Joy of the Lord

I must admit to living in a spiritual fog these last couple of days. Not a big dark cloud, just a light fog. Christmas is lovely as a season, but the day itself... well so many people are lonely or depressed or in need, or at war, or any number of other things, that I found myself dwelling on that lack. And that is always wrong. What I wasn't doing was dwelling on the limitless abundance of God and his precious promise to wipe the tears from all their eyes. I prayed for everyone yesterday, and had no doubt about God's reality. But still, I couldn't help feeling sadness for the lost and lonely. The buildup to Christmas day is, well we all know what it is. It's downright gross. The mental and emotional stress of planning for this ONE DAY is out of wack. (The very fact that desperate shoppers could stampede and kill a worker who simply opened the doors to Wal Mart on the day after Thanksgiving of all things, well come on. And they kept on shopping! Well, here I go again. Dwelling on the bad. )

But when bad things happen, we can't just ignore it. At the very least, we need to learn from it. And maybe in some cases the learning process cannot be really effective without pain to drive home the point. Yesterday I was not as joyful as I should have been. As I could have been. But today is a new day and the fog is disappearing. In fact, it was really more like ground fog. All I had to do was stand a little taller, rise a little higher to see over the top of it.


Compassion is good, and sympathy is okay, but allowing myself to wallow in other people's misery is not productive. It limits the faith with which I may pray. Giving someone into God's hands means really doing it and then leaving them there. "The joy of the Lord is your strength." But I was limiting my prayer strength by limiting my joy.


What I felt did remind me, though, of the reality of people's pain. It reminded me that not everyone knows how to depend on God to heal them and relieve their pain. It put me in their frame of mind to remind me that the truth needs to be told. Again, and again, and again. Just as I apparently need to be reminded again and again, I must keep opening my heart to and opening my eyes to opportunities to tell anyone who is willing to listen, who is ripe for listening, about God's abundant and available love and help. He's available always, but we won't benefit from His presence until we ask for it, and understand our need for it. When we do, Christ will come right into us and make us into a new person. One who has access to abundant life no matter what the circumstances.

I'm writing in circles here I think. I probably shouldn't even put this out there where anyone can read it and think it's just ramblings. But I'm writing it for myself. To remind myself that lots of other people don't know what I know. I guess it's a leftover feeling of inferiority that makes me think that if I know something, then surely everyone else knows it. Surely I'm always the dummy who's the last to know. But it isn't true. And I have to be ever ready to share what I know of God, of Christ, of the true meaning of abundant life, and of the Joy of the Lord.

Real Power

I think the biggest mistake people make when up against trouble is having the idea that they will give it all they've got and then if they run up against a wall, they will turn to God as a last resort. That's the surest way to exhaust yourself unnecessarily. The old saying, "God helps those who help themselves" is not quite right in the sense that people think. The best way to "help yourself" is to immediately ask God for help in every situation. He will give you the strength and power you need. People make a mistake when they believe they need to exhaust themselves first. And it's an insult to God. God wants us to ask him for EVERYTHING. And unfortunately some people are too proud to do it. I would like them to know that this very pride is what is keeping them from real power.

Be Still..

I have been feeling immobilized by an emotionally charged family situation since yesterday. Confused and just sort of ...stuck. I have prayed for God to lay His blanket of peace on the situation. And I have faith that He will. But still, I have found myself feeling that I should be moving on from this more quickly. I keep thinking about it and replaying it. I want to get over it and move forward. Bottom line...I guess I have been feeling that I should be doing something more.

I went outside to take my walk and it was windy enough to blow my hair around a bit, but not howling. Then I heard a tinkling sound, something like a bell. I looked around and realized it was our flag's fasteners clanging against the flagpole as it flapped in the stiff breeze. Then I looked up at the top of the pole and saw a hawk sitting on the very top of the pole. Just sitting there, feathers kind of ruffled in the breeze, but just sitting still as the wind blew around him. Then it hit me. "Be still and know that I am God." "You have only to be still and the Lord will fight for you." I had to smile. God spoke to me as surely as that bird sat on top of that pole. Being still and letting God fight for me is what I'm supposed to be doing.

Yield

A Pharisee, a lawyer in hopes of tripping Jesus up, asked Jesus "which is the most important command in the laws of Moses?". Jesus' answer was not one of the 'thou shalt not' laws, but rather he cited two commands to LOVE. He said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:36-40 NIV) The Living Bible paraphrases this way: "Keep only these and you will find that you are obeying all the others."

These are the very words of Jesus, proving once again that following God's will, or God's Law, is accomplished when we THINK right, from Love, rather than when we try to DO right by consciously trying to follow every single rule. Jesus says if we LOVE, then we will automatically follow the rules. All the rules.

And how can we train ourselves to act according to Love? By accepting the help that Jesus himself offers. Accept Jesus, and he will give you the Holy Spirit who will live right inside you, and BE the very nature of Christ. YOU CAN'T DO IT ON YOUR OWN. But draw on the Holy Spirit within you and instantly, it's done. This is the surrender God requires. Not a "giving up", as some people think, but rather a "yielding" to a Spirit far superior to your own human tendencies. And that Spirit saves, heals, and creates the conditions for Peace. And I don't know about you, but what I want more than riches, and more than my individual rights is Peace.

Calling Out To God

I have been reading a book called "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire" by Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle. Great book by the way. Anyway, it has led me to this thought:

Our highest calling is to seek God.
Our highest purpose is to call out to Him.
Our greatest challenge, and yet our greatest reward is to Obey.

"Treat" Yourself

It seems to me that you must 'treat' yourself spiritually (as a doctor would 'treat' you physically) before you can effectively pray for and help others. Just as in an airplane we are instructed that mothers should put on their own oxygen masks first, and only then help their children, we must each make sure we are getting enough of God's 'oxygen' before we can be really effective in the care and cause of anyone else.

So there is nothing at all wrong with getting yourself firmly integrated into the Spirit of God to the point that you know, feel, and understand the Joy of the Lord for yourself. "For the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). In order to build God's Kingdom we must each become good citizens of that Kingdom so that we recognize God's Spirit in others and begin to work together spiritually for good.

This is what I believe the "power of positive thinking" is really about. It's not about thinking yourself rich and successful. It's about exercising our minds to reach this goal - this perfect Joy in the Lord. Strength to live according to the Holy Spirit and in harmony with all of God's children.

Offering Thanksgiving

Today I just want to thank God for His presence and His tender mercies on us. As I read the paper and watch the news and listen to sad stories of hardship and want, I am humbled by God's faithfulness in my life. I pray in Jesus name that relief and comfort will be given to all in need. I thank you Lord for every time you have lifted us up in the midst of our own sad stories of hardship and need, and for being with us always. I am witness to your trustworthiness. Although you do not always keep us from ever having trouble, you deliver us from the bonds of trouble. I pray for us all. I pray we all come to know You and understand that You are "a very present help in trouble."

In Jesus' name, Amen