Advent, 3rd Sunday: Pink Candle

Today, churches who share together the Advent wreaths rites light the pink candle on this, the third Sunday in Advent.  Why is it pink?  There is more than one traditional answer, but one of the most common is that it symbolizes joy - - joy that Jesus is almost here.

Joy is an opposite of disappointment.  Have you been disappointed in any aspect of your Advent season thus far?
About 9 days ago, we had a record December snowfall in my part of Georgia.  8 days ago I was supposed to attend my favorite symphony concert of the year.  Due to the forecasted road conditions at the time I was to be returning home, my party and I did not deem it safe to travel those icy roads.  So, regrettably, I called the box office and turned in my tickets.  Talk about being disappointed?  I literally grieved missing this concert!  It just "makes" Christmas for me!  I don't often cry, but last weekend I cried.

A few days later I called the box office again and they agreed to transform my missed tickets into tickets for last night's "similar" Christmas performance.  So, I gathered up most of my original party, added in one interloper (lol!  you know who you are!), and headed down for the concert.  While it was not the one I had originally longed to see, it was delightful.  There were still a few logistical "concerns" along the way, but we all got to enjoy this wonderful blend of styles (classical, jazz, gospel) presented by high schoolers through senior citizens, celebrating the Christmas season.  I truly enjoyed it!  God had redeemed my disappointment in this situation, and I am grateful.

Have you ever had someone grab a fleshy portion of your body and then just pinch it as hard as they can?  Once a toddler member of my family bit the back of my upper arm;  I guess she just thought it looked tasty! Surely does hurt, doesn't it?

Disappointment is similar.  It's not an all-out tragedy of epic proportions, but it hurts, sometimes for a while.

Perhaps because expectations are higher, disappointments seem to get magnified at the holidays.

• You didn't get that part in the Christmas play.
• Someone else was invited to a special event, "in your place".
• You got a pink, fuzzy Snuggie as a gift.
• Your loved ones chose to spend Christmas Eve, your family's special traditional time, with the in-laws.

None of these events are earth-shattering or life-changing.  But, they ache like a bad bruise.

At the root of disappointment is a loss of control.  Things don't turn out like we wanted them to. Surely we need to do our best, plan, be organized, be responsible.  When we do so and yet are disappointed, it is like a slap across the face.  We are once again confronted with the reminder:  our control is an illusion; only God is in control.

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord.  "And my ways are far beyond anything you can imagine."

Isaiah 55:8

What is the antidote to disappointment, then?

What a lot of us do is to shove down our disappointment and pretend nothing is wrong.  That can be useful to an extent; most people don't want to see an Eeyore (the eternally downcast, ever-gloomy donkey from Winnie the Pooh).  But, it's not useful in the long run.

If we don't adjust our hearts and attitudes, disappointment can morph into restlessness, anger and bitterness.  Those are not useful at all.

What is more healing is to pour out our heart to trusted friends and to God.  Our friends can be used by God to counsel us and to give us comfort.  And, God can handle our angst.   It's okay to cry, to grieve, to rant, even, to God in prayer.

"He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust."

Ultimately, though, we need to do as the Wise Men did, as recorded in Matthew 2:11.  (By the way, Matthew is the only gospel writer who records this event, and most theologians believe it happened when Jesus was a toddler, not a newborn.  Matthew has this habit of sometimes presenting events out of chronological order.)

They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.

We need to set aside our disappointment and kneel in the presence of the King, offering back to Him the gifts He has given us.

Most of our disappointments have to do with other people, don't they?  Often, they center around those we love the most.  Have you ever been asked to lay at the feet of the King those you love the most?  I have, and frankly, I don't like it!  In fact, submitting my will to His is not "one of my favorite things".  My old sinful nature just rears up and resists!

