Fullness of Joy

Need more joy in your life?  The answer is to live in His presence.  The Psalmist emphatically stated, "In His presence there is fullness of joy and at His right Hand pleasures forevermore". (Ps 16:11)  David, the Psalmist certainly knew the joy of the Lord, dancing with all his might before the Ark of the Covenant (the symbol of God's Presence and Power), and in his extravagant worship of the Lord was disdained by his very own wife for his open display of ecstatic joy in God's presence.

As the song goes, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."  It is when we look into His face that the things of the earth, the worrying, crippling or niggling things are washed away in the Presence of His Holiness.  Our joy is found in His All-Sufficiency, The El Shaddai. 

The first mention of this name of God is found in Genesis when God commands Abraham, "I am El Shaddai.  Walk before me and be perfect." (Gen 17:1), an impossible command unless, like the baby who nurses at its mother's breast for its nourishment and survival, we come to the El Shaddai to receive from His Hand the power to change whilst we trust in the All Mighty one, who is able to conquer and destroy all the destructive strongholds that seek to suck the joy out of our lives.  When we know God as the Omnipotent One, all our struggles and negative circumstances can be left at the foot of His Throne while He appropriates the grace and help we need to overcome.

Yesterday has gone.  Tomorrow may or may not come.  People have died of the most bizarre circumstances.  The only moment we have is the now.  Should we waste this moment choosing anything less than being joyful, even in the challenging circumstances of living life?  The Apostle Paul is still a great example of having joy in the midst of taxing conditions.

The crowd [also] joined in the attack upon them, and the rulers tore the clothes off of them and commanded that they be beaten with rods. And when they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely. He, having received [so strict a] charge, put them into the inner prison (the dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the [other] prisoners were listening to them, Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison were shaken; and at once all the doors were opened and everyone's shackles were unfastened.   Act16:22-24

Paul and Silas's praises transported them out of the severe discomfort, filthiness and smell of the rotting goal into the presence of His Majesty.  As their praises rose into the heavenly realms, it captured El Roi (the One who sees) heart and "Inhabiting the praises" of these two disciples, an earthquake of His presence burst open the doors of the prison and prisoners and guards alike (who were listening to this worship) were swept into the fullness of joy and salvation as the bondages that sought to keep them in despair fell off.  In the midst of circumstances, we too can chose to praise the One from who deliverance comes.  Or we can choose to sit amongst the disappointments, disillusionment and disenchantments of broken dreams and be consumed by these instead of looking heavenly to the One who gave us all, so that we might have LIFE in Him.

Oh the power in praising when we don't understand and when circumstances are beyond our control.  No extreme expression of faith could be more powerful when we choose to praise in the dark of "I don't know why this in happening" and invites the Light of the Spirit to comfort and drop in the seed of peace that surpasses all understanding.  An expression of faith, when we can say no matter what the circumstance, Lord God I trust in you that the outcome will be to my advantage.  We show we trust in what God can do in and within the circumstances when we hand over the control of our life to the control of the only One who is All-Sufficient.  His joy will be our strength.  His joy will help us laugh in the face of adversity and stop the enemy in his tracks. 

His joy!  Found and contained in His Presence.  Linger there today.

What....Marriage?

The Courier Mail yesterday ran an article which I think should have made first page news so important the information is to our crumbling society.  The article was called "Reforms urged for children in crisis" and was a major report  to be presented to Federal parliament on findings conducted by the University of Sydney and calling "for a return to conservative family values" especially for the behalf of children.  It reported on the deterioration of mental stability, particularly of girls (66% increase in mental disease for 12-14 year olds and a 90% increase for girls aged 15-17).  The major factor is this was the breakdown of the family unit and the introduction of "unstable and conflictual family relationships of Australian families."   The report went on to argue that significant increase in the risk of the emotional instability of children was because of the rise of new partners not biologically related to the children and also  the stress of single parentedness.

It is not surprising that marriage is under attack for if satan can divide the family, he leaves in the wake, broken children who carry the scars of the loss of a secure and nurturing environment  with the unconditional love of both parents and the subtle choosing of sides they should never had to endure.  In turn, they carry these hurts into future relationships and the devastating cycle goes on down through generation after generation.

Whenever we think that we can destroy what God has put together, and He sanctioned marriage as a covenant until "death do us part", we exalt ourselves above the Maker, who know what is good for us.  He wrote the model of marriage in the bible and He also presents this as a picture of the relationship between Christ and us.  Intimate, one in unity and loving!  I'm certainly glad that Christ does not divorce us, even though as far as I'm concerned, He probably has every right to do so because of the hardness of our hearts.

God has called us to be Holy, and warns us that if we are not holy, we will not see Him and marriage is His institution that teaches us how to be Holy.

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." (1Pe 1:13-16)

Where else can we learn the fruit of righteousness, choosing to be holy instead of getting our own way?

Where else do we learn the fruit of humility and not always be right?

Where else do we learn to forgive (as Christ forgave us) and not hold on to offences?

Where else do we learn not to walk in the way of the flesh, not spitting out whatever our hurt little heart desires and so tear down instead of building each other up?

