Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Shout Joyfully! (Psalm 95:1-3)

Today’s scripture: Psalm 95:1-3

Joy comes from many places. A beautiful sunset. A baby’s giggle. A hug from a friend. An unexpected act of service from a spouse.

But the greatest joy—for me at least—comes from praising God for all He has done.

I am blessed beyond my human comprehension. I have a home, enough to eat, clothes to wear. I have a supportive husband, a loving family, and caring friends.

Most of all, I am the daughter of a loving, gracious, merciful God. My life isn’t perfect, but even in the deepest valleys, I know that He is with me. He loves me unconditionally. He gives me strength when I have none of my own.

And so I can “sing to the Lord!” I can “shout joyfully to the Rock of [my] salvation.” I can “come before His presence with thanksgiving.” I can “shout joyfully to Him with psalms.”

For, indeed, “the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods.”

Reflect on the many splashes of joy in your life. And sing and shout with joy and thanksgiving to the One who blesses you abundantly.

Monday, August 28, 2017

Restored Joy (Psalm 51:11-12)

Today’s scripture: Psalm 51:11-12

A few days ago, I wrote of how I sometimes see spending time with God as just another “to do.” I sometimes lack the joy in just being with Him.

How blessed I am that, even when I neglect Him, He never does so with me. He will never “cast me away from [His] presence.” Never will He “take [His] Holy Spirit from me.”

I can pray—as I sadly so often have to do—for a restoration of the joy of His salvation, knowing He will “uphold me by [His] generous Spirit.”

All I have to do is ask. He’s there, by my side, and He lovingly and graciously restores my joy. It may be an answer to prayer. It may be a call from a close friend. It may be a verse that touches my soul.

When I feel His presence even more intimately, my joy is restored. Each and every time.

Are you feeling a lack of joy? Ask God to remind you of His presence, His salvation, and His grace.

Friday, August 25, 2017

Joy ... God Is Good! (Psalm 106:1)

Today’s scripture: Psalm 106:1

Okay. I admit it. Today’s verse doesn’t mention the word “joy.” So why did I include it?

Because the words themselves fill me with joy!

I mean, read them again … and again …

I praise the Lord! I give thanks to Him!

Why?

Because He is good! I did a quick check of synonyms for good: noble, worthy, blameless, trustworthy, valuable, right, excellent, lovely, wonderful, splendid. God is certainly all of these things, and as I reflect on these words, I am filled with joy. God is so good!

I also praise Him and thank Him because “His mercy endures forever”! I’ve written many times that mercy is not getting what we do deserve. We are sinful, flawed, fallen creatures, and we deserve eternal separation from pure, sinless God. Yet, in His mercy, He offers forgiveness and eternal life with Him.

So, even though the psalmist didn’t include the word “joy” in this verse, I trust you agree that it is filled with joy!

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

God's Word Is Joy (Jeremiah 15:16)

Today’s scripture: Jeremiah 15:16

Oh, how I want this to be true in my life. I so want God’s word to be the “joy and rejoicing of my heart.”

I read God’s word every day. I read a few devotionals, and for over a decade, I’ve read the Bible in its entirety each year. I really do love it.

But I have to admit that, sometimes, it is just another thing on my “to do” list. I don’t “eat” God’s word as a necessity, something I need, something I crave. And, during those times, I pray that God will give me a hunger and thirst for His word. I pray for a renewed desire to study and meditate on His word.

I don’t want my time with the Lord and time in His word to be anything less than a time of rejoicing, and so I pray again today that He will speak to me, reveal truth to me … remind me of the joy in knowing Him more.

Do you hunger after God’s word? If not, may I invite you to join me in the same prayer?

