Joy for Today

On May 2, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Nehemiah 8: 10               NIV

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

My YMCA has a scripture bowl in the entrance. As I leave, I like to grab a slip of paper from the bowl for a bit of inspiration. Yesterday, I dipped my hand in and came out with Nehemiah 8: 10. As I read it, I threw my hands in the air because I was really tired from my workout and I needed some strength. It blessed me.

Like all scripture, the initial impact was wonderful, but it kept ministering to me all day and all night. That is when I realized there are times when I have been bone weary right down in my Spirit and this verse is just what the doctor ordered for those times. You have had those times too. There are times when the smiles seem far away or superficial. Inside your gut you only find stress and anxiety. That is when you need the joy of the Lord.

As you get older it is easy to grow weary. You get tired of fighting the same old battles and the new shape of the world is wearisome. Some people don’t want to live a long time because they are just tired, sick and tired. That is when we absolutely need the joy of the Lord to give us strength and life. It must flow out from our spirits. How do you minister to yourself in those times? Where do you find the joy of the Lord?

Simply being thankful is a beginning. Remind yourself of all the good things the Lord has done for you but don’t stop there. That is yesterday’s oil. Truth be told. You need God right now, here in the present. In these times I have to put on praise music and let the joy build from within. The music reminds me of scriptures that bless my heart and puts Jesus’ face back in front of my eyes. My other keys are my daily devotions and reading my Bible but the biggest booster shot for me is praying in tongues. There is nothing quite as energizing for me as praying in the Spirit. Now if you are one of those really cool people, maybe you can sing in the Spirit. Talk about filling up the tank. That is a great way to go.

Usually when I find myself worn down, it is in part because my gaze has wandered from his face to the situation in the world around me. It doesn’t take long for the world to get you down. Just an instant, in fact. However, as we remain in the Father’s presence on a more continual basis, we build up joy and that joy resists the troubles of the world. It prevents us from being so impacted by those things. I need Jesus in my life daily. If I don’t spend time with him, the strength within me begins to wane. I need his anointing speaking into my life daily.

It is easy to get run down and overwhelmed. It is our responsibility to keep our tanks full and it only takes me a day or two of neglect to start running on fumes. How about you? The joy of the Lord will strengthen you, but you have to make deposits of his presence. It’s not thoughts of the Lord or even promises of the Lord which will give you strength in the day of need. It is his joy deep within you which comes from having spent time with him. Fill up your tank today for you are sure to need it tomorrow.

Back to Top

Comfort and Joy

On December 19, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Philemon 1: 7

For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love.

Tidings of comfort and joy I bring to you this day in the name of Jesus. “Remember Christ our savior was born on Christmas Day.” He came offering us comfort. He is the gift of joy to each person. Joy is a choice, however and is the comfort he brings. His presents are offerings from God the Father but not all choose to receive.

As I listen to this Christmas carol, I hear in it Jesus’ evangelical message. It is different from many of the evangelical messages I have heard in the past. This one holds no condemnation. It does not scream that we are destined for hell unless we repent. This message from the savior king says very simply, “I have come to offer you comfort and joy.” Hallelujah!

Sometimes I think we misunderstand the word “savior.” Somehow we even confuse it with task master or condemner but Jesus, by his own admission, came to give us abundant life (John 10: 10). When all the world was lost and spiraling down to eternal torment, God, in his love, devised a plan to comfort us and to give us great joy. That was His big plan, to soothe and save us from ourselves. He sent a baby, probably the most non-threatening image in this world, to be our savior.

I hope you will sing about comfort and joy all day today and as you do may God’s love and comfort fill you. I pray that His presence within you will fill you with peace, the peace of Jesus, that peace which is incomprehensible unless you experience yourself. Love, joy, peace and comfort are His gifts to you today. Enjoy!

Back to Top

Christmas Presence

On December 17, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

I hope you will join me this week for a special series of Christmas themed messages.  I wish you a happy holiday as we celebrate the presence of God with us, Immanuel. 

May your Christmas abound with the goodness of God and the joy of Jesus.

God bless you all!

Back to Top

Adoration Time

On November 14, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Hebrews 2: 12

“I will proclaim Your name to My brethren, In the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise.”

Okay, it’s official. This Christmas season has begun. So now, I can start my Christmas celebration.

I love Christmas and I have already been playing and singing Christmas music. I was touched by the line, “Come let us adore him.” What a beautiful petition. Come friends, let us adore Christ in our actions, words and thoughts. I was touched by this thought but also chagrined as I realized how often I have heard those words and that is all they were, words in a song. It is amazing to me how we can sing such songs and sometimes remain untouched by them. What a great message for us, though, as we enter the Yuletide season. Come, one and all, let us find breath and sentiment to adore the Christ.

One of the things I have noticed this year already is how happy and light my heart becomes as I sing Christmas songs. The child who came brought with him salvation for all. That is worthy of praise. He also brought joy, a joy so deep and so broad that time cannot mark its boundaries. It is a joy so profound that your human heart is altered as you experience it. You feel it in your body and you may even find yourself a little giddy. No wonder Christmas makes children of us all. The joy Christ has poured into our hearts is most easily expressed in a childlike fashion.

I encourage you to give into that innocent joy. As you sing Christmas carols, give yourself over to the exultant emotion within. Let your heart be reborn in the simplicity of the Christ child. Lift your voice to give God praise and experience the overwhelming sense of love and acceptance.

