Are You a Joyful Person?

On By BrianIn Books of the Bible, Virtue of Joy

Philippians is often referred to as the epistle of joy. Fourteen times in this short book we find the words “joy” and “rejoice.” Paul rejoices and he calls his readers to rejoice. Which raises the question:

Are you a joyful person?

I’ve been wrestling with that question for the past week, and I invite you to wrestle with it now: Are you a joyful person? If someone asked your family, your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers, the driver in front of you, and anyone else who has been around you lately, would they say that you are a joyful person?

And then here is a second question:

Where do you find your joy?

There are lots of places that people find joy: in family, in work, in activities, in the presents under the tree. And there is nothing wrong with finding joy in these places. But if those are the only places you find joy, you won’t be a joyful person. Because your family can be a wreck, you can have a bad day at work, that activity might be cancelled, and soon all those gifts will be unwrapped – and then where is your joy? If you find your joy in comfort, what happens when life is no longer comfortable? If you find your joy in your health, what happens when your health is gone? We can find joy in many places, but not lasting joy.

God calls us to be joyful people with a lasting joy that continues even in the midst of the trials and struggles of life. In the next few days we will look at where we can find lasting joy. But in the meantime:

Are you a joyful person?

Where do you find your joy?

 

The Stones Cry Out

On By BrianIn Stones Cry Out

Rocks 001

Malachite

As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—
the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice
for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying,
“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him,
“Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered,
“I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
– Luke 19:37-40

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for you weekend reading.  They are also very important posts to consider – the wisdom within them could save all of us much grief.

The Road to Apostasy – Ordinary Pastor
First let me give you a bottom line proposition: The road to apostasy is paved by bricks of apathy towards Christ. If you want to persevere, then give attention to your affections. This is a summary. Let’s work it out.

The Scandal of the Semi-Churched – Kevin DeYoung
I’m not talking about nominal Christians who wander into church once or twice a year. I’m talking about people who went through the trouble of joining a church, like their church, have no particular beef with the church, and still only darken its doors once or twice a month.

A Better Country for Old Men – David Mathis (Desiring God)
This is a plea from the younger generation to the older. We desperately need you.

Nothing Else Does Nor Shall Delight Me – Thomas a’ Kempis (via Trevin Wax)
…let others seek what they please instead of You,
but as for me, nothing else does nor shall delight me,
but You only, my God, my hope, my eternal salvation.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day delighting in our great God with your local church!

Missions Moment

On By BrianIn Missions Collection

Here are some good posts on the relationship between missionaries and supporting churches:

What I Want for All Missionaries – Mike Pettengill (GC)
But we want to be loved, and we want to know people are thinking and praying for us. If my team members were reminded that others care and pray for them, they would have strength to endure the hard days.

Missionaries Should Communicate – And Churches Should Demand It – Mike Pettengill (GC) Missions is a partnership. Missionaries and prayers and givers have all been called by God to join together in the expansion of his glory. Your mission team has many members who combine their talents to glorify God in the world. When missionaries communicate what God is doing through the combined efforts of our team, the One who called us all gets the glory.

6 Ways You Can Support Missionaries – Jennifer Su McIntyre
Writing quick emails to your missionary to tell them you’re praying for specific requests assures them that, no matter how isolated they might be, their ministry is being covered in prayer. Being specific about your prayers will help them know you are looking over their requests carefully.

We Can Have Great Peace in a World of Things

On By BrianIn Books of the Bible, Virtue Miscellaneous

Paul tells us that he is content whether he faces plenty or hunger, abundance or need (Philippians 4:11-13). He is at peace with a lot or a little. And we too are called to be at peace whether we have a lot or a little. We too are called to be content in a world where there is always more to have. God wants us to be content with what he gives us instead of always chasing, craving, and seeking more and more.

Of course this flies in the face of our culture and our entire economy built on chasing material things. In our country money is god – it is what we trust and what we treasure. Our coins say: “In God we trust.” But for many the god they trust is the coin in their hand, and it is also what they treasure. How can we overcome? How can we find peace in a world filled with things? The answer is that we must learn to trust in and treasure something other than material things. In short, we must learn to trust in and treasure the Lord above all.

