in every moment...

January 30, 2014

Ecclesiastes 7:14 In the day of prosperity by joyful and in the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other…

God made all things that come into my life for one purpose and one purpose only, to promote my holiness. Or another way of saying this is to make me more into the image of Him. Every event, every tear, every laugh…all things are made for me to “see” Him in. He is the author and prefector of my faith. That being said, and true, He gets to decide what is written upon my life in order to bring about that faith. 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” I can “abound”…I can be joyful…in every work, in every situation, in every moment; even those moments that may not seem very joyful simply because My God, my Father, authored it for me.

beauty from ashes...

January 27, 2014

Ecclesiastes 2:26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy…

God is the giver of joy. I knew this of course. God is the giver of all good things and joy is certainly a good thing. However, how God gives those things is entirely up to Him. The fact of the matter is that my joy can come from a path filled with sorrow and suffering. This seems so contrary to what “we” think is right. We associate, and it’s not an entirely wrong assumption, that good things bring good things. It’s contrary for us to associate bad things bringing good blessings. Yet, such is the way of God. He is bigger than any good or bad thing in our lives. This idea of joy from sorrow, beauty from ashes, forces us to look at Him and not at our circumstances.

…planning joy

January 23, 2014

Proverbs 12:20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil but those who plan peace have joy

“…plan peace” I must admit that whenever I hear the word plan, I cringe. I’m not a planner. My mind immediately runs to every good plan that I have had and failed to accomplish. All the “grand ideas” that I wanted to fulfill but never did; sadly this is a theme of my life that I’m not proud of for sure. Then I happened to really read what this verse is saying. “…plan peace” well for sure I never plan to have disturbance, I never plan on ending my day a screaming maniac. I never plan on having to deal with the guilt of not being the mom, teacher or wife I want to be. I don’t’ plan on any of that, but sometimes that’s what happens. God’s word here is telling me that I need to plan peace. The only sure path that I know of that leads to peace is God’s word. I need to plan my day around God’s word. I need to meditate on it, hide it in the recesses of my heart so that I can pull it out when I need it. I need to have a plan of recognizing when I need to pull away from situations, people or events that will bring out the worst in me. Maybe it’s not about the constant battle to “not do something” as it is recognizing when I need to pull away and turn to God. Those are the plans I need to make. Those are the plans that lead to joy.

for I am redeemed...

January 17, 2014

Psalm 71:23 My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed

When you come right down to it, I am redeemed, that in itself is worthy of joy. I really don’t need, or I shouldn’t need, any other reason to be joyful!

in the shadows there is joy...

January 16, 2014

Psalm 63:7 For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

I love the imagery of God being the eagle in which I can climb on. I love picturing Him with the strength and majesty to carry me when I can’t carry myself. Not only can we climb upon His wing to travel when our road is too tough but we can also rest in the shadow of that wing when the road is too hot. Living where we do we understand the importance of a little shade! We know how to find the smallest sliver of shade and stand in it to avoid the sun’s rays. That’s what this verse is talking about. I no longer have to fear the heat of my situations because I can always rest in the “shade” of His wings. There is much joy there because the roads of our lives sometimes feel like the heat of the sun is shinning directly on them making our way unbearable.

satisfaction and joy go hand in hand...

January 15, 2014

Psalm 63:5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips

Being satisfied such a hard thing to accomplish no matter what you are talking about; whether you are discussing food, like this verse, or your house, hair, body image, family size, marriage, money, or your wardrobe. In very little circumstances of our lives do we reach the point of satisfaction. Instead, we find ourselves going from one thing to the next searching for this thing called satisfaction never noticing that it can be right in front of us the whole time. Our satisfaction comes from having Christ. He is all we need and in Him we can be satisfied. We can know that He watches over us and keeps us and in His right hand we will always be. No matter the storms of this life we abide in Him. We can lift our voices in joyful praise to Him who set us free. I should look around at my life and count the blessings that are within my reach, and there are so many, I have much to be satisfied in.