Part of submitting our disappointment to Him can involve changing our focus.  Ok, so your plans have changed.  God had other plans; trust them.  How can you shift your focus to serve Him in other ways.  This resplendent walk is all about glorifying Him, you know, as opposed to pleasing ourselves.  If this "unfortunate" reality has inserted itself into your Advent, as (quite honestly) it has mine, let's take the steps listed here to "turn it around" for His glory.  Ask Him to change your heart, to take away your disappointment and to show you how you can worship Him in this season, starting this day and leading all the way through to the New Year!  He will.  Remember, when we give ourselves more fully to Him, we are never ultimately, forever disappointed. 

 Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.”

Romans 10:11

The Message

  

Dear Father, some of us are going through terrible disappointment this holiday season.  Please help us get through it.  Although these admonitions of mine sound easy, they're not.  Submitting our will to Yours and keeping our joy about it is hard.  We so ridiculously believe that we know best.  It's laughable!  I'm sure you laugh at our preconceived plans sometimes.  Have pity on us, dear Lord and bind up our broken hearts.  Bandage our bruises and wounds.  Pour your healing oil over us and wrap us in your arms of love.  Tell us again that it will be okay and that You have a plan in this situation that is better than we could even dream at this moment.  We bow before the King in worship and offer our gifts to You.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Advent Day 12: A Leaping Heart

Do you remember times in your life when your heart leapt for joy?  I'll bet you can think of many.  I surely can.  What a wonderful feeling, right?  I remember, a few months ago, watching my dear friend find out her daughter was going to give birth to twins.  She was shown the first sonogram, and there were two little "lima beans" in the picture!  She nearly collapsed in tears of joy!  And, this past Tuesday, those little identical twin girls were born.  What joy!

Today's Advent passage is from the Message version this morning - - Luke 1:5-15.
It's the beginning of Elizabeth's and Zachariah's story.

During the rule of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest assigned service in the regiment of Abijah. His name was Zachariah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth. Together they lived honorably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God. But they were childless because Elizabeth could never conceive, and now they were quite old.

8-12 It so happened that as Zachariah was carrying out his priestly duties before God, working the shift assigned to his regiment, it came his one turn in life to enter the sanctuary of God and burn incense. The congregation was gathered and praying outside the Temple at the hour of the incense offering. Unannounced, an angel of God appeared just to the right of the altar of incense. Zachariah was paralyzed in fear.

13-15 But the angel reassured him, “Don’t fear, Zachariah. Your prayer has been heard. Elizabeth, your wife, will bear a son by you. You are to name him John. You’re going to leap like a gazelle for joy, and not only you—many will delight in his birth. He’ll achieve great stature with God.

These two were of the tribe of Levi, which meant he would become a temple priest and she a priest's wife.  Such was the role assigned to them as members of the Levitical order.  Not only that, but Elizabeth was "spiritual royalty", as humans would view it.  She was descended from the daughters of Aaron, who was the first Levitical priest appointed by God Himself.

In spite of this, the couple had no children, a situation that caused them much grief, embarrassment, shame, stigmatization.  People of that day would have looked at them and whispered, "What did they do to deserve such a curse from God?"  Childlessness was seen as a curse.

Levitical priests of the highest orders lived for that opportunity to go into the Holy of Holies.  It was an awesome, fearsome occasion.  One never knew what would happen in there.  Apparently, some men had become so overwrought they had suffered heart attacks and presented a problem - - - how to get them out?  So, it had become a tradition to tie little bells on the garments of the priest selected to enter this most sacred of places.  If the minders heard the bells tinkling, they knew he was still alive. Similarly, a rope was tied around one ankle, so that he could be dragged out if he collapsed in there.

Lo and behold!  The unimaginable happened to Zachariah, who was a "priest's priest".  In spite of the corruption in the priesthood of that day, he and his wife lived "honorably" before God.  In spite of their seeming "curse", they remained faithful.  How many of us would do the same, in the face of such adversity?

Then, we see such an amazing example of God's timing in verse 13.  The angel said, "Your prayer has been heard!"  This is the second time I know of (or can recall) when a very old couple has been told they would conceive, Abraham and Sarah being the other.  Zachariah and Elizabeth prayed for a child for a very long time.  Whether they were still praying, even in their twilight of life, I don't know; the scriptures do not say.  But, the point is that they had prayed faithfully.

