Thoughts on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Rejoice always, praying without ceasing, in everything gives thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." ~      1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Wow. Those are some challenging commands to follow.  Does it really mean to rejoice always? To pray without ceasing? To give thanks in everything?  These were (and still are) some of my initial thoughts about this passage in 1 Thessalonians 5.  I mean, how can I truly apply this to my life? It it even possible? 

No. It is not possible. I cannot rejoice always, praying without cease, and give thanks in everything without Jesus Christ.  Humanly, it is not possible.  But with God all things are possible.  

Sure, it's easy to thank God when things are going my way, when life is good.  But what about when things are not good from my limited view point? When things don't do my way? Do I still believe that God has planned it for good? That everything is a gift from Him?  So many times I let my circumstances control my attitude instead of letting Jesus Christ rule over all.  

In order to be thankful at all times I must realize that God works all things out for good.  I must look for the good in the "bad".  Until I realize that all is a gift from God, I will complain when life doesn't go my way.  All I have is a gift from Him and without His grace I will fail to see these gifts.  That's why I must pray without ceasing.  I must live in constant dependance on Him because if I'm not dependent on Him, I will be dependent on my flesh.   And my flesh doesn't want to thank anyone for anything because it depends on itself.   Without Jesus Christ's grace, I won't even want to look for the good.

So I must die to my flesh and purpose to look for the gifts of God in each and every moment of life.   

This is hard.  It doesn't come naturally. But with God all things are possible.  I won't be perfect.  But I must continue, by God's grace, to create the habit of looking for God's gifts.  To practice, practice, practice.  To ask God to open my eyes that I may see His wonderful works.  

This is where the joy comes in.  The Bible says, "In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11b)  Joy is found in God.  And God is evident everywhere - if I'm looking for Him.   I must choose to acknowledge His presence and His working in every detail of every part of my life.  It's when I thank God for His gifts that I can live in His presence.  "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful unto Him and bless His name." (Psalm 100:4)  Joy only comes with thanksgiving.  I cannot rejoice always unless I am thankful, unless I am continually looking for the gifts God bestows on me.  

So, "rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks." Creating these habits will allow me to live life to its fullest -  "for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  There's no better place to be than in His will.  

May God give me grace to live these verses out in my life!

Happiness is...

People are always looking for happiness--where did they lose it?

Augustine said this about happiness in his book Confessions:

O Lord, far be it from the heart of your servant who confesses to you, far be it from me to think that whatever joy I feel makes me truly happy. For there is a joy that is not given to those who do not love you, but only to those who love you for your own sake. You yourself are their joy. Happiness is to rejoice in you and for you and because of you. This is true happiness and there is no other. Those who think that there is another kind of happiness look for joy elsewhere, but theirs isnot true joy. Yet their minds are set on something akin to joy.

True happiness is not from things of this world–it’s from God.  In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). We can only be happy when we are in God. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). Augustine goes on to say that all men want happiness; everyone desires to be happy. People often go to the wrong places for happiness. The way to find happiness is in God. If you desire Him, you will find true happiness. He is the Giver of joy and pleasure.

I hope your day is full of true happiness and joy!

The difference

I have a big piano audition this Saturday. Since I didn’t practice very much last month, I’m having to do a lot extra now. This weekend, I had a brilliant thought. If I could spend my entire Saturday studying Bible Bee, why not try practicing piano all day?

I learned something: Studying the Bible and practicing piano have very little in common. I enjoy both a lot, but there is no question which is better! When we’re studying the Bible, we are studying the Word of God. That Word created the world. It destroyed the ancient world. It preserves the present world (2 Peter 3:5-7). But most importantly, that Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and Truth (John 1:14). Think about that...isn’t it amazing? Studying the Word is never a burden; it is a privilege. Trying to find the same joy and fulfillment in a Chopin ballade is pointless. It doesn’t matter how much you enjoy something–it never gave you life, and it won’t give you a purpose for life. Only Christ can do that.

