Where?!

Sunday school circa 1974:

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart!

WHERE?!

Down in my heart!

WHERE?!

Down in my heart!

It was a kid fave. If ever we were asked what song we'd like to sing next, this one was for sure among the top five. Largely in part, I think, because it had a lot of yelling. Sometimes teachers would even divide the room: Okay, this side will sing (and I use the term loosely) Where?! and this side will sing Down in my heart! Ready? 

And we were. But as children, we had no idea joy would be so difficult to find, difficult to maintain. We knew nothing of mental illness, or foreclosure, or Alzheimer's, or any of those things. Many of us would not discover our plight until adulthood. Even those who had experienced some sort of trauma --divorcing parents, arguing parents, bullying, child abuse --remained insulated by childish innocence and fairytale-like hope. Dreams are hard to give up when you're a child. By the time we'd hit puberty, imagination had had a good run, but most of us had already become cynical on some level. Where was the joy? Not in my heart! What had changed?

I'd like to say it was because of circumstances or something someone else said or did to me. I'd like to say some sort of neurochemical reaction took place and I just felt gloomy all the time. But the truth of the matter is, what changed was me. My relationship to the Lord. And by relationship, I mean proximity as well as method. I pulled away, sloughed off my belief and began pretending I wasn't interested. Somewhere along the line, that new skin became tough and impervious. I received and nurtured the lie that Jesus was only for children and old folks. As I grew into my teen years, I "grew out of" Sunday school wooden chairs and raucous little ditties sung in competition with the other side of the room, and the means by which I related to God changed. Rather than childlike trust, I doubted, questioned; but rather than critically evaluating and adhering to the truth with which I was blessed to be surrounded, I gulped down lies like they were water and I was dying of thirst. Truly, I died of ignorance and so did my joy. 

In an effort to spare you the same death, I'd like to share with you what I eventually learned, accepted, and now endeavor to live with every breath I am gifted, about joy.

Joy exists. Always. Whether we feel it or not, whether we accept it or not, whether our circumstances lend themselves to accommodating it or not, joy is eternal. Because joy is of the Holy Spirit! And through Him it is ours. If you are a Christ follower, if you have been born of the Holy Spirit, you've got the goods. It is how the Holy Spirit manifests Himself in and through you.

Joy is YOUR choice. The Bible tells us that in God's presence is fullness of joy. Wonderful! BUT YOU MUST BE IN HIS PRESENCE. More than just being a believer or attending church or serving at the mission, this is intentionally setting aside time with Him daily or multiple times throughout the day. Are you spending time in the Word of God, are you worshiping before Him --even alone, even in your car, even quietly so you don't wake the baby, even at the risk of feeling a bit weird at first?

Joy is YOUR choice. Yes, I know I've already said this, but when it comes to choosing, committing, and personal responsibility --this is usually the place where the wheels fall off; so, it definitely bears repeating. Additionally, there is incredibly overlooked truth about joy found in John 16:24:

Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Jesus had just told His disciples of His leaving this world and the arrival of the Holy Spirit. He assured them the Holy Spirit would help them understand the things He'd been teaching them all along; that they would understand the power that --despite Jesus' absence on earth --would be available to them as they taught and served in His name. Their hearts had to be brought into alignment with God's purposes, to want the same things He wants and even hate that which He hates. They had to step into the sandals of Jesus, continue His mission, and love others unto the death of their own selves. And their joy would be made full!

Joy is YOUR choice. Third time's the charm, right? Scripture is full of verses imploring us to rejoice --even on the darkest of days. Psalm 22:3 tells us the Lord is enthroned on the praises of His people. When we place our attention on who God is, all He has done, all He is able to do, and we verbalize that to Him --our gratitude and adoration; when we fully understand who we are and our extravagant need for a Heavenly King and Savior, and we confess that before Him, we immerse ourselves in the joy that is ours through Jesus Christ. Always. In our hearts. That's where. 

Photo courtesy Steven Ganski, Jr.

Midweek: Is God Awesome, or What?!

God is awesome, no matter what we think, whether we take the time to think about it or not. He will have His due. In Luke 19, when the Pharisees command Jesus to quiet His adoring disciples, Jesus tells them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” How much better it is to be on the side of worshiping our risen King in holy fear than silently obeying rules and regulations! 

I have been reading John Bevere's excellent book, The Awe of God: The Astounding Way a Healthy Fear of God Transforms Your Life. Personally, I have been using it in a "devotional" fashion: the chapters are short and thoughtful, supplementing the Word of God. Today's Midweek is a portion of Bevere's book in which he concisely defines the fear of God:

To fear God is to reverence and be in complete awe of Him.

To fear God is to hallow Him. Hallow is defined as 'respect greatly.'

To fear God is to esteem, respect, honor, venerate, and adore Him above anyone or anything else.

