Category Archives: Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing

Church / Body of Christ, Contentment, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Obeying God, Provider

God Calls Each of Us To A Mission and Provides What We Need

Jehovah makes it clear that He set aside Aaron and his sons to serve as priests and set aside the other Levites to a different role in support of God’s holy place and services. Each had specific roles and was not to do the role of the other. It strikes me as a good reminder that even today He calls us as believers to different tasks or missions. We are not all skilled in the same way and we are not all called to the same mission. Let us be content with what He calls us to do and let us be joyfully obedient… beyond content. Do not covet the calling of another, but support them if called to do so. What great ministry or church would succeed with only the one pastor or evangelist? God calls some to support those He puts in the lead. It is a worthy calling.

I am also reminded that He provides for those He calls. He did not call the priests and Levites to full time service and then also expect them to provide their own food or care for their own land. They are provided for by God and they need not get distracted with working their own land to survive, which would significantly divide their attention.

Truly all we have belongs to the Lord, but He calls each of us to give of our first fruits and best fruits for His kingdom. Even those who are called to His full time service are still instructed to tithe. The attitude of giving our first and best to the Lord is a great way to focus on Him as our Lord and provider and avoid getting distracted thinking only of ourselves.

Numbers 18

Duties of Levites

     1So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s household with you shall bear the guilt in connection with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt in connection with your priesthood. 2“But bring with you also your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and serve you, while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3“And they shall thus attend to your obligation and the obligation of all the tent, but they shall not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary and the altar, or both they and you will die. 4“They shall be joined with you and attend to the obligations of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; but an outsider may not come near you. 5“So you shall attend to the obligations of the sanctuary and the obligations of the altar, so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel. 6“Behold, I Myself have taken your fellow Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD, to perform the service for the tent of meeting. 7“But you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and inside the veil, and you are to perform service. I am giving you the priesthood as a bestowed service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

The Priests’ Portion

     8Then the LORD spoke to Aaron, “Now behold, I Myself have given you charge of My offerings, even all the holy gifts of the sons of Israel I have given them to you as a portion and to your sons as a perpetual allotment. 9“This shall be yours from the most holy gifts reserved from the fire; every offering of theirs, even every grain offering and every sin offering and every guilt offering, which they shall render to Me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons. 10“As the most holy gifts you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you. 11“This also is yours, the offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the sons of Israel; I have given them to you and to your sons and daughters with you as a perpetual allotment. Everyone of your household who is clean may eat it. 12“All the best of the fresh oil and all the best of the fresh wine and of the grain, the first fruits of those which they give to the LORD, I give them to you. 13“The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the LORD, shall be yours; everyone of your household who is clean may eat it. 14“Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. 15“Every first issue of the womb of all flesh, whether man or animal, which they offer to the LORD, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16“As to their redemption price, from a month old you shall redeem them, by your valuation, five shekels in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17“But the firstborn of an ox or the firstborn of a sheep or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and shall offer up their fat in smoke as an offering by fire, for a soothing aroma to the LORD. 18“Their meat shall be yours; it shall be yours like the breast of a wave offering and like the right thigh. 19“All the offerings of the holy gifts, which the sons of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you, as a perpetual allotment. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD to you and your descendants with you.” 20Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land nor own any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel.

      21“To the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting. 22“The sons of Israel shall not come near the tent of meeting again, or they will bear sin and die. 23“Only the Levites shall perform the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the sons of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24“For the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as an offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance; therefore I have said concerning them, ‘They shall have no inheritance among the sons of Israel.’”