During this time of year, there are lots of things that keep us busy...school, music recitals, sports games, shopping, Christmas parties...it’s a time when culture is shoving lies on customers who are only too willing to buy. People are longing for the truth, but they can’t buy it at the mall like they can a new sweater. We see words like "Joy," "Peace," and "Hope" everywhere. Joy–from what? Peace–toward whom? Hope–in what? Those words are meaningless and empty without Christ. Nothing culture offers is going to satisfy us. But the Word made flesh can. He offers us Joy from the Father, Peace with God, Hope in Himself.

As life gets busy with Christmas celebrations, remember that, without Christ, all the fullness of the Christmas season is really a cry of want from a hungry world. Only He can come as the Bread of Life and fill them.

After Bible Bee

Rejoice!–that was the theme of the 2011 National Bible Bee. And if you are anything like my family, it was impossible to do anything but rejoice last week!! We spent almost an entire week studying the Bible, listening to people speak about the Bible, and singing hymns about the Bible. We were with hundreds of Christians who had all diligently studied the Word of God. We made lots of new friends and strengthened old friendships. It was one of the most encouraging, thrilling, and joyful weeks of the whole year.  

But now, Bible Bee is over for the year. Most of us probably had an after-Bible-Bee-is-over list. You know, when a friend or family member says, "Do you want to do _____?" And you reply, "Well, I’m really busy studying for Bible Bee, but after that’s over, I’ll do _____, _____, and _____." It’s easy to slip into the life-begins-again-after-Bible-Bee mentality. Once Bible Bee is over, we’ll have plenty of time to do lots of things because we won’t be studying the Bible all day, right? We loved studying Bible Bee for hours upon hours every day, but now it’s time to move on. The competition is over and we have other work to do.

Do you find yourself thinking that? I know I do! But when you think about it, doesn’t that take away the whole point of Bible Bee? If Bible memory is only something we’re doing for a grade or competition, it’s only getting hidden in our minds–not our hearts.

Now that Bible Bee is over, I challenge you to keep on studying the Word. We probably can’t study as much as before–we need to be developing other talents God has given us to use for His glory and kingdom as well–but please don’t stop studying! Instead of thinking of Bible Bee as a Bible memory curriculum that lasts for half a year and then you get a "winter vacation," try to think of it as a springboard to get you started on a new study. Choose another book and do an inductive study on it. Set a new Bible memory goal. Review old memory verses. Don’t ever take a vacation from studying the Bible! In 2009, Bible Bee’s motto was Learn it! Speak it! Live it! I challenge you to keep on learning, keep on speaking, and most importantly, keep on living the truth of the Bible.

Looking forward to His coming

Several days ago, I was reading a blog and found this quote:

“To wait is not merely to remain impassive. It is to expect—to look for with patience, and also with submission. It is to long for, but not impatiently; to look for, but not to fret at the delay; to watch for, but not restlessly; to feel that if He does not come we will acquiesce, and yet to refuse to let the mind acquiesce in the feeling that He will not come.”
-Andrew Davidson

Doesn't that summarize 2 Peter 3 beautifully? 

2 Peter 3:8-14--But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?  Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you.

Reading that quote made 2 Peter 3 come alive for me...that's what we're supposed to be doing!  Our time on earth isn't supposed to be passively waiting--we need to look forward to it, diligently prepare for it, hasten His coming.  Isn't that an exciting thought?  The King of the universe is going to come again, and we get to see Him! 

P.S.  I never read anything else by Andrew Davidson, so I'm not sure if I agree with everything he's written...but I really liked that quote!

A Christian's praises

O God, my exceeding joy,
singing Thy praises uplifts my heart,

for Thou art a fountain of delight,

and dost bless the soul that joys in Thee.

But because of my heart’s rebellion

I cannot always praise Thee as I ought;

Yet I will at all times rest myself

in Thy excellencies, goodness, and loving-kindness.

