December 21 ~ 1 Thessalonians 1:5
You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!—taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I was visiting with my former pastor, and I mentioned someone to him who was facing tremendous hardships. I commented that I was amazed by this person’s strength and determination – and joy – in the midst of such turmoil. I also said I was glad that I was not faced with the same situation. His reply was that he felt I would do fine in the middle of a crisis, and I had demonstrated this during the time my dad and brother were so ill. That was quite a compliment, but it was also a challenge.
See, it’s easy to let the troubles of the world get us down. We struggle with our classes and projects and finals. We have money problems – or rather, “lack-of-money” problems! We have relationship troubles, health issues, pressures at work, road rage, impatience with others, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, ulcers, and chaos, not to mention wars, threats of terrorism, natural disasters, car wrecks, accidents, and even “happy” stressors. And through it all, we are called to imitate Jesus and continue to be joyful. Some days that is a really tough call!
So how do we do this? We ask the Holy Spirit to live in our heart… to stay with us through thick and thin, and to take our troubles and help us to work through them with a joyful attitude. It CAN be done. In a way, it’s all a matter of attitude… either you have an attitude of welcome toward the Holy Spirit and lean on Him to help you, or you have an attitude of despair and succumb to the worries of the day. I really don’t like the last option… for me it is NOT an option. What about you? Will you choose the trouble… or the joy?
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 20 ~ Philippians 4:1
My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don't waver. Stay on track, steady in God.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Do you have people in your life who fill you with great joy? I can think of several, but two in particular came to mind as soon as I read this passage. The first was my cousin Natalie. She is so much more to me than just a cousin. She almost always makes me laugh with her wit and her funny stories and her joy-filled perspective on life. She fills me with pride as I see what a wonderful teacher and mother she has become. But more than that, I see what a Godly woman she is, and how she is growing in her faith, and that thrills me to the bone. Just like Paul says about the Corinthians, I love her so much and want the very best for her always.
The other person who brings me great joy is a former student of mine, Stephen. He is always cheerful, always going a mile a minute, and always delighting everyone he meets. And I have proudly watched him grow into a Godly husband and father who is working daily to increase his wisdom in the Lord and build his faith. His witness to others fills me with joy that makes me want to burst, and I am so very proud of him.
Just thinking of Stephen and my cousin Natalie makes me smile. It gives me great joy to encourage these two wonderful people, and many others, to stay the course, keep the faith, and always study to add God’s wisdom and strength to their daily lives. Do you know such people? If you do, are you encouraging them and sharing the joy of your relationship with Jesus with them? And if you don’t know such people, what can you do to change this? Even more than that, are you striving to be a person so filled with joy and so steadfast in your faith that others want to be around YOU? I challenge you today to look at your circle of friends and how you relate to them, and see if you can find areas to work toward being stronger, unwavering, on track, and steady in God… and in turn filled with even more joy!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 19 ~ Philippians 1:22
As long as I'm alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I'd choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it's better for me to stick it out here. So I plan to be around awhile, companion to you as your growth and joy in this life of trusting God continues. You can start looking forward to a great reunion when I come visit you again. We'll be praising Christ, enjoying each other.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
For so many of you, going to Heaven seems light years away. But we only have to think of little Job McCully and his brush with death to realize that even children sometimes die and go to be with Jesus. So while I hope none of you is Heaven-bound any time soon, if you are a Christian, it would not be an altogether sad situation. And I can honestly say that I have reached a stage in my own Spiritual life where I truly do not fear death. I know that when God is ready for me, He will call me home, and my reunion with Him and loved ones who are there will be incredibly joyful.
Meanwhile, every day I am left on this earth, I figure I have work to do here… joy to share, people to encourage and help however I can… in other words, I’ve got things to do and people to see! Because I know that THIS is where God wants me for now, I can be joyful and enjoy my earthly life and those who share it with me.I don’t have a “death wish,” and I certainly hope you don’t either. But as my grandmother says, “there are worse things than death,” and certainly for Christians this is the case.
So be joyful and enjoy your earthly life. Share joy with others as you serve Christ on this earth. And look forward to Heaven, where Joy reigns supreme, and every day is Christmas!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 18 ~ 1 Corinthians 7:29
I do want to point out, friends, that time is of the essence. There is no time to waste, so don't complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple —in marriage, grief, joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things—your daily routines of shopping, and so on. Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I am not sure I can say this any better than this translation does. “There is no time to waste, so don’t complicate your lives unnecessarily.” And what better time is there than just before Christmas to be reminded of this! We try to cram so much into the month of December… we have to visit every relative, and if we are home from college, we have to see every friend from high school! We have to shop for exactly the right gift for every person on our list. We have to go to every party and event, and we have to find time to squeeze in a workout to keep away the extra pounds we pack on eating all the holiday goodies. We have to help with pageants and plays and musicals at church. There are finals to take and parades and dance recitals to attend and food drives for the needy, and of course, lots and lots of shopping to do! And the first thing you know, we’ve gone so fast and done so much that we are either sick and tired – or sick and tired of going and doing! And all of our “Christmas joy” has just been drained right out of us.
Paul is saying that we all get so focused on the things of this world that we get caught up in the “busyness”, when what we really need to do is to slow down, remember what – and Who – is important, and restructure our priorities. Bro. John Miles once told me that “’No!’ is a complete sentence,” and that was some of the best advice I’ve ever received.