It appeared for so long that God's answer was going to be "no". 
But, God's timing is not our timing.

What are you asking God for today?  What news or answered prayer would make your heart "leap like a gazelle"?  Here at Advent, we wait for and anticipate the Savior's birth.   We wait for the anniversary we know will occur.  Not so with deeply longed-for prayer requests however.  It is hard to "keep the faith", to keep praying and seeking the face of God.  Sometimes, it feels pointless and "impossible".

We must remember that, no matter what answer God ultimately gives us to our prayers, nothing is impossible for Him.  Nothing.  The angel Gabriel stated this to Mary, as recorded in Luke 1:37 - - -

"For nothing will be impossible with God."

The most hardened sinner's heart is not too hard for God.
The most wayward child is not too hard for God.
The vilest illness is not too hard for God.
The most ambitious dictator - - -
The strongest storm - - -
Nothing.

Zachariah, despite his astounding track record of faithfulness, thought the angel of the Lord's message was impossible.  As a lesson to him and to others, God took away his power of speech for a time.   I can understand Zachariah's "faith lapse" there. There's no telling what I would have thought or said, in such a situation!  Sometimes, when we have prayed and prayed, even in the face of impossibility, we are astounded when God gives us the answer we were seeking!

You may be familiar with a more-recent Christmas song called,  "A Strange Way to Save the World". 1

Wasn't it though?  A strange way to save the world?
Some would say "impossible"!  A virgin, being overshadowed by the very Spirit who created all things ... impregnating her?  All the Old Testament messianic scriptures that were fulfilled by Jesus?  Impossible, right?

Keep praying for "your impossible", Christian!   

Good morning, Lord.  I am so privileged to serve "the God of the Impossible"!  The One who created all things and holds it all together.  Help us to faithfully and in submission to seek Your will in our prayers, remembering that Your love is everlasting and that nothing is impossible with You!  All my love, in Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

1        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEN3wNWM1eE

The Workplace

What is your "work"? Do you like to work?  I do, if it is a type of work that lines up with my God-given talents and spiritual gifts.  Given the opportunity to exercise those, work is a source of supreme joy and satisfaction.  I was given the soul of a crusader, basically.  Part of my individual personhood is all about "righting wrongs" and "campaigning for Truth".  I am repulsed by folks who would walk by the person lying on the side of the road, beaten and bloody, and say, "Someone else will do it."  In my world, it is a disgrace for someone to not exercise their faith, their natural talents and/or their spiritual gifts, ignoring opportunities God puts before them.

So, again, what is your "work"?  What has God given you to do?  And, more importantly, are you doing it?  I was talking with a friend yesterday who works with her husband jointly in their shared work.  She said that she cannot imagine them doing anything else.  That's the kind of laser-like focus God wants from all of us, on the tasks He has assigned us or called us to.

In Ephesians 6:5-9, Paul is talking about the workplace, basically.  At least, that is the application to our modern day.  Let's take a look at the economy of the first century in Paul's part of the world.1

The economy of first century Israel was supported by three key segments: agriculture of olives, figs, grains, dates, and vineyards; trade fostered by Israel’s key location on the Mediterranean Sea; and large government building projects sponsored by King Herod.

• King Herod employed many laborers by commissioning many public works (e.g. building temple in Jerusalem, palaces, ports, fortresses, stadiums, ornate stone carvings, etc.) 
• There was a very large disparity between rich and poor.
• The upper class was made up of the temple priests and priestly aristocracy (including the Sadducees – a Jewish sect)
• The middle class was comprised of traders and merchants, artisans (stonecutters, masons, sculptors) and craftsman (metal, wood, cloth dye). The Pharisees (another Jewish sect), sages, scribes, and teachers were also a part of the middle class.
• The lower class was made of laborers (weavers, stone carriers, slaves (non-Jewish person taken into slavery because of debt), and the unemployable (lepers, blind, insane, crippled, etc.)
• The Roman government required heavy taxation of its people. Tax collectors were local employees considered to be outcasts and traitors.
• Jews were also required to give sacrifices to the temple – sometimes in the form of money, and usually by purchasing sacrificial animals to offer to the priests.
• Traveling teachers made their living by traveling from town to town and accepting gifts from those who came to hear them. 
• During the first century, the temple courtyards had often become a marketplace – local merchants would sell sacrificial animals at excessive cost in order to turn a profit from the tourists or religious seekers that would come to the temple.