Where else do we learn that the earth does not revolve around us, and our petty little hurts, but instead we have a choice, set aside our selfishness (ouch!) and look at the important issues in bringing up healthy, mature, well adjusted children with our spouse?

Where else do we learn to walk as Jesus did, doing good to each other, healing, loving, forgiving and guiding?

Where else can we nurture and guide, TOGETHER, the young impressionable, ETERNAL souls into the Kingdom of God, showing the expression of love and forgiveness and selfless living?  Or will we play Russian roulette with our eternal life and theirs by teaching them to live in the flesh, disdain God's ways and disregard the feelings and wellbeing of the family unit?

God calls us to the "bond of peace", beseeching us "to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavouring  to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph 4:1-3)

Why is keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace so important?  It shows we are the children of God.  Father, Son and Holy Spirit display for us complete unity and harmony, contentedness, love, respect, honour, preferring the other members of the Trinity so much so that they are completely ONE.  There is no division amongst them, three persons in ONE.

And we are called to this ONENESS.  One with them and one with each other!  And where else do we learn submission?  Yes, a hard and difficult word, made all the more awful because of our human self-centredness and self seeking living.

For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?  You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. Jas 3:16 –Jas 4:2 

Children of God, we are called to walk a higher walk and imitate Jesus.  Let's us not lay the blame at our spouse's feet but take the responsibility that we too are marred, and touchy, self-seeking and wanting our own way and will.  Let's ask the Holy Spirit to soften our hearts and to whisper when we are out of line.  Let's ask for help to extend grace to each other and hold our tongues.  Let's ask Him to help us submit to His ways, for surely in doing so, we will crucify the flesh become more like Christ and enjoy the fruit of peace, unity and joy in our marriages.

Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God. 3Jn 1:11 

 
Amen?

"Grace has found me just as I am"

"being confident in this, that God who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Phil 1:6

Your grace reached out to me and found me. Just as the Shepherd left the 99 sheep to look for the lost lamb, so He found me and touched me and saved me.

There was nothing in me that should have attracted His love, except He is LOVE. He is full of grace and He sent Jesus to die for me so that I would be reconciled into His arms, His Love and His mercy. God saw me, not where I was, in the cesspool of sin, but He saw what I would become in Christ as He worked in and through me, producing good works.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Eph 2:4 -7

In Him! In Him, I have heavenly blessings and His divine nature to live a holy life. It's not me, it's HIS POWER in me. It's even His love in me, that perfect love that came from the Father and helps me to love others. It's not even my prayers, but the spirit in me who makes intercession for the saints and for my life.

There's nothing I bring to this table of relationship except my willingness to yield, to draw closer, to know Him more, to love deeper. My willingness and His power interweave to produce goodness in me. I offer nothing that He has not already given me and yet in giving nothing, He gives all. All blessings flow from His heart, His throne and fills me with joy in living life, in loving others, in being in Him and with Him.

Oh come to the living water and drink deeply of His grace and mercy bathed in love and soaked in His presence. Come and receive. Be confident in Him and surrender. He will complete the work in us that will produce the fruit of righteousness. He will safely present us to Himself on that great and glorious day that we stand before the throne, In Him.

Simple grace

God has given us all things to enjoy richly, simple things that we can take for granted. Like most mornings I really enjoy my breakfast, more so at present being on a diet, and this morning was no exception. I began thinking about how much we take this simple pleasure and the satisfaction that a good meal can bring for granted. We say grace around the table but do we really consider why we should be thankful to God for the provision. I have heard people critise grace because as far as they are concerned they put the meal on the table and cannot make the connection of gratitude to Father, the Creator.

Oh the wisdom of God, that He put life into a seed, so when in the right environment, it bursts forth to grow and reproduce and multiply. What an incredible thing. Not only does the plant grow and produce fruit but the quantity a single fruit tree produces, is well and truly more than it needs to reproduce itself.

The other most amazing thing is that everything our bodies need to grow and function and keep healthy is in the food that God put on the earth. And the variety of grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables speaks to me of God's abundant nature toward us, ensuring we have plenty to chose from that is pleasing to the eye as well as the palette.

Talking about the palette. How satisfying is it not only to have a good meal, but to be able to share that meal with friends and family. How much joy and laughter has there been around the family table.

And just think on the flavour of the different foods that God has made available. To think that God put those flavours there when He created them and then gave us a tongue that can receive and enjoy all these different flavours. I think that is incredible. The wisdom He had to have digestion begin in the mouth, so that we are to savour the flavours and linger over them, to really enjoy them and get the full satisfaction.

We tend to turn mealtime grace into a rote prayer, but when we consider all that God has done, it can once again be a genuine, thankful and heartfelt prayer.

Simple grace offered to an awesome, abundant Giver of GRACE and Life. Let's have abundantly thankful hearts, Amen?

Caught in an earthly perspective

It is so easy to be caught in an earthly perspective and complain about all kinds of things that, really in the light of eternity, are very small. Here I am, on the way to heaven, yet so many people as well as members of my family are facing an Christless eternity in hell. The bible is very clear:- "He who has the Son has life, He who does not have the Son of God does not have life." 1 Jn 5:12 and Jesus warned: "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." According to the parable of The Sower, only 25% of people will believe and go to heaven. That really is not good odds and it is imperative that we get out the message, the Good News, that Jesus saves us and we have forgiveness for all our sins because of what He did on that cross.

