Joy in His Presence

 By: Grace Metzger

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

Recently I've had to work with people who spend 99% of their day completely miserable and make it well known that they are not happy. This is something that has driven me quite insane, when speaking to one of them about this they admitted that they don't want to change their ways. He talked about ways he's tried to make himself happy in the past through love, medication, chasing his passions, and focusing on himself. He gave up once he realized that none of these things brought him real joy. I quickly realized that all those things are what the world said would make him happy, not what the Bible said would bring him joy.

The prospect of the righteous is joy, but
the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.

Proverbs 10:28

I dove into what the Bible says about joy and found Proverbs 10:28. I had a bit of trouble understanding it at first, I've known a lot of people who aren't saved and they've had wonderful things happen to them. These people had money, career, health, etc and I couldn't understand why God said the hopes of the wicked come to nothing when I see proof of the wicked prospering. This thought stuck in my head for a bit to be honest, until I thought about the old saying, "money doesn't buy you happiness." Sure, from the outside looking in these people had the perfect life. But when you actually are living that life, it's not as great as you think, with these people still struggling to find joy. 

Splendor and majesty are before Him;

strength and joy are in His dwelling place.

1 Chronicles 16:27

Before we get to far I do want to state that Christians can struggle with joy too. I've known many who face depression despite being a believer. But I think back to times where Joy felt absent in my life and I can see that during those times I wasn't dwelling in the load. Strength and Joy are God's dwelling place so if we are with God then we will be dwelling in strength and joy as well.

When you are facing a hard time how do you prioritize your relationship with God? That was the hardest part for me when I faced struggles in the past and because of it I could see the negative impacts it had on my mental health. Not being with God can affect your mental health! 

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with
 joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand

Psalm 16:11

Being in God's presence will give you an indescribable joy that you can not experience in the world. The world today will tell you that your job, friends, or family can be where you find joy and although those things are great and can give you a small sense of joy it's not even comparable to the sense of Joy God gives you! 

I challenge you this week to dedicate time to be in God's presence, it doesn't need to be this two hour thing that you do at 4am every single morning. Just start with five minutes that you can dedicate to just time with you and Him. Do it for a week straight and you will notice a change!

Discussion Question! 

How do you ensure you're prioritizing your relationship with God during a season of busyness?

6 Words to Ask Your Husband Today

By: Jenifer Metzger

Have you ever noticed your husband dragging himself through the door after work? He says his work day was okay, but he seems exhausted or stressed. Or maybe he seems a bit 'off' to you lately, or he's been complaining of a physical pain.

All day long we deal with our own stresses, exhaustion, and each little 'ouchy' the kids bring to us. When our husband has his own issues, we often shrug them off and think that he is strong enough to handle it on his own. If he has a pain, we tell him to go to the doctor or take some medication. But that's about the extent of our involvement.

Yes, ladies, I know we deal with a lot. Our plates are full, our schedule is full, and our hands are full. We drag our self out of bed each morning and fall into bed each night. But what if we stop focusing on our own issues and realize that our husband has issues too? What if we realize that his issues and our issues are intertwined? What if we stop and ask our husband 6 little words? 6 words that will have a powerful impact on our husband, our marriage, our family, even on ourselves.

How can I pray for you?

When was the last time you asked your husband how you could pray for him? When was the last time you actually prayed for him? Maybe he has a pain he hasn't mentioned that he would love for you to pray about. Maybe a situation at work he hasn't brought up but he needs some guidance and would covet your prayers. Maybe he has a relationship that is strained and he needs prayer about. Maybe an old addiction is rearing its ugly head and he needs prayer for self control. There could be a hundred or more situations that your husband needs prayer for. If you don't pray for your husband, who will?

By you asking him how you can pray for him, you are lifting his specific need to God, you are letting him know that you are willing to go to battle for him, you are reminding him that you are bonded through Christ, and you are showing him that you are there for him.