Thou art in Jesus the object of inexpressible joy,

and I take exceeding pleasure in the thought of Thee.

But LORD, I am sometimes Thy enemy;

my nature revolts and wanders from Thee.

Though Thou hast renewed me,

yet evil corruptions urge me still to oppose Thee.

Help me to extol Thee with entire heart-submission,

to be diligent in self examination,

to ask myself

whether I am truly born again,

whether my spirit is of Thy children,

whether my griefs are those that tear repenting hearts,

whether my joys are the joys of faith,

whether my confidence in Christ works by love

and purifies the soul.

Give me the sweet results of faith,

in my secret character, and in my public life.

Cast cords of love around my heart,

then hold me and never let me go.

May the Savior’s wounds sway me more than the scepter of princes.

Let me love Thee in a love that covers and swallows up all,

that I may not violate my chaste union with the beloved;

There is so much unconquered territory in my nature,

scourge out the buyers and sellers of my soul’s temple,

and give me in return pure desires,

and longing after perfect holiness.

(This prayer was in my church bulletin; there is no name after it, but I think it is from the Valley of Vision or another Puritan prayer book)

Earth into Heaven

Have your heart right with Christ,

and he will visit you often,

and so turn weekdays into Sundays,

meals into sacraments,

homes into temples,

and earth into heaven.

~Charles H. Spurgeon

Doesn’t that sound lovely? Having ever earthly thing turn into its heavenly counterpart? If your heart is right with Christ, it will happen–earth becomes heaven! When your heart is sanctified (1 Peter 3:15), your life will become sanctified. Jesus’ set-apartness will change the common into the holy.

Have you ever felt that Sundays are the best day of the week, and that Communion Sunday was filled with an even more special joy? Sometimes when we walk into a friend’s home, we sense a certain peace and joy that overflows onto us. That is the kind of home that is filled with Christ’s love. We can have all of that by keeping our hearts right with Christ!

Rejoice!

1 Samuel 2:1–And Hannah prayed and said:"My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

Psalm 16:11–You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 35:9–And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD; It shall rejoice in His salvation.

Habakuk 3:18--I will rejoice in the Lord; I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Philippians 4:4–Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, Rejoice!

Have you ever been reviewing a verse, and suddenly started smiling and laughing, rejoicing in the message of the verse? Some verses seem to demand that you stop for a moment and praise God. Psalm 139–You know my thought afar off..there is not a word on my tongue but, behold, O LORD, You know it altogether...Where can I go from You spirit, or where can I flee from your presence? Philippians 2–Christ humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. How can you read that without rejoicing? Our God is amazing!! And, in His perfect holiness and justice, He took our punishment and saved us from the death that we deserve. He knows our every thought, and yet He still saved us! What could give us greater joy than that? God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

My soul shall be joyful in the Lord; it shall rejoice in His salvation!

Happily ever after

My family has a tradition of setting aside Friday evening as family night. We research the latest BBC adaptions of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, and all our other favorite authors, and then count the days till we get to watch the movie. When the day finally comes, we leave 21st century America and travel to old England. We become so engrossed in the movie that someone listening to our conversations would think that Lizzie Bennet, Horatio Hornblower, Molly Gibson, and Arthur Clennam were our best friends.

This last Friday, after finishing Our Mutual Friend, I was thinking about how nice happy endings are. All the good people end up happily married, and all the bad guys end up either dead or unhappy bachelors (since of course in English drama the married state represents ultimate bliss). With Dickens, it feels a lot more complex, but it generally boils down to that=) Something in us longs for a happy ending. When a bad guy gets what’s good and a good guy gets what’s bad, our sense of justice starts yelling at the author. We want a good ending. God made us that way. He, the Author of life, promises us that He has already written a happy ending for us.

Revelation 21:4-5--And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

In Bible Bee the past few weeks, we’ve been studying about inheritance, salvation, and suffering. In a good story, the good people end with some sort of inheritance or treasure that usually comes about through a redemptive process. Normally, the redemptive process involves suffering. Why do we enjoy watching good characters suffer? Through the suffering, they grow up into stronger characters. They become deserving of the happy ending–the inheritance–that we sincerely hope will happen.

