A Reason For Joy

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good

and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100

Do you ever feel down, depressed, or discouraged? What makes you feel this way? Pain, conflict, disappointment, failure? Negative thoughts and emotions are generally the result of bad circumstances and life not going the way we want. People do things to upset, hurt, or pressure us. Things happen beyond our control that make us unhappy, or we let ourselves down with wrong choices that leave us feeling bad or alone. Worry, fear, and stress can also take a toll on our emotions. Sometimes nothing is terribly wrong, but anxiety and the everyday stress of life clouds the joy we long for.

Most of the time there is little or nothing we can do about the behavior of others or unfortunate circumstances. It is what it is, and other than getting upset, angry, or frustrated, it's easy to just turn inward and allow the sadness, despair, or hurt to overtake our day, our week, or our year. And as for failure (real or perceived) we blame ourselves and might vow to try harder, reach our goals, or be a better person, but eventually the renewed strength, determination, and hope will wear off and we find ourselves right back where we started with the same challenges to face and shortcomings to overcome.

The good news? Psalm 100 describes a much different way of thinking and living. It's all about joy and praising God. I first heard this psalm when I was a young girl, and I memorized it at one time to earn points for going to camp. I always liked it, but I primarily thought of it as something to do when I went to church: To worship Him with songs of praise, as it says; but in reading the words this week, I saw them in a much broader sense. Not only as the elements of worship (joy, gladness, singing, praise, and thankfulness), but also as a means of attaining joy each day. Joy that overcomes any feelings of unhappiness, discouragement, or despair I am experiencing.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

The psalm begins with telling us to express our joy to God and worship Him with gladness, but it's pretty hard to do this if joy and gladness aren't already a part of my heart. God doesn't want me to fake it. He doesn't want me to pretend to be joyful while I'm singing songs of praise and then go home to my real life clouded with depression and failure. He doesn't want me to be joyful for His sake, just to hear me sing a nice song. He wants me to be filled with joy because I know who He is and who I am in His eyes:

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

You are not on this earth by accident. You were created for a purpose. Your life matters to others. You belong to God, and you matter to Him. Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me."  Others often make us feel insignificant. They can make us feel stupid, weak, and worthless. We can do a pretty good job of seeing ourselves this way also. Failure (or perceived failure) can be crippling. Difficult circumstances can make us feel alone. We get worried, scared, and don't know what to do. But when I remember my God is near and He cares about me, I don't feel alone anymore. I listen for His voice, and He tells me I am loved. He reminds me I am precious to Him. He points out the road for me to follow and gives me the means to walk it; or He tells me to wait for Him to work things out for my good.

For the LORD is good

and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

God is good. He loves me. He is faithful. Focusing on these simple truths restores my joy. Life will throw all kinds of trials at me. Others will hurt me. People will let me down, and I will often let myself down or just not have the ability to be everything I wish I could be. But God is so much bigger than my everyday worries, problems, and shortcomings. He is bigger than even the bleakest of circumstances. He brings beauty from ashes, hope from despair, and love to my desperate, lonely, or weary soul.

How could believing God is good, He loves you, and trusting in His faithfulness help you cope with whatever is clouding your joy? How could these truths help you have a better outlook on your circumstances? How could His love make you feel better about yourself? Take a moment to write down your thoughts before reading the next paragraph where we will look at another source of joy and gladness.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

Another key to finding joy is thankfulness. When we're facing difficulty or are bothered by difficult people, it's easy to focus on our troubles. But we need to keep our eyes on the good things and the blessings we have. What are you thankful for? What good things happened today or this week? Who has God placed in your life to care for you or bring you joy? What opportunities do you have to pursue your interests, seek God, be a blessing to others, and enjoy good relationships? How can the difficult things you are facing be an opportunity for you to trust God more and experience His love and faithfulness? How can God help you to make better choices or reach your goals?

Trying to handle things on your own will often lead to frustration, failure, and more problems. But asking God for His help brings hope and thankfulness when you see Him meeting your needs and filling your heart with peace and joy you thought was out of your reach.

Make a list of everything you're thankful for and see how that makes you feel. How do your blessings remind you of the truth?

Write down everything you need God's help with and ask Him to provide whatever is necessary.

When you are finished writing out your requests, express your thankfulness to God also and remember He is always near. You belong to Him, and you have a reason for joy.

"Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

(Nehemiah 8:10)

The Goal Is Love

I got a little poke from Jesus last week to take a look at the book of First Timothy. I've read it before certainly, and many of my favorite verses come from the letters Paul wrote to his young friend whom he had personally mentored and knew even as a young boy. Timothy grew up to be a pastor, and 1 & 2 Timothy contain a lot of practical advice for those who are involved in ministry. Some favorite words I've followed since I was in my teen years are recorded in 1 Timothy 4:12 where Paul says, Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.  And I often pass these words along to my younger readers, encouraging them to truly heed Paul's words and not allow their age to be a barrier to being all they can be in Christ.

Last week I was reading some other instructions Paul wrote to Timothy. I had included his words in one of my latest books and was reminded of the vital truth as I was proofreading the final draft. This is when Jesus gave me that little "poke" and said, You should read this book from the beginning. I have something to show you. So the following day I began reading First Timothy, but I didn't have to read far to see what Jesus wanted to show me. Verse five stood out like a lion at a cat show. It is written above in the English Standard Version, but I was reading the New Living (NLT), which says it like this:

The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.

And in doing a little research I came across another wording I really like: But the goal of our instruction is love... (NASB)

Purpose, aim, goal...all of these really spoke to me. It made me wonder if the primary goal of the Church is to produce people who love; and, are we ourselves primarily bearing the fruit of love? Not just as a Christian duty, or a command (which several versions use), or as a part of our faith; but rather the outcome of our faith.

In doing a little word study, I concluded this way of thinking was Paul's intent. The end result of believing the Good News should be love. This is what Jesus points us toward. This is why He calls us to follow Him. This is His message: Love God, and love others as yourself; But He knows it's not something we can possess within ourselves. It's not something for us to muster up, try harder, or strive for. It doesn't say: make it your goal to love more. Paul is saying, however, that the end result of a purified heart, a clean conscience, and sincere faith should be God-like love oozing out of our renewed souls.

Why would that be, do you suppose? I asked myself this question and thought about how each of these elements effects my testimony and the way I share it. When I share Jesus and spiritual truths with others, am I showing them love or just sharing information? Paul doesn't say the goal is to make others understand our theology. His purpose wasn't to argue, discuss, or waste time with meaningless speculations, which don't help people live a life of faith in God. (1:4 NLT)

Paul knew the most effective testimony came instead from a purified heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. A purified heart is one that has pure motives. Motives of love, goodness, and giving others hope. Motives that come from what I have experienced in following Jesus myself, including a clear conscience and experiencing His faithfulness.

Have I allowed Him to purify my heart? Is it filled with love for God, others, and myself; or is it dominated by anger, bitterness, judgement, and self-scrutiny? Even one of these can cripple a heart from showing genuine love. Anger toward God or others is a train-wreck waiting to happen. Bitterness is a fuse for a time-bomb. Judging others does no good whatsoever and often causes destruction and road-blocks. And even if you give grace freely to others, that doesn't mean you do the same with yourself.

We are often told to show more love, to be more like Christ, to put aside self-interest. But these things are impossible without a complete understanding of how and why we are able to love. It doesn't come from us. It comes from Him. It's a result of how He purifies me with His mercy and forgiveness and wraps me in His perfect love and security.  This is my faith. This is what He gives to me. This is what He died and rose again for me to have. And when I truly believe that and receive His love for me completely, unconditionally, and know it's forever and everything I could possibly need; It's then I can love others with the same sacrificial, giving, and love-filled heart.

If you feel you're falling short of loving others with Christ-like love: family, friends, strangers, enemies; something besides His love is consuming your heart. What is it?

...Unbelief of your value to Him?

...Shortsightedness in His perfect plan for you?

...The need to be self-sufficient, strong, and in control?

...Constantly feeling defeated, discouraged, and powerless?

It might seem unrelated, but the only way to turn the corner on any of the above is to believe more fully in...

...His love (including His protection, care, and provision)

...His forgiveness (mercy and healing)

...His grace (unmerited blessings--you don't have to "earn" them)

...And especially, your need for it all

If your belief in these is lacking, don't feel guilty. Feel desperate for more! Feel broken, but also feel...

...Loved

...Valued

...Set-free

...Safe

...and His

The goal of my instruction is for you to believe more fully in His love for you, and therefore to be a representative of that love to everyone around you. And I hope I'm succeeding.

Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from [Him]...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they too can believe in him and receive eternal life.  (1 Timothy 1:14-16 NLT)

Photo scripture quotation from The ESV Bible, copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.