Discover the Joy

By: Joanne Viola 

 

“You will make known to me the path of life; 
In Your presence is fullness of joy; 
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” 
(Psalm 16:11, NASB) 

It’s a familiar verse and one I returned to recently. Two truths stood out:

• God will make known to us the paths of life. I took note it doesn’t say the paths in life but “of” life. Distinct difference. Yes, God does guide our paths daily, but this is referencing something different. This path which God makes known to us is the path which leads us back to Him. It is the path which will lead us into eternity.
• It is in God’s presence we find fullness of joy. As we spend time with God, in His Word and in prayer, we experience joy.

A few days later, in my morning read, I stumbled onto this verse:

“It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, 
the cloud filled the house of the Lord, 
so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, 
for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.” 
(1 Kings 8:10-11, NASB) 

The priests could not stand nor minister because the glory of the Lord filled the temple. They were overcome by His Presence.

Returning to this verse for a few days, it provoked the question: Are we looking for God to show up in our situations? Do we hunger and thirst for Him?

“As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, 
O God.I thirst for God, the living God. 
When can I go and stand before him?” 
(Psalm 42:1-2, NLT) 

May our hearts long for God each day.
May we be overcome by His presence,
for it is there that we will discover fullness of joy.

 

Reflection: 
Are you looking for God to show up in your life? Take time today to take a walk, sit outside, or sit in quietness to read Scripture.

 

Image by NGUYEN NGOC TIEN from Pixabay

 

A Cycle of Judgment or Mercy

 By: Lauren Thomas 

I had had several conversations with this woman. And in those conversations, I was beginning to notice two patterns: 1) She was extremely concerned with what people thought of her, to the point of insecurity. 2) She was extremely judgmental of everyone she spoke of, criticizing their appearance, actions, and motives. The more I spoke with her, the more I noticed a correlation. Then it hit me.

 

This correlation sounded like a verse, something Jesus said, something that I was watching play out. But she was doing the exact opposite of what Jesus taught. She was doing what Jesus warned against.

 

³⁶ Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

³⁷ “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; ³⁸ give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Luke 6:36-38 ESV

She was full of judgment toward others. And that judgement was turning back to judge herself. She was condemning others. And that condemnation was returning on her own head. She withheld forgiveness from others. And she couldn’t forgive herself. She didn’t give mercy. And she couldn’t allow herself to receive it. The measure she was using, she had no choice but to measure back to herself. 

 

It was a vicious cycle. Her unkindness in her judgement of others created an internal mechanism of self-judgement that was crippling. But it’s not just her. Anyone who is judgmental of others tends to be very hard on themselves. Those who criticize others often struggle with a strong inner critic. It’s a kind of spiritual principle: judge and you will be judged. 

 

And this spiritual principle goes both ways: Be merciful and you will receive mercy.

 

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Matthew 5:7 ESV

 

If you find yourself struggling with insecurity or worry about what others think of you, it’s worth checking your own heart. It’s worth examining if you have a problem of judgment and criticism. Not all insecurity stems from a problem with judgement. But other times there is a definite correlation. Do you find yourself frustrated with others’ failing? Do you give vent to your criticism of people and things around you?

 

You can be sure that Jesus wants to free you of this. As you choose mercy toward others, you will begin to receive mercy. 

 

For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 2:13 ESV

Reflection:

Do you struggle with being critical or judgmental? If so, considering the passage above from Luke, can you see how criticism and judgement is impacting you? Ask the Lord to help you choose mercy over judgement.

Idols in My Life

 By: Grace Metzger

Recently I've been looking into what I spend my time, energy, and money on. As I get older I realize that whatever I'm pouring my time, energy, and money into is what is holding priority in my life. As I looked into this, I wasn't shocked that I quickly figured out that it was my phone and my love of caffeine that was taking a priority in my life. These two things might sound harmless until you realize that I'm spending hours daily on my phone and the amount of money I'm spending on coffee nearly gave my mother a heart attack. 

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Luke 12:34 ESV

Idolatry is something that I don't believe everyone fully understands. When most people think about idolatry they might think of people worshiping other gods. I know when I think about it my first thought is of the Israelite's creating a golden calf and worshiping it while Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments. As a child I always called them stupid, wondering how they could possibly worship this man made statue after seeing what God just did for them. But as I'm older, I notice that I am just like them. I am worshipping my phone, allowing it to take priority when it comes to how I'm spending my time. I've seen all the great things God has done in my life, yet I am choosing to spend my time elsewhere rather than with God. 

When I say this I am not saying you need to spend every minute of everyday reading the Bible and singing worship songs. What I am saying is when I am able to spend hours on Tiktok but spend probably 10 minutes reading my Bible and praying once a day, I can see where my priorities in life are. When I'm spending a ton of money on daily coffee runs but only tithing the bare minimum it shows what I care about.

What are you spending your time, energy, and money on? Have you taken the time to look at your life and see where your priorities are? I challenge you to spend some today and look at what your priorities are, what you find out might shock you.

Discussion question! How do you ensure that you are prioritizing time with God in your daily life?

God is Not an "Or" God

By: Jenifer Metzger

Several years ago I was praying and asking God to work is a few areas. Then I followed the prayer with, "But if I can only have one, please answer the first need." Wait. What!?

God nudged me and said, "Jenifer, I am not an 'or' God."

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything,

through prayer and petition with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6

The Bible tells us to submit our requests to God. It does not say to submit our requests to God in order of importance. God doesn't look down from Heaven to see which need we want answered the most or which seems the most important. And He doesn't look at our list of needs and say yes to what we wanted the most and no to what we weren't as serious about. God's yeses and nos come from His plan and will for our lives.

This is the confidence we have before Him:

If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

And if we know that He hears whatever we ask,

we know that we have what we have asked of Him.

1 John 5:14-15

God hears every single prayer we utter. He has the power to answer every single need we ever lift to Him. His power is limitless. We need to go to Him with the knowledge and confidence that He hears and He will answer according to His plan.

Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you

believed you would see the glory of God?”

John 11:40

Friend, go to God with confidence. Believe in Him. Know He hears and will answer. And know that He is not an 'or' God.

Discussion:
1. Have you ever prayed like I did; "But if I can only have one, please answer the first need"?
2. Have you ever not prayed over a need because you felt it wasn't important or wanted to make sure God answered another need first?

Names of God Series: Cared for by the Eternal Father

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Mohamed Awwam

"For a child will be born for us,

a son will be given to us,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

He will be named

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."

~Isaiah 9:6

In our names of God series, we come now to the name "Eternal Father", also translated "Everlasting Father". This name means that God is our Father for eternity, that His love, care, provision, and protection of us will never come to an end.

This truth is an especially beautiful and comforting one for those who didn't grow up with an earthly father or for those whose earthly father left a lot to be desired. For people in those situations it can be hard to relate to God as a Father in a positive light, for that experience is so foreign to them. But it is passages such as this one that can help make God as Father a beautiful and comforting doctrine. 

While your earthly father may not have been reliable, God is.

While your earthly father may not have loved you unconditionally, God does.

While your earthly father may have turned his back on you, God won't.

While your earthly father may have refused to meet your emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual needs, God doesn't. 

Rest assured, dear sister, that God is your eternal, everlasting Father, Who has voluntarily tasked Himself with faithfully meeting your every need for all time. He loves you that much!

Reflection Questions:

1) What comes to mind when you think of God as Father?

2) How can this become a comforting doctrine for you?

3) How can you encourage someone else with this truth today?