First, we must trust in the Lord. Verse 13 is essentially a statement of trust. I can be at peace in all circumstances as I look to him to give me strength. I’m not going to trust in my wealth for security. I’m not going to worry about my lack of wealth. I have a God who is mighty, who is powerful, who is strong to get me through, whether I have a lot or a little. He will give me what I need. I will trust him.

Second, we must treasure the Lord above all. This is found in the entire context of the book of Philippians. To live is Christ (1:21). Life is all about Christ. Knowing Christ is the number one priority – everything else is like rubbish (3:7-11). Christ is the greatest treasure. And if Christ is your greatest treasure than material things won’t mean so much to you. We can be at peace with a little or a lot because we already have the greatest treasure – we have Jesus.

We can have great peace in a world filled with things as we trust in the Lord and treasure him above all.

We Can Have Great Peace in a Life Filled with Trials

On By BrianIn Books of the Bible, Virtue Miscellaneous

A lot of circumstances can lead to anxiety – that unsettled feeling in the pit of your stomach, that fear in your heart and your mind. But God calls us to peace (Philippians 4:6-7). Indeed he calls us to a peace that surpasses all understanding. He calls us to a peace that guards our hearts and minds, our feelings and thoughts. Through Christ we can have great peace in a life filled with trials. But how can we know this peace? How can we apply this peace he offers to our lives? Our passage gives us three important answers:

First, we must remember the presence of the Lord. Right before we are instructed to be anxious for nothing, we read that the Lord is at hand. We need not be anxious because the Lord is with us. We need not fear even in the valley of the shadow of death because God is with us (Psalm 23:4). We can be strong and courageous because the Lord is with us wherever we go (Joshua 1:9). God Almighty is by your side. Remember his presence.

Second, we must bring our cares to the Lord. We are to bring our requests to God (v6). We cast our cares on Him, knowing that he cares for us (I Peter 5:7). The Psalms are filled with prayers to God in the midst of trials. A regular pattern is that as the psalmists cry out to God, they come to a place of trust, of rest, of peace. Psalm 55 is a good example. The first five verses are a cry to God for help. But as the Psalmist looks to God, he finds a God who hears him (v17), sustains him (v22), and answers him (v16). And so he closes the psalm with a declaration of trust (v23). As we pray to the one who is greater than our problems, one who hears us, sustains us, and answers us, we can trust him and find peace.

Third, we must give thanks to God. In the middle of Paul’s instructions to pray, he drops the phrase “with thanksgiving.” In your trials and struggles that tempt you to worry, count your blessings. Remember the countless ways God has been and continues to be good to you. And give thanks. Our minds can get so stuck on a trial that we forget our blessings. We replay the trial over and over again in our minds like a broken record player. We dig a rut of woe and anxiety. But step out of the rut and get some perspective. The trial is real, and you bring it to the Lord. But the blessings are also real. Remember to give thanks.

We can have great peace in a life filled with trials as we remember his presence, bring our cares to him, and give thanks to him for his continuous blessings.

Current

On By BrianIn Current Collection

Current: A weekly collection of current news and issues in the church, the country, and the world.

A few weeks ago a federal judge ruled that a pastor’s housing allowance is unconstitutional, which begs the question for many people: what is a pastor’s housing allowance and why do pastors get it?

Also a few weeks ago, our president made a new deal with Iran that failed to secure the release of American citizen Pastor Saeed.  Despite Iran’s outward show of goodwill in other ways, Iran is executing many of its own citizens, and holds at least one other American prisoner.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear Hobby Lobby’s case regarding the requirement in the new health care bill for businesses to offer contraceptives – even contraceptives that can cause abortions – regardless of the owner’s religious beliefs.  Rick Garnett writes: Like millions of religious believers and groups, these challengers reject the idea that religious faith and religious freedom are simply about what we believe and how we pray, and not also about how we live, act and work. At the heart of these two cases is the straightforward argument that federal law does not require us to “check our faith at the door” when we pursue vocations in business and commerce.  Meanwhile Trevin Wax affirms that freedom of conscience is a beautiful thing – as it relates to this case and many others.