high pressure jobs and large mortgages. When our children are babies, we can’t wait until they’re bigger and then, when they’re teens, we realize how nice those toddler years were!

Let’s not make the mistake in life’s seasons of dreaming so much about the rewards of the future that we miss the gifts of the here and now. We all probably know of someone who put off vacations and time with his family so he’d have a big “nest egg” in retirement, only to die or become incapacitated before ever having a chance to enjoy those golden years. Today is called “the present” for a reason; let’s be sure to enjoy every last minute of it.

9-20-14 presentWEBLord, sometimes we’re so anxious about getting to tomorrow that we miss the beautiful scenery of today. Help us find joy in our present circumstances, whatever they may be. Keep us from wishing away the pleasures of this season for another one that may not be any sunnier.

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today. [Dale Carnegie]

One today is worth two tomorrows. [Benjamin Franklin]

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. [Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT)]