      25Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 26“Moreover, you shall speak to the Levites and say to them, ‘When you take from the sons of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present an offering from it to the LORD, a tithe of the tithe. 27‘Your offering shall be reckoned to you as the grain from the threshing floor or the full produce from the wine vat. 28‘So you shall also present an offering to the LORD from your tithes, which you receive from the sons of Israel; and from it you shall give the LORD’S offering to Aaron the priest. 29‘Out of all your gifts you shall present every offering due to the LORD, from all the best of them, the sacred part from them.’ 30“You shall say to them, ‘When you have offered from it the best of it, then the rest shall be reckoned to the Levites as the product of the threshing floor, and as the product of the wine vat. 31‘You may eat it anywhere, you and your households, for it is your compensation in return for your service in the tent of meeting. 32‘You will bear no sin by reason of it when you have offered the best of it. But you shall not profane the sacred gifts of the sons of Israel, or you will die.’”

Let us embrace joyfully that which we are called to do. Each of us may have different roles but the whole body of Christ, working together, is useful to glorifying the Lord, which is our purpose and calling overall.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Contentment, Faith / Trusting God, Humility, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Thankfulness

All My Springs of Joy Are In You

Psalm 87 is not entirely clear to me in its meaning. It is a bit of a puzzle to me. I would likely benefit in taking some more time to chase it down at some point in the future. Zion refers to the City of God, or Jersulam.  Korah is an interesting figure. Korah was among those that rebelled against Moses and Aaron (against God really) in Numbers 16. He was from the family of Levi, but not of Aaron. Thus he was not to be a priest, but was chosen to take care of the temple. Rather than being joyful, or even content with his calling, he rebelled wanting to share authority as priest. Rebelling against God ended poorly for him. His young sons survived. He did not.

A small portion of the Psalms, 11, are credited to sons of Korah. I can see two insights from this, I am not sure if one or both is what was intended. First I consider the Psalm as if it was intended for the sons of Korah just as those who care for the temple and second as those who would be like Korah as malcontent and rebellious in their hearts against what God calls them to do.

In either case, the Psalm calls forth a picture of the City of God, Jersulam and perhaps the temple as specially loved by God. It would seem to be a good reminder not only for the original audience but also for us that we should be joyful and appreciate what God has called us to do!

Psalm 87

The Privileges of Citizenship in Zion.

A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.

     1His foundation is in the holy mountains.

      2The LORD loves the gates of Zion
More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.

      3Glorious things are spoken of you,
O city of God.

Selah.

      4“I shall mention Rahab and Babylon among those who know Me;
Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia:
‘This one was born there.’”

      5But of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her”;
And the Most High Himself will establish her.

      6The LORD will count when He registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.”

Selah.

      7Then those who sing as well as those who play the flutes shall say,
“All my springs of joy are in you.”

Whether we physically dwell in the City of God or whether we dwell in His kingdom while physically living outside Jerusalem, let us give thanks for His love and for His hand in our lives. Let us accept with humility what ever task He calls for us to do and wherever He calls us to do it. He loves His people as a Father loves His children. As the saying goes… Father knows best.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Guide, Help / Serve Others, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Kindness / Gentleness, Love, Self Control, Strife, Worldliness

Be Doers of the Word Rather Than Just Hearers

James has excellent advice for us throughout his letter in the Bible. One such example is a firm reminder to not just be a “hearer” of the word of God, but rather a “doer”. God does not just want us to listen and tell others about Him. He wants us to repent and turn toward Him as well. That means admitting the wickedness and sin in our life and turning away from it in thought and action so we can turn toward Him and live according to His way.

James 1:19-27

   19This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. 21Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 22But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

  26If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. 27Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Let us take care not to rationalize and accept wrong behavior, saying to ourselves things such as “I am not as bad as that person” or “God doesn’t mind a little gossip, it’s not like that person can hear me”. We must turn away not only from the obvious “major” sin in our life but even from the “lesser” offenses.  It is not enough to not attack someone physically, but rather we should not attack them with our words either. Further, it is not enough to just avoid doing bad things. We are called to go out and show love to others, such as helping orphans and widows in distress. Do not wait for special occasions to help others, but rather seek to do so throughout your daily activities. We are called also to take care not to be corrupted or stained by the world … not to adopt and accept the practices and values of the world.