When we fear God, we take on His heart. We love what He loves, and we hate what He hates. ...What is important to Him becomes what is important to us. What is not so important to Him becomes not so important to us.

To fear God is to hate sin.

To fear God is to hate injustice.

To fear God is to depart from evil in every sense --thought, word, and action. It is to refrain from speaking deceitfully. It will not say or put on appearance that is untrue to one's heart and thoughts. It keeps our outward behavior congruent with our inward thoughts, motives, and beliefs.

To fear God is to walk in authentic humility before God and mankind.

To fear God is to give Him the praise, adoration, thanksgiving, and worship He deserves.

To fear God is to give Him all that belongs to Him.

To fear God is to tremble before Him in wonder and awe. It is to give His Word and presence our full attention.

To fear God is to obey Him. It is not just a desire but an inward force determined to carry out His will, no matter the cost. We eagerly, willingly, and immediately obey... and we carry it out to completion.

To fear God is to abstain from any form of complaining, murmuring, or grumbling.

To fear God is to respect, honor, and submit to His direct and delegated authority. It is to obey the delegated authority, with the only exception being if the authority tells us to sin.

The fear of the Lord shapes our intentions, thoughts, words, and actions.

~ John Bevere

The Awe of God

Photo courtesy Marlene Ruiz

A Kingdom in Which to Place Our Trust

It's an election year, and it hasn't been a dull one. This drama reads like General Hospital circa 1981. Oddly enough, many of the players and producers are of the age they may have dashed home from school each day, captivated by the storyline. Coincidence? I think not. Anyhoo, I was thinking about all of the chaos and drama that politics seems to create and disseminate these days. There are conspiracies and conspiracy theorists. There are those who claim to be on the right side of truth, and those who are. There are the woke, the ultra-woke, the non-woke, and everything in between. And present in the minds of, I believe, the majority is a desire for honesty, integrity, transparency, and security. I don't know anyone who has complete confidence in our government right now. I don't know anyone who feels "perfectly safe." I, personally, wouldn't trust governing bodies --elected or otherwise --with our seventeen-year-old car, much less the lives of my family. 

Johnny Harris, in his video work, The "Deep State" Explained soliloquizes, And we all kind of wonder, 'What if we actually need... all these dark windows and top-secret Power Point decks where they design how they're gonna spy on us? What if our safety relies on what happens inside of all these buildings?' So, we keep funding them, but in doing so, we must at least acknowledge what we're doing here. We are trading a portion of our freedom in exchange for a sense of security. ...Secrets keep us safe, but secrets also degrade this delicate thing we have called 'democracy and accountability'... 

In a clip included in Harris' video, past U.S. Senator Frank Church warns, ...means are as important as ends; crisis makes it tempting to ignore the wise restraints that make men free. 

Kinda scary, huh? Well, here's where my thoughts led. Generally speaking, human beings want to be free. We want to be safe. We want to live our lives to the best of our ability, make a few good friends along the way, leave something for those who will follow, and pass on peacefully. Growing up, I thought America's system of government provided the framework for all of us to do just that. I still think that. However, the framework is based on the wisdom, skill, and character of all the players --those in leadership and those being led. That, in and of itself makes it a flawed system, even if its design is without exception. But there is a Leadership, a Power, a System of Governance, a Security which exists, not only providing structure and safety but lavishing on its citizens a freedom which is perfect. Hogwash! you say? Nope. It's real, and it exists in the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God begins with its King setting its citizens free. Laying down His very own life to do so; selfless sacrifice by a truly selfless Public Servant. All who will abide with the King will be made free. The King promises provision and safety within His Kingdom --no lengthy applications, no espionage at taxpayer expense, no covert surveillance. The laws of the Kingdom are simple: Love the King with all you've got and all you are, and love your neighbors. A single government program supports us in our race to live in such a way: the work of the Holy Spirit, The Paraclete, who transforms us and brings our initial deliverance to completion! As we live and work among others, the glory of our King and all He can do is made evident to those who do not dwell in our land; many long to be part of this Kingdom and consequently surrender, pledging fealty to their new King. The Kingdom grows and grows, transforming every square inch of ground it touches by assimilation or by declaration of war; but it cannot be stopped. It is eternal. It is mightier than any other though its origins are insignificant. Though it is dependent solely on the work of its King, it mandates the training and obedient participation of its people that all may experience the blessedness of serving their King and fully living out the life granted them as citizens of the Kingdom of God. 

In his letter to fellow believers, Peter the Apostle says, Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. There is no withholding or exploitation here. There is no trading privacy or accountability for the sake of security. In Christ's kingdom, The Kingdom of God, we have all things that pertain to life and our highest objective, godliness. It is a kingdom in which the Ruling Power gives, not takes. It is a kingdom in which only the eternal good of His people brings glory to the King, and the eternal glory of the King is our highest good. It is a kingdom in which we can place our trust!