Many of you are at a stage in your life where you are trying to do it all, experience it all, and “be all things to all people.” I encourage you to listen to Paul’s words in this passage and to keep your focus on Jesus, keep your priorities straight, keep your life simple, and don’t listen to what the world tells you that you should be doing with your time and talents. If you keep your eyes on Christ and simply live in a way that honors HIM, you will be joyful, relaxed, and probably even healthier! Just say ”NO!” and feel the joy it can bring!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 17 ~ Romans 14:17
God's kingdom isn't a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness' sake. It's what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you'll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
We are in the middle of a season where people tend to become more than a little self-centered. What do I want for Christmas? Will I be invited to So-and-so’s party? I sure hope we have a White Christmas. I wonder if So-and-so will get me a gift this year. More than that, we live in a culture where the first question is usually, “What is in it for me?” Too many of us are looking for our joy in the wrong places!
As Paul is saying in this passage, when you start to give your life completely to Christ, you not only are filled with incomparable joy, but you pass that joy on to others. A friend recently shared with me that she had a very early college class that often left her grumbling about having to get up and out at 7:30 a.m. She started talking to God as she walked to her class… looking at the beauty of His creations along the way – listening to birds chirping, admiring trees and flowers, and telling God how awesome these things were. By the time she got to her class, she was filled with joy and in such a good mood that others took notice. “What is wrong with you? Why are you so cheerful at this early hour?” they would ask. And that opened the door for her to share the Source of her joy… to tell them about God’s power and magnificence and how He had blessed her. She said she realized that her small experience of talking to God as she walked to class had HUGE results and a ripple effect of blessing others and inspiring them to feel joyful.
You may not walk to a class and talk to God each morning. But as we each draw closer to God in various ways, we learn to surrender more completely to Him. How do you do this? Try reading the Bible and books that challenge and encourage you Spiritually, talk and share about God in small groups, pray, worship, and just sit still and listen for God to speak to you. As we learn to make God the total focus of each thing we do, and as we begin to single-mindedly focus on Him, we are filled with joy. And others will notice!
This Christmas season I challenge you to find at least three ways to take the focus off of YOU and put it on Jesus. This may mean sharing some of your holiday treats with an elderly neighbor, inviting someone you know will be alone for Christmas to join you at your family gathering or a Christmas Eve church service, or buying Christmas gifts for needy children. It could mean giving up something you were going to buy for yourself to spend the money on someone less fortunate. I can feel the joy already! You are in for such a treat, and so are countless others! Start with Christmas – spread a little joy. I’m betting you will like the feeling so much you will want to make it last all year long!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 16 ~ John 16:23
"This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I've revealed to you. Ask in my name, according to my will, and he'll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks!
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
My husband and I live near the Little Red River. Almost every day – and sometimes more than once a day – the horn at the power house is sounded, signaling the release of water through the dam’s electric turbines… the generators. The horn is to warn those downstream of rapidly rising water. Sometimes not much water is released. Other times, a gushing white foam signals a major release of water and the rising of the riverbanks.
Joy is a lot like that. Sometimes, we get a little burst of joy over something that happens, and we smile or laugh and are temporarily amused. Maybe we hear a joke or see a funny commercial or think of something fun or funny that happened to us. Other times, the floodgates are opened wide, and the joy wells up in us to the point we feel like we might burst! This might happen when you think about scoring that winning touchdown in your high school championship game or being crowned as a beauty queen or the first time you see your bride or groom or when you see your baby for the first time. It might happen when you see someone you haven’t seen in a long time… like a friend who has been fighting the war in Iraq or your cousin who has moved across the country and you haven’t seen them in five years.
Jesus tells us that answered prayers produce joy like that of the generators. When you pray to God and ask for His help – according to His will – God will answer. And His answer will bring you the kind of joy that lasts… overflowing joy… bursting in your heart joy. Do you experience this kind of joy? Are you praying for God’s will in the matters of your life? Are the floodgates of your joy open wide today?
©2007 Debbie Robus
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December 15 ~ Luke John 16:21
"When a woman gives birth, she has a hard time, there's no getting around it. But when the baby is born, there is joy in the birth. This new life in the world wipes out memory of the pain. The sadness you have right now is similar to that pain, but the coming joy is also similar. When I see you again, you'll be full of joy, and it will be a joy no one can rob from you. You'll no longer be so full of questions.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Women love to talk about the birth of their children. They can tell you how many hours they were in labor, the length and weight of their children, and how well their husbands/childbirth coaches held up! And almost all of them say that once they hold the baby, all of the “bad” stuff just fades away, and they are filled with joy. In this passage, Jesus is talking to His disciples about ascending into heaven. He is telling them that His departure will make them sad for a little while, but when they see Him again, the joy will be indescribable!
I don’t know if I will be on earth when Jesus comes again or not. If I am not, I have every confidence that I will have already seen Him in heaven. Either way, that is an exciting thought to me. I can’t even begin to put into words the joy I imagine I will feel when I first see His face. All of my questions will have answers. Nothing else will matter except keeping my eyes on Jesus. In the meantime, I’m going to try on some of that joy here in this life. I’m going to focus on Him and trust that I will see Him someday face-to-face. I’m going to operate in joy instead of sadness as much as I possibly can, with His help, and I’m going to let the sadness and the questions fade.
In this holiday season, you don’t have to look very far to see people who are extremely joyful… AND those who are extremely sad. My challenge to you is to share your joy – and the joy of a life with Christ – with others, especially those who seem to need a little boost. Tell them about a little baby boy Who came so long ago and changed the world forever. Tell them about God’s incredible love for them, no matter what they are experiencing. Help them to see how to rise above their sadness and discouragement this Christmas and operate in a spirit of joy. You will be both a blessing and blessed for your efforts!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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