Pray for God’s help for you to live for Him fully and joyfully!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Hope, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Protector / Deliverer

The Source of Our Inexpressible Joy

As believers, we truly have a glorious hope which can provide joy within us, even through difficult times. In day to day living, I find it easy to lose sight of that hope and that joy which comes from it. Of course we all need the Spirit to live fully in the joy of the Lord through this life.

1 Peter 1:3-9

     3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

I am asking the Lord to fill me with this joy and to help me remember this glorious hope as I go throughout my day to day living… so that even the hard times would not smother the joy within. I encourage you to pray for the same in your life.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Hope, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing

Is it realistic to find joy in all circumstances?

Scripture can be challenging if we truly recognize and accept the truth within it. Often, scripture highlights even to followers of Christ our failure to fully live out the life God intends . It becomes a choice of acknowledging we need to change, through God’s power, or justifying our shortcomings by redefining what scripture teaches so we feel more comfortable remaining the way we are.  Human nature is to rationalize that we are not wrong or in need of change, but rather to redefine our perception of what scripture means. However, this is not what God intends.

One such example I confront in my own life is that of living through each moment filled with joy, even in tough situations. It is easy to compare myself to others, or to my former self prior to walking with Christ, and both of these can help me feel better about myself, but they are the wrong measure. The true measure is indeed the Spirit of God and how we compare to His revelation in scripture. Consider Philippians 4.

Philippians 4:4-7

   4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

It is easy to rationalize that perhaps He does not really mean “always”. What about those tough times when things aren’t going my way?

James 1:2-4

    2Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Acts 16:22-25

     22The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. 23When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; 24and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

      25But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;

Clearly, God calls us to rejoice even and especially in tough times. If you continue reading in Acts beyond verse 25 you can actually see a dramatic series of events in how God used Paul’s and Silas’ joy in difficult circumstances to His glory.

Yikes! Rejoicing after being beaten and imprisoned for Christ. That is a really high bar. How can we get there? I have tried and made little progress. But it becomes clear to me now, the more I see God’s Spirit at work in me and transforming me. I can not do it of my own power and will, but only God can do it through me with His power.

Romans 15:13

13Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 4:13

13I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Let us remember to come to God in prayer and supplication and ask Him for His power and His help to transform us so we may glorify Him all the more. Let it never be about our power or our accomplishment, but rather our own submission to and recognition of the Father and Creator of all.

This is one of my prayers before my Father today and I know He will answer it as He has so many others. I encourage you each to pray for Him to transform your life in this way as well.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Adultery / Sex Outside Marriage, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Greed, Heaven and Hell, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Loving / Kind, Righteousness / Serving God, Seeking God, Thankfulness, Wickedness / Evil, Wise, Worldliness

Imitate God Rather Than The World

Ephesians 5 speaks for itself. It is a timeless warning to avoid worldliness and a call to righteousness.

Ephesians 5

Be Imitators of God

     1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

      3But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

      6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.

14For this reason it says,
“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.”

      15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

Let us take a challenging look at ourselves and our lives and test to see if we are living as imitators of God, or of the world. In most cases, we struggle at some level in that we still are reflections of the sin culture of the world. Let us call upon God to help purify us further and help us to change our attitudes and actions to reflect better and better the righteousness of God rather than the values of the world.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Bitterness / Resentment, Controlling Thoughts, Grace / Patience, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Peace / Rest, Righteous, Self Control, Slow to Anger

Christ Is Our Example

No one has been treated more unfairly than Jesus Christ. He committed no sin and yet suffered greatly for our sin. While he was reviled, He did not revile in return. He demonstrated no bitterness or resentment despite terribly unfair treatment.  He is our example. We do well to follow His example.

