Tag: joy

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Little Things

There are so many little things that bring joy.  For instance when I returned to my rental after a day full of work yesterday, I found this is the parking lot where I left my vehicle:

Parking Lot after Work
Parking Lot after Work

I was so excited.  Finally, after years of traveling to Maine I was going to be able us the scrapper thingy they provide for you in the car.  ( By the way, that thing is in the car in the middle of the summer!).  But yes, I was going to be able to scrape off the windows of my car.  To most Mainers, that is a pain – an unwelcome sign of winter.  But to me, on this day, it was a source of joy.  A simple event,  but a one that I cherished. 

You probably have things like this in your life as well.  Most days, these are over whelmed by the trials and mundaneness of life.  Today, challenge yourself to find those little things that bring you joy, cherish those, and give thanks for those.  And if you don’t mind – add a comment to this post, and share those moments with all of us.

And I will help you will one – just to get to you started.  The Good News from Acts 13.

 32“We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers 33he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:
   ” ‘You are my Son;
      today I have become your Father.34The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words:
   ” ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’ 35So it is stated elsewhere:
   ” ‘You will not let your Holy One see decay.’

 36“For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. 37But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.

 38“Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.

Joy Joy Joy!

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Unmeasureable Joy

After all there’s only one more sleep to Christmas..Day

-Kermit the Frog

Its herxmastreee.  Set out the cookies and milk – the big guy with the presents comes tonight. You can track him with your little ones with help from NORAD.  For several its a tradition to pass the time away on this night before Christmas driving around viewing the lights.  Well, today, thanks to The Sacramento Bee, the lights are coming to you from around the world.

It only seems right that we travel back to Luke 2 for today.  Enjoy the time with your family exchanging gifts and loving each other, but take a little time and remember the greatest gift – a Savior.

Luke 2:8-14 (New International Version)

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.

Wow, his favor rests with men.    I don’t know about you, you may find this all to be craziness, but I find this all to be a source of Joy, unrelenting, unmeasurable Joy!  And for the next few days, I will praise God and thank God for sending his son to this earth, and for all the blessing it has brought to us.

Merry Christmas! – Glory to God in the highest!

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Double Mindedness

I am always amazed about how easy I can drift off course.  Sometimes I blame it on the myriad of conference calls I have each day and the mental context switching it requires.  Other times I realize its just how we are all made.  This week I have noticed how quickly I can go from singing a song of praise to shouting words of rage.  Or maybe its thinking about the gift of Jesus, and then being disgusted with the beggar at the South Terrace/ Belvior intersection?  Its this double mindedness, this schizophrenic behavior, this inability to focus on Jesus one hundred percent that frustrates me more then anything else in my daily life.

Its the reason that songs like Jars of Clays “Two Hands” have such meaning.  Even Paul talks about it in Romans 7

21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am!

And I think it because of this struggle that we struggle so much with works and grace.  I know I do.  I want to work.  I want to produce good fruit.  I want to love deeply, I want to give, I want to serve.  Not because I think I can earn my way to heaven, but because I know that the fruit of righteous living is exactly what the Lord wants, and that its creates peace.  But I am sure glad for grace.  Because its grace and mercy that brings me right out of the rage and back to the song of praise.  Its grace and mercy that hits me in the head like a two by four and says – thats a person, a son of God standing on the side of the road.  Its grace and mercy that brings us to a place where we understand that works are not the means, but the fruit of a person who realizes how dependent they are on grace and mercy.  I also believe its this understanding and not by working harder, that will reduce the double mindedness of our lives.  I am going to test that.

Ephesians 4:31-32 (New International Version)

31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

You see I so badly want to follow Ephesians 4:31-32, but a fail miserable quite often.  But I can take solace in the last 7 words.   Those 7 words full of grace and mercy.  The seven words full of a Christ, who came willingly.  Those 7 words can provide a place of hope and a starting place move to from double mindedness to obsession.  Will you move with me? Paul concludes that is the way as well in the rest of Hebrews 7

Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So lets start by celebrating the fact that the Christ, the newborn king, come to Bethlehem with the full intention of bringing forgiveness to you.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

Oh, the with 9 days to Christmas, lets finish this on rocking note.  From Josh’s List its another cheezy 80’s Christmas song with a “Rebel Yell”- Billy Idol’s Jingle Bell Rock.