What a perspective to have, The Eternal! If we could keep focused on that alone, how different would our lives be lived here on earth.

For me, I think it helps to produce humility. The fact that God, the Creator of the Universe and all things, chose me before the foundation of the earth to be adopted into His family is a very humbling thought. If I had not heard the Good News and believed, I could still be in my sin and if I had died whilst a sinner, this would have packed a horrible eternal judgement. Oh for the grace that found me and loved me to salvation.

An eternal perspective encourages the gift of compassion as we deal with the lost everyday, even for some, our spouses, children, relatives, friends and workmates. We're ok, they are not okay. We need to shine the light of Christ's love, acceptance and grace upon them so that they can see how different life is when we walk in the love and peace of the Son.

If we kept this eternal perspective, I don't think we would have much to grumble and complain about. We would not be focusing on and critising our church family or pastors, but rather keep on working out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Being saved and on our way to heaven, should keep us rejoicing as we have opportunity to gather together with our brothers and sisters before God Almighty, to have times of refreshing in His presence and worship Him with thankful hearts. After all, what is more important, that the Pastor didn't say hello, the music is too loud, the church seems too , "clicky", or the fact that we are saved and growing in God's presence and love. No one and no church is perfect, but we go to meet with God and to please Him. Isn't that more important then all the things we can critise.

If something is lacking in your church, step out and volunteer to fix it. Remember we have been saved from a sure judgement and eternal punishment. Hell, let the full weight of that word sober you, is an awful eternity for those we love. Let's rejoice instead in the forgiveness of our sins and the eternal life we have been promised.

Rom 6:20
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
Rom 6:21

What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
Rom 6:22

But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
Rom 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Do you want to be healed?

Jesus is willing and able to deliver us from every ailment that besets us and the question, "Do you want to be made well" (Jn 5:6) is a legitimate one.

The worst condition that holds us back from being healed is the "victim" mentality, that condition of the heart that derives its power from the "why me" questions. This mentality allows us to stay where we are, sucking up the empathy and sympathy from others. This mentality loves the self-prophesying mantra, "It always happens to me" and "Why expect the best only to be disappointed" syndrome.

It takes hard work to uncover the attitudes that have caused strongholds, stop the grumbling and complaining that keep us trapped to begin to call God's report over our lives. When everything within cries out in pain, it's hard to rise out of the depths of the "pity party" and declare God's promises with confidence and belief. But the bible teaches us " Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. (Pro 18:21) We get to CHOOSE!!!! We alone can watch out thoughts and words and we can chose the testimony of our word for either a good or bad result.

Sometimes fear can keep us trapped for a long-seated illness almost becomes like well-known lover to our soul. It is sometimes easier to accept the slavery of Egypt (better the devil you know then the one you don't) then walk into the liberty and freedom of the children of the King. We can lose a sense of "identity" if we give it up but God has declared, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him." (1 Cor 2:9) God has a better way, a better life and His perfect love can cast out all fear, (1 Jn 4:18) because we trust Him to take us through the "valley of the shadow of death" (Ps 23:4) into the glorious "Son" on the mountain.

Jesus died for us to have an abundant life, not a depressed, down life. He calls us upward and outward, toward Him and toward others. Getting our minds off ourselves and onto others is a first step toward freedom from self and liberation into a life He wants for us. Remember, "Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him." (Jn 13:16) Jesus set us an example and if we walk in His steps we walk in the path of blessing.

Unending love, amazing grace!

Just think on the love of God. What an amazing gift to us that His love endures. It endures through all seasons. It endures through our struggles, through our victories, our everyday Monday to Sunday life. His love is always there, always read to receive us. We know we can come boldly, confidently into His throne room to find His amazing grace. It's available 24/7 to help us. His love, so unconditional, loves us even when we don't perform, even when we sin, even when we fall short of His standard. He waits for us to come running into His arms.

When Adam and Even sinned in the garden, we know the first thing they did was to try and cover the shame and pass the blame. Don't we do the same today? Our society loves to pass the blame, yet Father waits for us to come, face our responsiblilities and sin and ask for help.

We are brought up on performance-based conditional love. We find it so hard to imagine that God loves us regardless of what we do. We "feel" we must try to earn His love but nothing could be further from the truth. His love is always ready to be kind and patient toward us when we come. That's all He wants is His children to come, coming running into His arms and spill our guts, be honest and quiet our soul trusting in His mercy. He doesn't want us to hide from Him when we sin. Christ paid all for our sin and God wants His children to come and find rest and restoration in the arms of the Almighty. He's ready to wipe the tears of repentance away and to remove the guilt and shame and cast our sins into the sea of forgetfulness. He holds no grudge. He holds mercy and grace. Amazing grace.

Let us swim in the sea of His grace as He gently deals with us and calls us into a higher way of living. As we behold Him, as we float on the waves of His love, His nature is able to be imparted to us, until we too become like His Son.