Today I challenge you to ask your husband these 6 words. Call him, text him, stop by his work and surprise him, or wait until he gets home this evening. Whichever it is, just ask how you can pray, then follow through.

Discussion:
1. When is the last time you intentionally asked your husband how you could pray for him?
2. Pause and think. If you aren't praying for your husband, who is? If he doesn't have Godly parents, he likely has no one praying over him. And if he does have praying parents, there is still something powerful about a wife's prayers.

Names of God Series: Declared Righteous through Jehovah Tsidkenu

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Doug R. W. Dunigan

"'Look, the days are coming'—this is the Lord’s declaration— 'when I will raise up a Righteous Branch for David. He will reign wisely as king and administer justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. This is the name he will be called: The Lord Is Our Righteousness." 

~Jeremiah 23:5-6

It has often been said that Jesus shows up on every page of Scripture - not only in the New Testament, but also in the Old. This is certainly clearly seen in the case of this passage of Scripture where God is given the name Jehovah Tsidkenu, literally meaning "The Lord Our Righteousness", pointing to the fact that, through Christ, we are indeed made righteous.

I don't know about you, but this is such good news for my soul! I come from a years-long background of legalism and also by nature tend to have a self-critical, perfectionist type of mindset. I regularly need to be reminded that my righteousness before God does not depend on myself - it doesn't depend on my "perfectly" keeping a bunch of rules. It isn't about self-righteousness at all! It is all about the perfect, thorough, holy, spotless righteousness of the God of the universe being imputed to my account through Christ. What a gift! What a load off! 

That is the good news of the gospel - that we don't have to attempt to save ourselves, depend on ourselves, look to ourselves, or prove ourselves. Our righteousness comes solely from Christ, and if we are His, then when God the Father looks at us, He no longer sees our sin, but rather only sees the righteousness of Christ Himself.

But this is where it gets even better - this righteousness is not only a gift for our eternity, insuring that we will be able to spend eternity with God in Heaven. It's really good news for our here and now everyday lives, as well. Because not only does it mean we don't have to strive for perfection on our own, it also means we are safeguarded against the attacks of the enemy! 

What do I mean by that? 

Well, when we take a look at Ephesians 6:10-18 where Paul equips us for how to wage spiritual warfare against the enemy and tells us how we can be victorious in a battle such as that, one of the pieces of our God-given armor that he references is the "breastplate of righteousness" (see Ephesians 6:14).  

What this means is that areas of sin, temptation, backsliding, etc., all give the enemy an open door to wreak havoc in our lives through spiritual warfare. But when we are daily intentional and conscientious to put on God's breastplate of righteousness - in essence agreeing with God about how He see us and living out of that truth! - then we are guarded against the enemy's attacks and far better able to fight back and come out the other side victorious. 

What a two-fold blessing that imputed righteousness truly is!

Reflection Questions:

1) How does this name of God and its meaning encourage you?

2) Do you have a background of legalism wherein you've thought (or maybe sometimes still think!) that your righteousness depends on yourself?

3) How can you take the truth of today's passage with you into the rest of your day today and also use it to encourage others with the good news of the gospel? How can you use it to help you and others wage war against the enemy?

Our Changing Seasons

 By: Joanne Viola

 

The calendar tells me the seasons are beginning to change. The leaves are showing signs of color and are crisp under our feet. The air is beginning to get cooler at night, making us settle in under our blankets. The days are getting shorter.

With this change of season, I am reminded God is always for us in all the changes, in every season, in all we come across.

“Blessed is the one … whose delight is in the law of the Lord, 
and who meditates on his law day and night. 
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, 
which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.” 
(Psalm 1:1-3, NIV) 

As this next season comes in, some try to predict the weather of the coming season – how cold it will get. The number of snowstorms. Their reports remind me there are things only the Lord our God knows for sure. We must simply wait and see what He alone will bring.