Monday, August 21, 2017

Shout for Joy and Be Glad! (Psalm 35:27)

Today’s scripture: Psalm 35:27

I’ve chosen to use the New King James Version for scriptures of joy, but as I often do, I like looking at other translations and paraphrases for emphasis or added flavor. I especially like the The Message paraphrase of today’s verse:
But those who want    the best for me,Let them have the last word—a glad shout!—    and say, over and over and over,God is great—everything works    together for good for his servant.”
Each of us has a group of people—great or small—who “want the best” for us. Those cheerleaders who have our backs. When they see God doing amazing things in our lives, they rejoice with “a glad shout!”

And we do the same for others. I know how excited I get and how blessed I am when God blesses my friends and family. I rejoice when He works in and through them. I too want to “say, over and over and over” how great He is and how wonderful are His works.

Take a moment and see what God is doing in the lives of your friends and family. And give a “great shout!”

Friday, August 18, 2017

Joy in Refining (1 Peter 1:6-9)


Today’s scripture: 1 Peter 1:6-9

No too long ago, we talked about how trials offer refining, just as gold is refined by fire.

The apostle Peter expands on this in today’s scripture.

Gold, when it’s first mined, is full of impurities. It takes a process, whether by fire or by chemical, to remove the impurities. The process is time-consuming and, in the case of refining by fire, quite dangerous:
Refining with flame is one of the oldest methods of refining metals. Mentioned even in the bible, refining by fire is the preferable method for larger quantities of gold. In ancient times, this form of refining involved a craftsman sitting next to a hot fire with molten gold in a crucible being stirred and skimmed to remove the impurities or dross that rose to the top of the molten metal. With flames reaching temperatures in excess of 1000 degrees Celsius, this job was definitely a dangerous occupation for the gold refiner. The tradition remains largely untouched today with the exception of a few advancements in safety and precision. (www.gold-traders.co.uk)
Fire bringing purity. Pain bringing joy. Storms bringing rainbows.

From an eternal perspective, faith is absolutely more important than gold, and if I must go through difficult times to purify my faith, then I believe it’s well worth it.

Are you in the refiner’s fire right now? Then be confident that the Refiner is stirring and skimming to remove the impurities or dross to make you the person He created you to be.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Joy Comes in the Morning (Psalm 30:5)

Today’s scripture: Psalm 30:5

Over the last few weeks, several of my friends have lost loved ones. A husband. A father. A child.

They’re in mourning … and rightfully so.

Others have experienced some godly discipline with consequences from poor choices or pain from the choices others have made.

They’ve wept … and rightfully so.

We all go through seasons of pain, of suffering, of sadness. We all experience times of godly discipline.

But we’re promised that these seasons are temporary. We don’t live in perpetual, never-ending mourning or pain.

Joy does come in the morning. It may not be today … or tomorrow … or even in the next few weeks. But each of us begins to find those splashes of joy as God offers comfort and peace.

If you’re in a night of mourning, be assured: Joy will one day come … one not-so-distant morning.

Monday, August 14, 2017

Joy in Salvation (Isaiah 12:2-3)

Today’s scripture: Isaiah 12:2-3

A couple of days ago, I wrote about making a “joyful noise” and praising God. Today’s verses give another reason for singing for joy.

God is our salvation. Salvation comes from no other. He saves us from our sins, and He saves us from harm. And even if—or should I say when—we experience trials, we can be confident that He will give us strength.

We can indeed “trust and not be afraid” no matter what comes our way because He has been so faithful in the past.

I often write about the gift of hindsight. It’s usually when we look back that we see how God worked. The more we see how He worked then, the more we can trust now … and in the future.

So sing along with the prophet: He is my salvation. He is my strength and song. I can joyfully “drink deeply from the fountain of salvation” (NLT).

Amen!

Friday, August 11, 2017

Worshipful Joy (Psalm 66:1-3)

Today’s scripture: Psalm 66:1-3

I’ve written this before, but one of my greatest joys is worshiping the Lord in song. There’s something about music that touches my soul.