Let me be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas. As we enter this season of great joy I pray that the presence of Jesus will be with you more strongly than ever before and that you will find your heart lifted on the wings of his love. Come friends, “let us adore him, Christ, the Lord.”

Back to Top

Building the Temple

On July 25, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Chronicles 29: 9

Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the Lord with a whole heart, and King David also rejoiced greatly.

God has made us to be givers. We are in His image and He is the greatest giver of all time. One of the things that hangs us up, though, is that our offerings go to people. Truthfully, we do not always trust people and sometimes in our hearts we do not wish to bless people. If we could give right into God’s hands, we would joyfully give. We probably couldn’t give enough to satisfy the desire to bless the Lord.

In today’s story, David was at the end of his life and thus, his term as the king and leader of Israel. His son, Solomon, would be tasked with building the temple to the Lord. David, though, gave gold, silver, brass, etc. towards the building of the temple. He even gave gold so the walls could be covered in gold. It was in his heart to bless, the Lord, his God. As the people listened to his words and observed his example, they also dug deep into their resources and gave more gold, and other metals. It was a joy and a delight to these people to give to their God and they gave with a whole heart. I would like to go back in time and witness their joy.

We have a number of cultural issues which impede our giving. First, there is that keeping up with the Jones’ thing. If we give and give, then others will have more than we. What if we give so much directly to our pastors that their prosperity begins to eclipse our own? We seem to have a mentality which requires pastors to be broke. This is a thought pattern which strains my brain because it seems to me that in the world of logic, especially in Kingdom dynamics, those who serve God (including you) should be the most prosperous on earth. I don’t know where we got this poverty mentality, the Puritans perhaps, but it defies logic for me. Surely, you have noticed how wealthy preachers are criticized. I do know of some churches, though, who seem to consider it an insult to themselves if the pastors are not in nice clothes and driving the nicest cars. How would that go over in your church? What are the tapes running in our brains that would never allow that to happen.

Another problem our giving suffers is that we are living in a time when there is so much to spend money on. We can go on nice trips, drive nice cars, buy bigger homes and multiple homes. There is a new electronic gadget out almost every day that attracts our attention. What would the Israelites have done with all that gold anyway? If they did not give it to the temple would that have meant they could take a Caribbean cruise? I think they were not as distracted by a world full of pleasures as we are. I believe that is why we have to purpose in our hearts to be givers. There are many things we can give our money to, is the church the most attractive of these? I doubt it. God, likely is though. If you can get face to face with Him I think we would all want to give Him anything we could.

The Israelites received a revelation of the elation in giving. They gave to God with their whole hearts and rejoiced in the gifts. Maybe in our quiet time with the Lord, he can give us a revelation too showing us how giving will benefit us while it increases our joy. Let’s ask him about that, shall we?

Back to Top

Heart’s Desires

On April 26, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 37: 4

Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart.

You have perhaps heard this verse quoted before. It is on my heart today so I took a closer look at it. I truly believe that our Father wants to give us the desires of our hearts and He seems to hover over us just waiting for an opportunity to pour into our lives. As I look at this verse today I find such a bond and closeness with the Lord that I want to bring you in to this warm glow with me.

First, let me share some other versions with you. as you know, I quote from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise noted. It is my favorite version but I read from many different versions, especially when I do verse or word studies because they shine the light from a little different perspective and can illuminate a subtle meaning. Today’s verse is a good case in point. The NASB leaves us wondering just a bit, doesn’t it? What does it mean to “Delight yourself in the Lord?” I bet most of us read that as, “Be pleasing to the Lord” or “Be good” and he will give your heart desires. The NIV clarifies this delight we are to know, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Isn’t that great? We are not being told to be on our best behavior and then Father will give us presents at all. We are being led to let our hearts take joy in our Father. That is a whole different perspective. I love where the God’s Word translation takes us, “Be happy with the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Are you getting this? This verse isn’t about our righteousness and good works at all. It is all about enjoying our Father and being happy with Him and in Him.

Your joy in Him just releases the bounty. If you are a grand-parent you know exactly what I am talking about. You want to do for those you love and you want to give them all kinds of things but sometimes they just won’t let you. Your Heavenly Father is that way too. He wants you to open up and let Him in and He is bringing gifts with Him. Yahoo! I don’t mind telling you. I like getting gifts. I like opening packages but in addition to all kinds of material and worldly things, our Father also brings all those intangibles with Him and we like those too, don’t we? He has healing and peace in His hands just to name two. So, tell Him what you want and then invite Him to the party. Enjoy His presence. Take delight in Him. That is really the greatest gift ever.

Back to Top

Cheery

On May 27, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Corinthians 9: 6 – 8

Each one must do (give) just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 

God loves a cheerful giver. God is less concerned about one giving from the abundance of one’s purse than giving out of the abundance of one’s heart. He is less concerned with how much you give and more concerned with how you give. He wants you to give to Him and to His work because you love Him and because you want to give. He does not want you to feel compelled because there is some good work to give to. He certainly does not want your guilt offerings. In other words, He doesn’t want your gift to Him to be motivated by your guilty feelings. Give less if need be so that you can get happy. Make it a joyous occasion between you and the Lord. Take your eyes off of the person, church or ministry that you are sowing into and put your eyes and heart on the Lord. Let your gift be a blessing unto Him. Then you will really be happy.
Back to Top