Joy to You

"Chairein". Put simply, Greek for "joy to you".

What brings YOU joy?

Is it worldy possessions? Is it material goods? Is it recognition of greatness? Is it exercise and physical gains? Is it financial gain? Is it keeping up with or better yet, being ahead of the "Joneses"? Is it having the best of the best of the best and always being the best?

What brings ME joy? I have given this question some thought over the last couple of days after being introduced to "chairein", pronounced ky-rain, in the book of James. I can think of many things that bring me joy. Nothing material brings me more joy than a brand new pair of trail hiking shoes because hiking and climbing mountains brings me lots of joy! My family brings me great joy ~ their love, their smiles, their hugs, their time, their accomplishments. My friends bring me joy. Money brings me joy or at least I think it does and yes I love nice things, who doesn't? I could compose a nice long list of the things that bring me joy, but what I have been reminded of through my recent ponderings and bible reading is that we should seek first the joy that Christ gives us. There is nothing wrong with finding joy in things like I have noted above as long as our focus is right.

Phillipians 4:4 says, "Always be full of joy in the Lord. Again I say rejoice." Amazingly, these were the words of Paul while he was imprisoned for his beliefs and teachings that Jesus is the Son of God. Paul spent roughly 5 years of his life in a prison cell for his beliefs, but in the midst of it he maintained a right attitude. His true joy came from knowing Jesus Christ and he knew that even if death came to him, he could still rejoice because he had the Lord! Paul was a great encourager and taught that we should always seek joy even through our troubles and trials. Our true joy should abound from Christ living in us. In accepting Christ, we accept the joy he brings. In seeking joy in him first, joy in all areas of our life will fall into place.

What an amazing gift we have in knowing the Lord Jesus Christ! While we may encounter hardship and sadness, troubles and trials, let us not forget that our Jesus is ever by our side. Though our circumstances my be troubling and we may seem defeated, we must remember that when we place our trust and hope in the the Lord, he will bring us through the tough times and show us the joy that only he can give.

I love Psalm16 ~ especially verse 9 ~ "No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice*. My body rests in safety." *Rejoice in the Greek version states "and my tongue shouts his praises." Don't you just love how joy makes you want to shout his praises? When my heart is glad and full of joy, I can rejoice and I feel safe in him. God is so good and I am happy that I can find joy in him. I love also that I can simply open up his scriptures and find joy and reason to praise him on every page. He is a God of love, mercy, grace, goodness and joy.

One of my greatest joys is knowing that my children know their Lord and Savior. I have not had prouder days than when they each accepted the Lord and the single day, four years ago, that they professed their faith, together, before the church through water baptism. It is my prayer that each of them will find true joy and find it first through seeking the joy of Christ. I thank God this week also for the simple reminders of joy in my life and where I must work on seeking joy first!

I pray for each of you today ~ That you experience the abounding, unbridled joy of living the Christian faith and experience knowing the Lord fully. Live your faith, live your joy, show your joy and by it, others will experience it too. Love and blessings to you all.

Thankful

Thankful! What more can be said but I am thankful. Thankful that God has made me who I am.

~ But by the grace of God, I am who I am .... 1 Cor. 15:10

Thankful for the tender hand of a loving God. Thankful for bountiful blessings that flow from the tender hand of a God who gives me way more than I ever deserve. Thankful for the comforting hand of a Father who takes away my pain, my worries and my stress. Thankful for the Father who gives me do-overs with the rising of the sun each morning. Thankful that He has given me a family to love and care for ... his family. Thankful for the energy, the courage, the love that He gives me to care for them each day. Thankful that he has given me a family that shows me gratitude and love in return. Thankful that he has allowed me to be a mom to three beautiful children on this earth while he is caring for my oldest in heaven. Thankful for a Godly husband who cares for me and our children and sacrifices for us daily. Thankful for the gifts of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell that allow me to experience the world He has created to the fullest. Thankful that I live in a country where I am free to worship my God and profess my belief without fear of imprisonment and free to pray openly for those who are persecuted around the world. Thankful for the trials in my life that make me stronger. Thankful for joy, sadness, grief, worry, love, .... Each is truly a gift and makes me who I am.

Every good and perfect gift is from above ... ~ James 1:17

I. A.M. T.H.A.N.K.F.U.L.

Made to Worship

I was made to worship ~ made to worship him with all my heart, mind and soul ~ made to worship his goodness and grace. We often talk about worship, but really what does it mean to worship a God so great and awesome?

Oswald Chambers wrote, "The one thing for which we are all being disciplined is to know that God is real. Nothing is more important. Nothing is more rewarding than discovering that God is everything he said he is: all-powerful, sovereign, yet tender and compassionate, accepting of us in our fragile state, and desiring with all his heart to bring us to rest in him." When we know that God is real it is easy to worship him. How can one not worship a God who is as real as the rising sun, the majestic mountains, the brilliant full moon, a sweet summer rain, a precious newborn baby or birds chirping in the trees. God has made everything beautiful and wonderful and he gives us so many reasons to be thankful and to worship him.

Worship is a call to sacrifice. A call to sacrifice "self" and drop to our knees to give praise to him. To put all things great and small before him. To take the focus off of us and our wants and needs and to simply praise him for his greatness and wonder and the blessings he bestows upon on us. Worship engages us deeply and connects us with our holy Father like nothing else can. I find it easiest to worship my Father in the majestic wonder he has created. For me there is nothing like the feeling I get when I am on a mountain top, a trail or somewhere in the great outdoors. The beauty of His creation all around me gives me a sense of utter closeness to God. Maybe it is because I find it easier to put him first without all of the jumbled clutter of life I find when I am home. The "busy"-ness of life and all that it brings can get in the way and quickly make "me" seem more important than the worship that should take place.