We never know what a season will hold. It may hold the familiar, or things we never saw coming. Sometimes, it is a blend of the both the familiar and the unknown.

These familiar verses in Psalm 1, bring the stark reminder of our great need for God. We need to spend time reading Scripture, praying, and listening for God’s gentle whisper to guide our days. We need to stay planted close to Him.

The seasons will change, but our Lord will never change for this is His promise to us:

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” 
(Hebrews 13:8, NIV)

He is forever the same. He was good to us yesterday. He is good to us today. And He will be good to us in the coming days.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, 
coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, 
who does not change like shifting shadows.”
(James 1:17, NIV)

So as the shadows grow long in the coming days,
may we hold onto the promise that our Savior never changes.
And every season leads us to the Father.

 

Reflection:
How are you staying firmly planted in these changing times?

 

Image by Ylanite Koppens from Pixabay

 

 

In My Hand

 By: Lauren Thomas 

I’ve noticed a correlation between my weekly average screen time and my mental health. And while some might want to argue which comes first: the chicken or the egg? I don’t think many can deny it’s a vicious cycle. And one lots of people relate to. You feel bored or sad or anxious or lonely or (you fill in the blank), so you get on your phone. Somewhere, somehow, we think this will help ease these uncomfortable emotions. But it doesn’t. In fact, we usually end up feeling more bored, sad, anxious, lonely, etc.

 

What do we call it when we turn to something for comfort that cannot comfort us?

 

Idolatry.

Idolatry is anything we worship that is not God. Do we worship our phones? I think sometimes we do, as evidenced by the time we give them. They provide us a “sense” of comfort, of security, of (you fill in the blank). We turn to them when we’re feeling down. We give them a place of priority in our lives. And they go everywhere with us.

 

Isaiah was a prophet who addressed the idolatry of his country. In one passage of Scripture specifically, Isaiah wrote about the folly of serving an idol and the “handheld” nature of these deceiving devices.

 

He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Isaiah 44:20 ESV

 

Smart phones are part of our lives. Smart phones can be used for good. We’ve just got to make sure we aren’t worshiping them, nor being enslaved by them, as Peter described:

 

They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.

2 Peter 2:19 ESV

 

The thing is, we often are enslaved to our smart phones.

 

Here are some practical steps to dethrone and overcome the idol in your hand:

• Set limits. You can set screen time limits on your phone. There are also apps you can download to set screen limits. Other ways of limit setting involve giving yourself a cut off time every night, where you put your phone away until morning. Or you could set limits around what times of day you will or won’t use certain apps.

• Substitute your habits. Picking up your phone and opening certain apps is more habitual than you might think. What habit might you be able to substitute for this? Create a list for yourself, such as 1) say a prayer, 2) take a deep breath, 3) take a drink of water, 4) do a mindfulness exercise, 5) reach for a craft project, 6) put on lotion. (The sky is the limit.) Next time you notice yourself reaching for your phone, do something from your list instead, something that will engage your hands and/or sooth your brain.

• Change your phone. Set a quiet time or down time on your phone where notifications won’t come through. Turn off all notifications but calls and texts. Change your screen color to black and white. On iPhone, this can be done by going to settings -> accessibility -> display and text size -> color filters -> grayscale. On my phone I have this set up as a short cut so I can easily toggle it on and off. The bright light/colors of a smart phone can literally cause a dependency in our brain, but the grayscale is more soothing and less stimulating. An extreme measure could be switching to a flip phone.

• Get accountability. Find someone who would be willing to provide some kind of accountability.

• Invite others to join you. If you live with others in your household, create boundaries that everyone could keep together, such as no phones at the table, or no phones after 9pm.

 

Reflection:

Have you noticed a correlation between your mental health and your screen time averages?

How easy or difficult would it be to fast from your phone for a period of time?

Do you sometimes turn to your smartphone when you should turn to the Lord?

How do you plan to change that?