In real life, we don’t usually go through a challenging year and then find ourselves possessors of large fortunes. The inheritance that we’ve been promised isn’t an earthly inheritance; we will only find it in heaven. Oftentimes, we hear Romans 8:28 quoted to us when we’re struggling. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Why do good people suffer? What about the trial that never results in any good? God doesn’t promise us that He will make all things work together for good in our lifetime; He promises is that He will make all things work together for good in His plan. Sometimes the good doesn't come till after our lifetime; we see the good when we are in heaven. Maybe Dickens wrote a good chapter-long ending at the end of 600 pages, but God promises a good ending for all of eternity! Praise God for His promises!

I am a...

“I am a vile, polluted lump of earth.” I often wonder what Mrs. Watts must have thought when her young son showed her an acrostic of his name beginning with that line. Have you ever felt like that–vile and polluted? When you open your Bible and start memorizing verses, have you felt horrified at how dirty you are compared to how holy God is? The past few days, I have been convicted about what a sinner I am. All those verses we’re learning about our holy and righteous God, a God who cannot abide wickedness–and then here am I: A vile, polluted lump of earth. How can I–a sinner–commune with Him? He cannot look on wickedness (Habakkuk 1:13).

Yet His grace is sufficient. I am a great sinner, but Christ is a greater Saviour (John Newton). Christ’s blood washes away my dirty sin. Because of Him, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence, knowing that we are forgiven! Knowing His forgiveness toward us changes our fear to love. Instead of fearing the God who destroys the wicked, I can love the Man who saved me.

As Ephesians 3:12 says, we have access with confidence through faith in Him. Having confidence in His love, we cannot help but seek Him. Aren’t you looking forward to a whole summer of intense study of the Bible?

Psalm 119:10–With my whole heart I have sought You...

For those who are interested...here is Isaac Watts' whole acrostic:
"I" - I am a vile, polluted lump of earth
"S" - So I've continued ever since my birth
"A" - Although Jehovah, grace doth daily give me
"A" - As sure this monster, Satan, will deceive me
"C" - Come therefore, Lord, from Satan's claws relieve me.
"W" - Wash me in Thy blood, O Christ
"A" - And grace divine impart
"T" - Then search and try the corners of my heart
"T" - That I in all things may be fit to do
"S" - Service to Thee, and Thy praise too.

Giving back to God

On Saturday, my sister and I competed in our biggest piano competition of the year–as did several thousand other kids. The fine arts building and nearby theater building were both crowded with people rushing back and forth, hurrying to get to the next practice or event before the doors closed. Stress levels were high.

That morning, I prayed that I could play to the best of my ability and that I could glorify God. This last year, my heart has changed so much–instead of separating my music from God and being driven by success, I am trying to give God the glory through my music. Although I have been a Christian for well over a decade, it wasn’t until recently that I began to understand what it really means to give my life entirely to God. In giving my life to God, I have found fulfilment and purpose. For every disappointment I have in life, He shows me a higher and better way. Piano has been no exception. It was one of the last things I could give over to Him, one of the things that meant the most to me. Yet now that I have given it to Him, He has given it back to me tenfold. I never had so much fun playing piano in my life! When I gave my music to God, He showed me how to use it to glorify Him. How much more fulfilling is life when its purpose is to glorify God!

Matthew 25:20-22 So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

Has God given you a talent that you gave back to Him? What happened?

The royal wedding

Did any of you watch the royal wedding on Friday? I must confess–I woke up early to watch it (other than family movie nights, I think I’ve watched TV only one or two other times this year...). I really enjoyed it. Even though Prince William and Kate may not necessarily be strong Christians, the ceremony was full of some of the most beautiful, God-glorifying hymns they could have chosen, and they actually had Kate’s brother recite Romans 12! It was definitely worth waking up early to watch!