That’s one of the things I love most about the psalms. So many of them are love songs to the Lord. Readers are invited to:

Make a joyful shout to God …
Sing out the honor of His name …
Make His praise glorious …
We can sing of His grace, love and, mercy. We can tell of His “awesome works.”

And hymns and contemporary praise songs remind us of His love for us. Hymns like “Great is Thy Faithfulness” and “It Is well with My Soul” speak of His faithfulness and care. Favorite songs can touch our hearts with words of hope and peace.

So even if you can’t carry a tune, make a “joyful shout” or, as the King James Version says, a “joyful noise” and praise the Lord in song!

Wednesday, August 09, 2017

The Joy of the Whole Earth (Psalm 48:1-3)

Today’s scripture: Psalm 48:1-3

When I pray, I often begin with the first sentence of today’s verses: Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.

And He is!

He is the sovereign Creator of the universe. He is the beginning and the end. He is the giver of strength, peace, and comfort. He is merciful and gracious.

He loves us everlastingly and abundantly.

He is everything!

So, how can I be anything other than joyful? I am a daughter of the Most High King! He is my Savior, my Redeemer, my Comforter, my Refuge. He is my Abba on whose lap I can crawl.

I find so much joy in knowing Him, in learning more of Him, in knowing He has a plan for my life.

Stop a moment. Think about how very blessed you are to know the Great God. Find joy and give praise to Him.

Monday, August 07, 2017

Joy in Trials (James 1:2-4)

Today’s scripture: James 1:2-4

We’ve already talked about how counter-intuitive it seems to find joy in pain or in trials.

James, the brother of Jesus, certainly knew what it meant to experience trials and suffering. Those following the new “Way” were ridiculed, arrested, beaten, and martyred for their faith. Tradition holds that James was arrested and martyred around 69 AD.

Yet, he wrote that his readers (including you and me) could find “all joy” because he knew the end result of trials was Christ-likeness.

Just like gold is made pure as it’s refined through fire, we are also refined and made “perfect and complete” through trials.

I’ve written many times of the various trial I’ve experienced throughout my life, and I know—beyond doubt—that I’m a much stronger, compassionate, and kind person than I would have been had I not gone through storms.

So, I can truly find joy in trials knowing that God continues to refine me into the woman He created me to be.

Are you going through difficult times? Ask God for strength—and joy.

Friday, August 04, 2017

Joy in Trust (Psalm 5:11)

Today’s scripture: Psalm 5:11

Our God is infinitely worthy of trust. He has proven Himself over and over as He provides, protects, and guides.

He loves us with an everlasting love, and His grace and mercy are superabundant.

Rejoicing in Him is the act of expressing the joy we find in knowing that the God of the universe is our Lord, Savior, Redeemer, Refuge, Strength … and so much more!

Because He is so worthy of our trust, we can “shout for joy”!

Because He loves us so much, we can “be joyful” in Him!

How often do you shout for joy, rejoicing in who God is? Take some time now, and raise the roof with those shouts!

Wednesday, August 02, 2017

Joy in Chastening (Hebrews 12:11)

Today’s scripture: Hebrews 12:11

It’s really hard to equate joy with pain. We just aren’t wired that way.

In human minds, joy equals happiness, but as we talked about a few days ago, that’s not always true. Sometimes, we have to find joy in the pain … joy through the pain.

God sometimes uses the pain in our lives to chasten us. Chasten is synonymous with discipline, and indeed, we all have times when He needs to discipline us for wrong behavior. We need to be reminded that we’re heading the wrong direction.

And that discipline isn’t fun. Discipline rarely is.

So the writer of Hebrews is absolutely right when he says that “no chastening seems to be joyful for the present …”

So where does the joy come in? When we realize that God will use that chastening, that discipline, to “yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness …”

We become more like Christ when we rid ourselves of sin, and often, that comes through God’s discipline.

Are you feeling “chastened” right now? Ask the Lord to reveal areas of sin that need to be confessed and find joy in becoming more like Christ.