Paul used the examples of slaves (non-Jews, remember?), who were the very lowest social class and their masters, the very highest, to make his points.  It is hard for us to relate to this social structure in modern-day, first-world countries, such as America.  But, we can read this passage and draw some parallels to the modern-day "world of work".

At the moment, and for the past five years, I have been self-employed, a small business owner who does contract work for other educational agencies.  You may be self-employed, a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) or an employee of a business or government agency.  These parallels I'm going to draw to this passage are primarily for those of you who "work for someone" or to use the common parlance "work for The Man", lol!

5  Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as to Christ, 6 not like those who do their work only when someone is watching – as people-pleasers – but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.  

7 Obey with enthusiasm, as though serving the Lord and not people, 8 because you know that each person, whether slave or free, if he does something good, this will be rewarded by the Lord.

9 Masters, treat your slaves the same way, giving up the use of threats, because you know that both you and they have the same master in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him. 

Ephesians 6:5-9

How to view and deal with "bosses":
1.  Realize that they are your boss because God ordained that, at least for now, they are in authority over you.
2.  Have a respectful attitude and deal with them respectfully, out of respect for their position, if you are unable to respect them for their character and/or their leadership.  Sometimes the latter is not possible, because supervisors/employers have values that are contrary to yours.  Sometimes, they make difficult decisions with which you don't agree.  Most times, you are not privy to all of the circumstances that led to the decision either.   So, don't backbite talk-down your employer behind his/her back, as this is the next-highest form of disrespect, coming in directly behind outright disobedience (insubordination).  Both can likely get you fired, or at the very least passed over for promotion.
3.  Maintain your integrity and testimony by working hard for your employer, whether it is seen and recognized ... or not.  That old expression, "When the cat's away, the mice will play", should not be in your cubicle.  Be deserving of your employer's trust.  If he/she does not trust you, that Savior you talk about won't be trusted either.  Think about the negative implications of that!
4.  Ultimately, you are working for the Lord.  So, be enthusiastic about your work!
5.  Have a servant's heart.  Don't think that your job is "better" than anyone else's or more important.  A healthy work culture values each person's work as integral to the success of the whole.

How to be a great "boss":
1.  Remember that, just because you are in a position of authority, God is ultimately your "Master".
Do all your leading as unto Him, remembering that if you don't earn your employees' respect and trust, they will view your Lord unfavorably.
2.  Treat your employees with consideration, compassion and fairness.
3.  See number 5 above.  God does not "play favorites"; neither should you.

Ecclesiastes 3:9&13 says this:

What benefit can a worker gain from his toil? ...that everyone should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all his toil, for these things are a gift from God.

The work He has given to each of us is a precious gift.  May we each enjoy it and gain benefit from it!

Father God, thank you for the work you give each of us, Your children, to do.  All of us have been tasked by You with spreading the gospel in some way.  I pray that that command will line up with our world of work, so that we can do both simultaneously, so that one is not in conflict with the other.  And, I especially pray for those, Your children, who find themselves in such an unenviable position, where their bread-earning occupations are in conflict with Your spiritual callings on their lives.  I pray that you would open doors for them Lord, in order to reconcile the two competing priorities. Holy Spirit, show them the way!  In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

1   http://www.jesuscentral.com/ji/historical-jesus/jesus-firstcenturycontext.php

Bless and Lighten

Romans 12:15 is a study in extremes: the "happy, happy, happy" of life versus the "I can barely go on".  Paul urges us to "Ceeeeeellllllebrate good times, come on!"  (You're welcome.  I'm sure that song will be stuck in your head for a while...)  That is, when our friends, family and acquaintances are on the mountaintops of life, we are to be happy with them.  Not so difficult, right?  Most of us love a party, joyful occasions..."good times".

