Tag: joy

Posted on

Joy and peace in hope

person standing on hand rails with arms wide open facing the mountains and clouds

As we near Easter Sunday, where we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, it’s important to focus on the week leading up to his death. We know the story of the triumphal entry, a story that is recorded in all four gospel accounts. Jesus was fulfilling Zechariah 9:9 when he rode into Jerusalem on a the colt of a donkey. As he entered Jerusalem, according to Luke, he wept over Jerusalem: “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:42). Just prior to this even, according to John, Jesus wept when he saw that his friend Lazarus was dead. Ironically, some of his disciples said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:37).

We also know that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. It turns out that Jesus, in fact, not only had the power to raise people from the dead but he also was going to be raised just a few days later! This represents a time when weeping would turn into joy and celebration. The resurrection gives us hope. We are told that we are raised with Christ in our baptism and that the faithful will be raised from the dead at the judgment. This is why Christians have hope.

Paul affirmed this in his letter to the Romans when he said, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Our joy and peace is rooted in the hope of the resurrection! We do not fear man, because God overcame the world and conquered death!

Posted on

The Joy of the Lord Is My Strength

brown joy candle holder

During Ezra’s day, the Israelites were read the Law of Moses after a long period of rebellion against God. Nehemia joined Ezra in the public reading and encouragement to the people. When they heard the Law, their hearts were broken and they began to weep. Nehemiah encouraged them, telling them not to weep because God is a gracious God. He said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10 ESV).

The word for joy shares the same root as the word for grace. Joy is something that comes from the divine, not because of material or physical success. Put another way, joy comes from God’s grace. That is its genesis. It is a fruit of the Spirit. When the angels appeared to the shepherds to announce Jesus’ birth, one of them said, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). This clearly was a mesasge of salvation–God’s grace that was availalbe to all people!

When Jesus told his disciples that he is the vine and they are the branches, he reminded them that anyone who keeps Jesus’ commandments would abide in his love. And “whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). He told them all of this, not to scare them, but for a very different reason: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (vs. 11). That’s incredible! The joy of the Lord is our strength and Jesus plainly said that if we abide in him and he in us, his joy will be in us and our joy will be full! Christ gives us his joy and his strength! This really is good news.

Posted on

News of Great Joy!

white sheep on farm

The birth story of Jesus is absolutely incredible. God chose to announce the birth of His son to a tiny group of shepherds in a field in the middle of the night. It’s very difficult to wrap our heads around just how significant this is. We buy the lie that really big things happen to us when we have enough time, money, or a big enough platform. “If only I had the resources to. . . ” becomes a mantra. Or we make excuses like, “Our church is too small to. . . ” But the reality is that the God of the universe announced His son, the savior of mankind, to a group of sleepy shepherds.

But the message of joy is just as important: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10, 11 ESV). This theme of joy is found repeated throughout the scriptures. During the time of Ezra and Nehemiah the Israelites heard the Law read and they began to weep. Nehemiah told them not to weep then said, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

The joy of the Lord is our strength! And the joy that comes because of Jesus’ birth is for all people. This is most definitely something that more people need to celebrate.

Posted on

The Testing of Your Faith

wisdom

As we focus on the theme of wisdom this year, it’s appropriate to talk about struggles in the context of wisdom. Oftentimes, in the middle of our deepest struggles, wisdom is what carries us through. Wisdom allows us to see beyond the tragedy so that hope can emerge and come into deeper focus. Wisdom helps us make guided decisions so that we don’t remain in a permanent rut.

Without wisdom, we would never understand that trials can actually deepen our faith. They have the ability to refine us and make us stronger. James says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him (James 1:2-4).

Most of us don’t have the first instinct to be joyful when trials hit. It is not our fist response. Our sight gets clouded by the agony of the pain. We often are dazed, shocked, and have to focus on just breathing. But it’s wisdom that helps us see the big picture. Wisdom tells us that there is a loving God who validates our suffering. Wisdom tells us that we can put one foot in front of the other and that each step is another movement forward.

But we also need to ask in faith. James says, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” In all of our trials, we need to ask for more wisdom. Our faith will be tested. Our faith is tested. Let’s ask for wisdom as it is tested.

Photo by Preslie Hirsch on Unsplash