1 Peter 2:21-25

Christ Is Our Example

      21For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; 23and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

The storms and difficulties will come for all of us. We have to prepare for how we deal with them. Do we become bitter and resentful or do we trust in God and lean on Him in faith as difficult times come. One way is the path based on sin and selfishness and leads to misery and frustration. The other way is the way of faith and leads to peace and joy. Let us strive to live our lives in the way our Lord, Jesus demonstrated by how He lived His life.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Fear / Reverence for God, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Obeying God, Offering Sacrifices, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Sin, Study the Word, Thankfulness, Through Prophets

The Glory of the Lord Revealed

Leviticus 9 offers us an interesting view into the steps Moses instructed Aaron to follow in preparation for Jehovah revealing His glory to Aaron. What an interesting topic to study for those of us who wish to draw near to God and have a personal relationship with Him. (warning – I have more to learn in regards to the full significance of the Levitical sacrifices… by all means study these for yourself)

Aaron was to make a sin offering and a burnt offering for himself. The sin offering reminds us we need forgiveness and atonement for our sin, which separates us from God. Prior to the death of Christ, animal sacrifices symbolically took on the punishment for our sin. Now, we need instead to accept Jesus as Lord and accept His offer of His own death as ransom for our sin. The burnt offering symbolizes atonement for sin and our voluntary dedication (of ourselves) to the Father. Then he led the congregation in a similar set of sacrifices for their atonement and dedication.

He added a peace offering for the congregation, symbolizing fellowship, rejoicing and thanksgiving with the Lord. In all these things, they obeyed the specific instructions of the Lord. They did things His way. It was then that He revealed His glory before them.

Leviticus 9

Aaron Offers Sacrifices

      1Now it came about on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel; 2and he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a calf, a bull, for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without defect, and offer them before the LORD. 3“Then to the sons of Israel you shall speak, saying, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both one year old, without defect, for a burnt offering, 4and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today the LORD will appear to you.’” 5So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the whole congregation came near and stood before the LORD. 6Moses said, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded you to do, that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.” 7Moses then said to Aaron, “Come near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, that you may make atonement for yourself and for the people; then make the offering for the people, that you may make atonement for them, just as the LORD has commanded.”

      8So Aaron came near to the altar and slaughtered the calf of the sin offering which was for himself. 9Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him; and he dipped his finger in the blood and put some on the horns of the altar, and poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 10The fat and the kidneys and the lobe of the liver of the sin offering, he then offered up in smoke on the altar just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 11The flesh and the skin, however, he burned with fire outside the camp.

      12Then he slaughtered the burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons handed the blood to him and he sprinkled it around on the altar. 13They handed the burnt offering to him in pieces, with the head, and he offered them up in smoke on the altar. 14He also washed the entrails and the legs, and offered them up in smoke with the burnt offering on the altar.

      15Then he presented the people’s offering, and took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people, and slaughtered it and offered it for sin, like the first. 16He also presented the burnt offering, and offered it according to the ordinance. 17Next he presented the grain offering, and filled his hand with some of it and offered it up in smoke on the altar, besides the burnt offering of the morning.

      18Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offerings which was for the people; and Aaron’s sons handed the blood to him and he sprinkled it around on the altar. 19As for the portions of fat from the ox and from the ram, the fat tail, and the fat covering, and the kidneys and the lobe of the liver, 20they now placed the portions of fat on the breasts; and he offered them up in smoke on the altar. 21But the breasts and the right thigh Aaron presented as a wave offering before the LORD, just as Moses had commanded.

      22Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he stepped down after making the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. 23Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. 24Then fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

Take time to reflect on the significance of what God chose to reveal to us as His people in Leviticus 9. Do not rush over it because “sacrifices are obsolete”. Prayerfully consider the following if you wish to draw near to God and experience close fellowship with Him.