Then, there's the flip side...anxiety, depression, mental illness, any type of physical illness, financial ruin, loss of a loved one...all of these cause mourning or weeping.
We can more or less ignore adversity, such as the fact that death is a reality of life, until it smacks us right in the face.  Then, we often don't know how to help each other.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Romans 12:15 (NET)

In 1992, my aunt wrote a book1.  It chronicled her personal experiences caring for her mother-in-law who died of dementia and her father-in-law who died of cancer, but also the experiences of others in similar circumstances. On a front page, she dedicated the book first to her beloved husband and then said this: "To the glory of God, I also dedicate this work, praying it will bless and lighten the load of some worn caregiver."  

How to lighten the load of someone going through the throes of something horrible?  For many of us, our first tendency is to "stay away", and sometimes that is appropriate.  A beloved uncle is currently in hospice care.  He has many, many admirers, all of whom would love to visit.  But, he is simply too sick to bear it.  Visits at this time would not "lighten his load".

Almost always, though, it lightens the load of a friend or loved one to let them know you care.  For instance, outside that same uncle's room is a small whiteboard where messages can be left, and many have been.  Basically, we need to find the most meaningful way to say, "You are important to me, and my heart is beating in tune with yours."

About the worst choice is to ignore a difficult situation and leave the person in the middle of it, feeling alone and unloved.  If you are like me, you fear you'll say the wrong thing.  What we need to remember is that the words themselves are not the most important thing!  Our presence or our gesture, with very few words, speak volumes.  It is important to prayerfully approach each situation individually, and try to say or do what is going to help the most. Always pray over how to best bless those who rejoice or weep. And then, do something.  Even if it is initially misinterpreted, it will later be appreciated that you took the time and effort to try to help.

Also, remember that people who are rejoicing OR suffering may not "properly appreciate" your efforts.  At these times, folks are often "not themselves", as we say in the South.  So, don't take it personally if you don't get the reaction you expected.  Just be patient with them, and keep on loving them as they walk through good times and bad.

How do you like to be supported in times of deep grief?  Feel free to comment in the comments section of today's post!

Father, I bless Your great name, because You are ever-present with us in both our joys and sorrows. Still, you have given Your children to each other to be Your "hands and feet" during these times as well.  We can be "little Christs" (Christians!) to those who are rejoicing or suffering, and in this way most clearly show the love of our Savior, to someone who desperately needs that love.  Show us how, Holy Spirit! In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

 Sisk, Ginny. This Too Shall Pass: Being a Caregiver for the Elderly. Nashville, TN: Broadman, 1992. Print. 

How to Suffer

Don't know about you, but I am not a fan of suffering.  Not.a.fan.  Whether you are suffering with allergies or suffering from abject physical pain or suffering the loss of a loved one, it ain't fun.  In the picture above, a dreadful earthquake has occurred.  The shaking has been so severe that walls are cracked, ceiling tiles have been shaken down. Things are a mess.  Suffering and desolation are evident.

Yet, fans or not, suffering is part of this life.  It invariably comes, and indeed it provides a backdrop for joy.  In happy times, we enjoy life, but we often take them for granted.  Past suffering reminds us to appreciate times of happiness all the more.  This is common to both Christians and non-Christians.  Even though our text was written by Paul to the Christians in the early Roman church, I'm writing to both groups today, because we all experience suffering, no matter how long we live.

So, when we see suffering coming at us like a blazing asteroid...yikes!  What should be our response?
First of all, let's examine why suffering/hardship comes, in the first place.  Why can't life be all "roses and posies"?
Is it because God hates us?
Is it because God does not care?
Is it because ... there is no God at all?
The answer to all those questions is emphatically, "No".