I imagined what it must have been like to receive an invitation to the wedding. That would be so exciting! To be able to meet real princes and princesses, to see Westminster Abbey, to hear those hymns live–I would never forget it. Wouldn’t it be fun to meet the queen? I have a friend who met her when he was younger (and I was just a bit jealous when I heard!). Then, I remembered what I had written just last week: Jesus is the King of kings, and we will get to meet Him! What is Queen Elizabeth compared to Him? As I was thinking about meeting the King of all kings, I remembered another exciting promise. We are invited to His wedding feast! Revelation 19:6-9 tells us about the wedding of the Lamb. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” Wow! We are not the "lucky" few invited to the British royal wedding, we are the blessed believers who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb! How infinitely more wonderful is that!

After watching Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding, it’s hard to imagine a bigger wedding. Perhaps we won’t see a bigger wedding on earth. But the wedding supper of the Lamb is guaranteed to be far more glorious than any earthly wedding; and, the best part about it for us is that we’ve been invited!

Victory!

Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory! (1 Corinthians 15:54)

Why does it matter that a Jewish carpenter who lived 2000 years ago lived to tell about when He was crucified by the Romans?

1 Corinthians 15:21-22– For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

Romans 6:3-11–Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8–For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

1 Peter 1:3--Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:57–But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Because we believe that that Jewish carpenter still lives, we also can live. His death gave us hope, life, and the victory.

Have a wonderful day rejoicing at Christ’s resurrection from the dead and His redemptive work in us!

He is not here, for He is risen!! (Matthew 28:6)

The Day of Despair

Can you imagine the despair of this day?
Jesus is DEAD. As Ashley has reminded us, He really did die. Everyone knew it. He was gone. In a tomb.

The disciples are in hiding. We often act as if this was shameful or cowardly, but put yourself in their places! They had followed this man for three years; they had followed Him out in the open, so they were well-known. Now He was gone.

What were they to do with their lives? Would they even get a chance, or would they too be hunted down and killed?

They could not see how this day was necessary. Have you ever come to a point of utter hopelessness and helplessness? Have you every looked at your life and seen no point, no purpose?

That's where we are without Christ. We are hopeless, without God in the world. We are separated from our only hope because of our sin. We are in despair. In our sin, it doesn't matter if the sun is shining, because we are bound to a place of darkness and utter isolation.

Have you ever seen yourself as this kind of sinner? HOPELESS?

We all know that the story doesn't end here, but in order for the story of the resurrection to be as joyful and hopeful as it is, we must understand our condition without it.

"For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:8

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

"For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23a

"And you were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit now at work among the sons of disobedience..." Ephesians 2:1-2

"Remember that at that time you were separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." Ephesians 2:12

"Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." Romans 5:12

The disciples didn't know the rest of the story, as we do. Today, meditate on who you are without Christ. Though it is not a pleasant thought, maybe it will help us to be bolder in sharing our faith, because we KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY.

All those around us who do not know Christ live like this every day of their lives. They have no hope. They are separated from Christ. They live Black Saturday every day.

As the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 2, "REMEMBER..." Remembering our sin makes the Resurrection GLORIOUS! But if you don't know Christ as Savior, today is your life. Don't wait to turn to Christ and see how your darkness can be infused with His LIGHT!
If you have any questions about how to know Christ, comment on this post, or click the "contact me" button on the side of this page, and we would love to tell you about the REST OF THE STORY.

It doesn't get any better than this

“It doesn’t get any better than this.”