  • Do you learn and obey His ways rather than your own or what is accepted by our culture?
  • Have you accepted that you have a sin problem which separates you from the Father? Have you further come humbly before the Lord and asked Jesus to be Lord of your life… accepting His offer to pay to penalty for your sin? Have you repented from your sin and changed your ways?
  • Have you dedicated yourself to the service of the Father? This means your life reflects obedience to Him and setting yourself apart from the world to be holy and used for His purposes.
  • Do you come before the Father in thanksgiving and praise? Do you set aside time to fellowship with Him on His terms rather than your own?

Now consider that none of these things are one time decisions or actions. They are a new way of living once you are reborn in the Spirit. Pray for His help and then lead your heart in the way of the Lord.  Do these things wholeheartedly and He will draw near to you and reveal more of Himself to you.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Money / Finances / Wealth, Peace / Rest, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Thankfulness, Worry/Anxiety

Can Worry Add Even An Hour To Your Life?

It is easy and natural to worry. We can worry about our family, our jobs, our children’s performance in school or extra curricular activities. We can worry about our favorite sports teams winning or losing. We can worry about what we will be doing next week. There are lots of reasons we can choose to worry.

But what does Jehovah have to say about worry? Actually, He has a lot to say. One such verse to explore is short and to the point.

Philippians 4:4-9

      4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

      8Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

I do want to make a point that there is a difference between “worry” about something and taking action to address a situation that needs you to do something. I need not “worry” about my future finances when I walk with Jehovah, but He expects me to plan wisely, consistent with His word, and to exercise self control and manage my affairs well. Let us be careful to avoid the mistake of saying “not to worry” means we ignore the situation. This would be wrong and lead to many troubles.

Rejoicing always sounds tough for most of us… but just because it is different than what we expect, does not mean that it is wrong. Often, what we have become accustomed to is wrong and we need to seek God’s way in the Bible and change our ways. Paul was more than just talk on “rejoice always”. He rejoiced even under persecution such as when he was beaten and put in prison. He rejoiced in the sovereignty and love of the Lord Jesus!

Be thankful for what we have in Christ and what He has already provided us even as we come before Jehovah to ask for our needs or requests.

When we focus on what is good, honorable, right, pure, lovely… we can truly learn, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to be anxious for nothing.

I leave you with a common expression you may have heard before for consideration and reflection.

“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?”

Do you know who said this first? It was Jesus, as documented in Matthew 6:27.

May the grace and peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, be with you.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Heaven and Hell, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Sloth / Laziness

Don’t Be A Slacker, Run the Race To Win

Do any of us respect those who do the bare minimum to get by? Or do we prefer those who dedicate themselves to do things well?

Which parents among us are proud if our kids do the bare minimum to get by? If we ask them to clean their room and they pick up one out of ten things in the middle of the floor… are we proud? are we even satisfied? What if they pick up half?

How about an employee that does the bare minimum to get by? The boss asks them to open the store at 9am… and he does… but he is always late, strolling in at 9:30. Is the boss impressed with the employee? Certainly not.

Consider parents. What would we say about parents who keep their children alive but let them be unsupervised and filthy? or let them play in the street where cars are driving by? Would we give them an award for parents of the year? or more likely try to help guide them to be better parents?

How about a spouse? Do we want a spouse who wants to please and show love to us? or are we satisfied with one that just lives alongside us, content to do their own thing without care or concern for us?

It is certainly fair to say that no one respects a slacker. Why then, do so many focus on doing the bare minimum they think is required to get to heaven? Certainly God is not impressed.

Challenge yourself… instead of asking “Do I need to do that to get into heaven?”, ask instead “Would it please God for me to do that?” What a powerful change in attitude. Seek not to do the minimum to “get into heaven”, but rather to draw near to God and please Him. The same approach is also powerful for all of the examples above as well! Children who don’t look for the minimum to get by, but instead seek to please their parents. Employees, parents, spouses seeking to please others… it works.

Don’t be a slacker for God or for your other important relationships in your life. Seek to joyfully and enthusiastically please Him… to obey Him in all things. Do not accept doing “just enough”.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

 24Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.