God is not the author, originator of suffering.  Suffering is a by-product of the sin that pervades our world.  It is a result of our world's overall broken condition.  Because of the pervasiveness of sin, the effects/consequences of it (the suffering) often splatter onto the innocent, as the person on the city curb is drenched by the gritty street water flung from the wheels of a speeding taxicab.  We should not be surprised by suffering.

God does, however, allow suffering, in both His children and also in those who do not yet know Him. He allows it and harnesses it as a tool to draw us closer to His heart.  In the final analysis He wants us, our love, our worship.  Often, in our suffering, we more clearly hear Him calling to us and are willing to answer.

Getting back to today's topic, though, how do we get through it?   Part of our answer lies in our text for today, Romans 12:12 (NET) - - -

Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer. 

We should begin at the end of this verse.  Our first action should be to turn to God, to run to Him.  He will embrace us in His loving arms and hold us during times of suffering.

A friend was telling me yesterday about how her grandbaby is teething and how miserable he is. When babies are feeling that bad, what do they want?  Most often, they want to be held.  They want to press their ear against their mother's chest, feel her warmth and hear her heartbeat.

God can't physically hold us, but when we go to Him in prayer, He is there, waiting for us.  To the unbeliever, He is there as Jesus Christ extending the invitation to the life-changing salvation relationship.  To the believer, He waits with spiritual comfort and healing in His arms.  This is why Paul tells the Roman church to "persist in prayer".  Although the human inclination is to run the other way, drawing close to God in times of suffering must be the first step.  (Why is it listed last, then?  I don't know!  They are listed in reverse order!)

The next admonition is to "endure".  Timothy tells us to "endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." (2 Timothy 2:3)  How do we do that?  Well, Believers, after drawing near to God through prayer, we must listen for His heartbeat.  He has revealed Himself to us through His Word. We can better endure suffering as we listen to Him in prayer and study His Word.  He will reveal tools to help us endure.  Invariably, there is something He wants us to see or to learn.  As in all things, He wants even our suffering to bring Him glory.

"Rejoice in hope"! What does this mean?  Let's remember that the English word "hope" as it is currently used is a very bad translation. In our vernacular, "hope" is sort of like "wishing, on steroids".  The original Greek word is ἐλπίδι, which is better translated "a certain future",  or "a strong and confident expectation".1
Usually, as in Romans 8:24-25, the direct object of the word "hope" is "salvation".
So, when Paul reminds us later in Romans (4 chapters later) to rejoice in hope, he is reminding Christians that our eternal salvation is our "end result" of life and of suffering, and that we should constantly rejoice in that certainty.
In other words, he is telling us to "reframe", to shift our paradigm, to alter our perspective.  Instead of focusing despondently on our suffering, which lasts only a little while (in light of eternity), we should "keep our eyes on the prize"... "looking to Jesus, who is both the Author and the Finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). In making that shift of focus, we can once again find joy.
Psalm 30:5 says, "weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning".  This refers to the fact that, at this moment, we may be suffering, but "when the morning comes", when we are face-to-face with the One who saved our soul, eternal joy will rush in and last forever.
Now, that is a "hope" worth rejoicing in!

Father, first of all, I want to pray for those reading this who are not only suffering in some terrible way, but who are slogging through it alone, without your Holy Spirit in their lives.  I pray earnestly that they will study Jesus and come to claim Him as their own Lord, their own Savior.  So many times, we look for healing, for comfort, in other places, when only the Lord Jesus is the great Healer, the Great Physician.  So, Lord God, for those who don't know you, yet have read this far, I pray for them.  Oh! Let them find you, the everlasting Source of All Comfort!  You have promised in your Word that those who truly seek You will surely find You, and I praise You for that.  For those of us who are already Your Beloved, Your Children, Your Church, may we be encouraged today through Your holy Bible, and through drawing near to Your loving side.  Make us a praying people, O God! In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

1  https://bible.org/article/hope

Happy All the Time?

When I was a kid at church camp, we used to sing a song that went, in part, like this:
"I'm up-side, down-side, in-side, out-side happy all the time!
I'm up-side, down-side, in-side, out-side happy all the time!
Since Jesus Christ came in and took away my sin,
I'm up-side, down-side, in-side, out-side happy all the time!"