On a lighter note, I chuckle as I write. I had the opportunity to spend one on one time with my son this evening. He was feeling a little under the weather and wanted to hang out with his mom. :) After watching a sci-fi movie together, he requested that we read the bible. Since I am currently going through a study of James, I suggested we do today's lesson together. I love the mind of my soon to be teenage boy. He always makes me laugh ~ even in the midst of a bible lesson. As we were discussing Jesus being perfect and the kind of relationship he had with his mother and brothers, my son remarked about the "worship" of our savior. How crazy odd it would seem for a mother (Mary) to worship her son, Jesus. While chatting about this he quickly noted though that I could worship him if I wanted to. Silly boy ... such a boy!

It is the sweet spirit of that same boy that often reminds me of the importance of God and the worship that must take place for me to have a right and intimate relationship with the one who made me. As I tucked my son into bed, I gave praise to God for the blessing of this sweet boy, two precious daughters and a loving husband. These gifts of mine are more than enough reason for me to worship my heavenly Father and sing praises to his name.

Fullness of Grace

God's grace is born out of our unworthiness. Grace, like mercy and love are rooted in the goodness of God and his awesomeness. In Romans 5:20, Paul tells us that God's grace abounds. It is abundant and multiplied wherever sin increases. He tells us that God's grace is ever sufficient for us. It covers a multitude of sins. Thank God for his grace! Without it, I'm not sure I would make it through a single day.

God blesses us with grace! Grace is like water ~ Without it, we would die. Do we deserve God's grace? Surely not. We depend on God for all that sustains us because we are nothing without him and his provision for us is great both physically and spiritually.

I depend on God's grace to get me through the whirlwind of activity and emotion that plague me as each day dawns anew. Today was a great day. Not all days are as such. But today I can boast of God's blessings that make me a mama very proud! My oldest daughter received her acceptance letter from the university of her choice. She is ecstatic and very excited to embark on her new "grown-up" adventures. She will achieve great things, I just know it! My second daughter ~ my OCD daughter, after much planning and stress did a fabulous job of coaching her Kindergarten cheerleaders through their very first Upward Basketball Game. Those little girls love her and she is a wonderful role model for them especially spiritually! My son, just about to become a teenager, took up wrestling this year for his middle school. With three losses under his belt, my rookie wrestler achieved his first win of the season today with a pin! Anxious to keep his church commitment, we traveled quickly from the wrestling match to church where he was quick to jump into the "Leo Lion" mascot uniform and dance with the cheerleaders and cheer on the young basketball players. How can a mom not be proud? But this mom ever depends on God!

I wrestle daily with shortcomings and failures as a mom. As I write this blog I feel guilty for not spending time with them instead of writing. Have I done enough for them through the years? Have I been too tough on them or too controlling? Have I let them down? Did I teach them enough to help them be self-sufficient in this life? Will they have a good work ethic? Will they stay close to God? Have I been a good role model?

No one is perfect and I am proof of that! Most certainly I need God's grace to provide me with the reassurance that all is well. I don't deserve it, but I have accepted his grace just like I accept a gift. I don't have to earn his grace, I must simply accept it through a right and just relationship with our savior. Much like accepting a gift. If you choose to never unwrap it, you will never experience the peace that God gives through grace. Opening that gift is like opening a bundle of blessings. Those blessings are what I experience every day when I feel the hand of God upon me reassuring me that he is in control.

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. ~ John 1:16

May you experience fullness of grace and revel in the blessings our God has to give.

Goodness of God

God has always been good. Maybe I haven't always seen it that way, but he has proven it to me over and over that it is true. Do I ever have doubts about his goodness and his plan in this world? Absolutely!

The past couple of weeks have given me more than a couple of reasons to question God and his goodness! Friends have lost loved ones; 17 year old Cole ~ the victim of a car accident; 47 year old Kevin, father of two ~ the victim of a car/train accident. A friend is injured; 69 year old Ron is still fighting for his life after a tragic tractor accident. One of my students; 6 year old Andre is fighting leukemia that is attacking his body with a vengeance after 4 years in remission. A local child I do not know, Calysta, kidnapped and beaten by her kidnapper until she was rescued today, thanks to an Amber Alert and the prayers of many who dropped to their knees and pleaded with God to save her.

Yes, God has a plan and yes, God is good all the time. The circumstances of this world and the situations that arise and that we are a part of don't always lend themselves to goodness, but God does have a plan and God is in control. He accomplishes his plan through all circumstances ~ both good and bad. We will experience his goodness and we will experience trials. We must not question him, but simply put our trust in him. He wants us to call out to him in our times of trouble and our times of doubt. He wants us to praise him at all times because he is God. (Psalm 145:3 ~ Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise.)

Our God is most worthy of praise! One only needs to look to the east in the dawning day to see the goodness of God. He paints us a glorious masterpiece as he brings a fresh new start to each day. His promise of goodness and grace abound in the rays of the rising sun and the reflect in the lightening sky. One can look to the west and see his Glory in the sunsets, in the mountains and the beauty he paints all around us. His light shines through, even the gray darkness of the trials we endure.

Great is the Lord and worthy of praise!