My pastor says that almost every Communion Sunday, and this week was no exception. And, as usual, it was true. It doesn’t get any better than when we are in the presence of a holy God worshiping Him and remembering what He has done for us. Those moments are sacred, and in the sacred, we feel God with us. We long for that...for a holy God who is with us. We know that He, the great I AM, the Holy One of Israel, has come and is with us. Like Moses before us, we stand on holy ground. We stand in the presence of God and know that He has forgiven us and we can approach the throne of grace with confidence (con < L. “with,” fidence=fidelis <. L. “faith;” we can approach with faith). And during Communion, we remember our God. We taste and see His goodness, and we know that we are forgiven. How can it get any better? It doesn’t–it doesn’t get any better than to know that Jesus has washed us with His own blood and presents us blameless before God. It doesn’t get any better than to remember that and rejoice in it with other believers.


Jesus promised that where two or three are gathered in His name, He will be there in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). Isn’t that what church is? A time when many gather together in His name to worship Him? And does that not mean that He will be there with us? We are in the presence of God. In His presence is joy. Joy complete and full there in the presence of God. No wonder Sundays are so full of joy. We are with God. Does it get any better?

Life in abundance!

Jesus gives such a joy and purpose to life, doesn't He?! We have so many reasons to rejoice! I read through Romans 8 this morning because I was needing some encouragement, and I knew that if I read there I would be refreshed and reminded! Well, here's what I read today that is making me rejoice:)
"There is therefore NO CONDEMNATION to those who are in Christ Jesus!" As believers, we have a life of ultimate freedom in Christ ahead of us!

"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, GOD DID!" Do you ever get discouraged with how sinful you are? Look at Christ! What the law could not do, God did! We have been saved and called with a Holy Calling, not according to our works, but according to Christ's righteousness! We have been saved!

"But if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He Who raised Christ from the dead will also give you LIFE!" We, as born-again believers, have been given the very Spirit of God that raised Christ from the dead! We have been freely given life!

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God!" Jesus said, "I no longer call you servants, for a servant does not know what His master is doing. But now I call you friends!" We are the sons and daughters of the KING OF KINGS!

"And if children, then heirs-heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." One day Christ will come back, every knee shall bow to Him, and we will share in His glory forever! We will be in His presence for all eternity!

I have run out of time to write, but I hope this is an encouragement to you! There are 39 verses in this chapter, and I've only covered the first seventeen. I'd encourage you to go read it for yourself! You will be blessed!

The Word of the Lord

If someone was to ask you what was the most important word ever, what would you say?

If someone asked you where you find medicine that would heal you from a deadly disease and make you live eternally, where would you tell them?

If someone asked you why you have joy and hope in a sin-filled world, what would be your answer?

The most important gift we have been given is life. Before you can be given anything else, you have to be alive. Where do you find life? We find life in the Word of the Lord! In the very beginning, before the world was created, there was the Word (John 1:1). Then, the Word created! God spoke, and the world was. Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth" (Genesis 1:26). The only place we can get life is from God–He is the One who gives life to all things. As Christians, He has given us another special gift: Joy. Joy is found in the same place as life–in God! You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forever more (Psalm 16:11). “Fullness of joy?!” What else can actually fulfill the promise of giving joy so completely full it can’t get any better? Nothing else can. Only God can give us life and joy. We need something to keep us alive, though–we need our daily bread. And that’s where the Word of the Lord comes back in. Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts (Jeremiah 15:16). When you walk into the kitchen and smell a delicious cake in the oven, you get excited–it would be the “rejoicing of your heart” if your mom walked in and said the whole cake was for you☺ Jeremiah, one of the Old Testament prophets, thought the same thing about the Word of the Lord. He said that when the Word came to him, he ate it, and it was good. Eating God’s Word gave him joy. Just as food gives life to our bodies, the Word of God–the Bible–gives life to our spirits.

Joy and life are not the only things that can be found in the Word. Psalm 119 talks all about the Word. In fact, in the entire Psalm, there are only three verses that do not specifically refer to the Word! The Word comforts and gives life (50); it is something worthy of our love (97); it gives light (97); it is something in which we can hope (114). Try getting out a notebook and writing down everything this Psalm says about the Word. The Word is amazing!


So what is the word that has life? Where can you find joy, peace, and hope? What is the most important word? The Word!