That song was deceiving.  There are some Christians who preach and teach along these same lines.
Basically, they tell you that unless your path is rosy or that you are happy, happy, happy, you are not 
1) really a Christian or
2) doing God's will.

What pernicious, incapacitating lies!  This kind of false teaching calls many new Christians and some veteran believers to either walk away from the life with Jesus or at the very least to doubt.

What is the truth then?  Shouldn't Christians be happy?

First, we need to differentiate between "happiness" and "joy".

Isn't happiness great?  It's just about the greatest feeling, right?  But, here's the thing - - - happiness is dependent upon what HAPPENS to you!  It is a feeling that accompanies the set of circumstances that you like!  Everyone who is old enough to have been told "no" understands that things don't always go the way we would like for them to.  Look at what Jesus said to His disciples in John 16:33. He said, "In this world you will have tribulation...".  (Tribulation is a word that means "big troubles".)
Ok, now, if the Author and Finisher of our faith promises us this, and we recall that happiness and troubles are not friends.....well, it only goes to figure that Christians will be happy at some times, but that it is unreasonable to expect that we will be happy ALL the time.

What about "joy"?  What is that?  Joy is different; it is not dependent upon or affected by your outward circumstances.  Joy comes from trusting the promises of God.  Look at the entire context of John 16:33.  Jesus also says, "be of good cheer!  I have overcome the world!"

Tomorrow we are going to talk about war.  But, for now, suffice it to say that this world in which we live is generally hostile to Christians.  Did you know, for example, that more Christians are being persecuted for their faith worldwide than at any other time in human history?

What is Jesus saying then?  He is saying that because we know that He has it all in His hands, that He is greater than our circumstances, we can "be of good cheer", we can reach down deep into ourselves and draw upon the joy the Holy Spirit gives.  He is saying, "Be joyful."

Is that easy during troubling times?  No.  Is it, however, a choice we can make?  Yes.  Does being joyful mean smiling and bubbling over with happiness when things are downright horrible?  No!  That would be freakish!

But, we can trust in God, run to Him for comfort and direction, and allow His joy and peace to fill our hearts.  Joy and peace are great friends!  He wants us to draw near to Him in times of trouble.

I don't know about you, but this does not happen easily for me.  I get so caught up in wanting the circumstances to be different that I waste a lot of time, energy and emotion on my unhappiness.  What I should immediately do instead is to start praying, seeking the will of Father and asking Him to give me His peace and joy.

Listen, Believer!  Jesus has promised that his Holy Spirit will never leave us or forsake us, that He will be with us even when this old world is ending!  So, even in those times when you fear that your world IS coming to an end, Jesus is there.  He sees. He loves you.  He wants to wrap His arms of love and comfort around You.

So, pray for that supernatural joy to fill you up!  But, here's a secret.  Praise Him during the time of trouble!  You know why?  God comes to be with you in a very special way when you praise Him.  The Scriptures say that He "inhabits the praise of His people Israel" (Ps. 22:3).  Furthermore, the devil hates it when we praise our Lord and declare that He is in control, that He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Have you seen that cartoon adaptation of Dr. Seuss's book, "The Grinch that Stole Christmas?"  It shows at Christmastime and is one of my favorites.  Here is my favorite part:  after all the Whos in Whoville wake up on Christmas morning to find that all the gifts and food and decorations have been stolen, they STILL gather around the center of town and sing a song of unity and praise!  It brings tears to my eyes every time!

Dear Ones, that is a picture of how believers should respond to adversity.  We should draw near to our Father, draw near to each other and praise Him!  What a testimony to the world that is, when we do this!  Dear Ones, choose joy!

My Beloved, thank you for giving me joy, although I tend to get distracted by my circumstances at times.  Thank you for your Holy Spirit who will never leave nor forsake me, regardless of what happens today, in the "nasty now and now".  Urge me to be resplendent in You today!  I love you, Lord!
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