Joy in the Morning

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:5b, KJV).

Whatever my sorrow or my pain, it does not last forever. The promise of peace is real. The sadness I feel anticipates the joy to come. His strongest children are those who, in the night of weeping, confidently believe in the promise of joy in the morning .

I Will PRACTICE HIS PRESENCE

In the midst of crisis or change, Christ is with me. In the midst of the storm, He is my safe harbor. He keeps me from the breakers that would crush me. But He is more than just a secure sanctuary. He is my strength to not only endure, but to overcome. I can never fear change when He never changes. He is the one great constant in my life–the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). As I give Him my fearful heart, His peace calms my restless spirit (Philippians 4:6-7). Abiding in Him, He claims my thoughts and I discover that I, too, can be strong. I can be steadfast and unchanging. I can know His peace that carries me above the fray.

I must practice the presence of God, and seek Him daily in prayer, study, and devotion until His presence becomes like a habit–unconsciously rendered. I unconsciously learn to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). He is just “there” at the moment I need Him. He is just “there” in moments of sudden fear when, without Him, my world would cave. But practicing His presence has brought His immediate peace in that moment. My heart has prayed unconsciously and He has heard its cry.

I don’t know always know to give Him my suffering and fear, but the Holy Spirit intercedes for me (Romans 8:26b). He prays my heart’s cry when I am unable to mentally render a thought. It is in a moment like this that I understand His peace. I have practiced His presence until He is always with me–unconsciously and consciously. I may go through my busy day with no problem, and my conscious mind is busy with my job, my schedule, and my list. I learn something that rocks my world, and the Holy Spirit immediately arises from the depth of my unconscious spirit to calm my shattered mind. Practicing His presence has brought His presence. I will remain steadfast in Him, and unchanging in my trust in His faithfulness.

Draw Near

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me (Revelation 3:20,NIV).

Man knows little of God's yearning for his deep friendship and companionship. Christ came to draw all men to Him (John 12:32). What an amazing thought! He yearns to share all of Himself with me. He stands at the door of my life and yearns for me to open my heart to all of Him. Not just some of Him, but all. Nothing held back. Nothing withdrawn. Nothing hidden. He longs to feel me drawing near in love.... not just for His help, but for the loving closeness of a dearest friend.

Think about this. He is love. He created us to love. We may recognize the need of men, but how many of us really understand the need of Christ?

I CAN COUNT ON IT

I CAN COUNT ON IT

“I know what I’m doing.,” says the Lord, “I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed. I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you, and bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it” (Jeremiah 29:11-14, MSG).

I can count on it. He knows what He is doing. I don't have to know His plans, but I do need to trust and have faith in His faithfulness. When I seek Him with all my heart and desire Him more than anything else, I will discover more faith to believe in His promise of deliverance. As I persevere in living each day in His will, I shall receive His promise (Hebrews 10:35-36). He will bring me out of place where I have suffered and felt abandoned. He has great Joy for me. I can count on it.

Come Forth as Gold

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10, NIV).

Job faced uncertainty, hardship, and despair. Each one of will also face hardships that spring up to rock our world. We don't understand why He doesn't hear us and explain. Crying out in our despair, we yearn for a promise of peace from the pain of each moment. James tells us that we are to “consider it pure joy” when we go through trials because those trials have the potential to produce faith (James 1:2-4). The fact of the matter is that He is speaking, but we can’t hear Him because we are hurting too much. We long to hear something more than this trial will make our faith stronger. We need to believe that someday it will end-that one day there will be peace. Jesus said that we would have hardship in this world, but we can rest assured that He has overcome the world (John 16:33).

“'Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?' says the Lord. “'Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?' says your God” (Isaiah 66:9). No, He doesn't close up the womb. No! Release from the pain will come. The delivery is my lesson to be learned. The intense joy that comes at my delivery is the promise. He protects me from the pain that would be too much for me to handle-from the pain that would utterly destroy me. “Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son” (Isaiah 66:7). What I may consider the most devastating pain is not as harsh as it might be. God has protected me. He has made my labor easier than it might have been, and has brought me to the point of delivery from it all.

My trial holds the promise of peace. The tribulation which overwhelms my heart promises release. “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised” (Hebrews 10:35-36). I shall be confident of His promise of peace. I will hang on and find His will. I shall believe that His promise is real, and that He will richly reward my diligence. During my time of labor I will discover His truths that will encourage my faith in Him, and trust that the delivery will come. I choose to believe that my weeping lasts for only a night, and that His joy comes with the morning (Psalm 30:5b). I choose to forget the former things, and believe in the promise He has for me (Isaiah 43:18-19). I choose to let go of the former things which have defined me, and believe with all my heart that He has something new.

God always knows the way that I take. He is always with me, and I will be delivered. He has not closed up the womb. I will come forth as gold. And in that birth, I am new in Him

Selfless Giving

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood” (Isaiah 58:6-7, NIV)?

These verses in Isaiah instruct me to “fast” my own desires and to do whatever I can for those in pain and in despair: to help those chained up in poverty―to help those struggling to break the yoke of sin―to share with those accused unjustly―to provide respite for those with no place of rest. I am called to give myself away, but for my giving to be pleasing to God, my motive must be right. Both fasting and giving involve personal sacrifice. Fasting imparts spiritual vision to recognize need. Giving blesses not only the person who receives, but the one who gives.

“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:3-4, NIV).

Have you ever known someone who makes a public announcement following an act of kindness or giving a gift? He appears to be altruistic, but he yearns for the recognition his act brings. In bringing attention to himself, he demonstrates selfish giving instead of selfless giving from a humble heart.

Why does a person need to declare he has given a gift? Why must he relate its value? He hungers for the recognition of man, and doesn’t consider that God wishes his hunger to be just for Him. Not only has this person missed the fact that giving in secret brings God’s reward, he misses another truth. When he quietly gives, he empties more than his pocketbook. He empties himself of the need for acceptance. Giving without recognition is not only an acquired trait. To be spiritually real and rewarded, it must always be spiritually fueled.

Do I give away my time and my money openly or secretly? Where does my acceptance lie? The Lord yearns for the lesson to take root in my heart. In selfless giving I spiritually receive a servant’s heart. Most importantly, I learn the greatest paradox of all―to die to self is to live unselfishly in Christ.

Now I can read the promise that follows in from Isaiah 58:8-9a. “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I” (Isaiah 58:6-8, NIV).

Don't ever give to receive recognition from others. Give always to receive from Him.

Facing Our Red Sea

At some point in our lives we will face our Red Sea. It will be something harder than we ever imagined. There will appear to be no way through or around it. But just as the Lord parted the Red Sea for His people then, He parts the Red Sea for His children now.

Moses never failed in trusting God. With the sea in front of him and the Egyptians advancing from behind, He stood at the very edge of what appeared to be sure destruction. There was no visible escape. There was nothing but faith in the Lord who had brought them to this place. Moses had done all he could do, and now it was for time for God to act. Moses waited for God to make a way, but he had to go to the very edge of the Red Sea.

When faced with our Red Sea, we sometimes pull back. We believe that there is no way to go further, and we give up. Perhaps we see our Red Sea rising in the distance, and we turn from its imposing presence. But the army of life presses us closer. We must go as far we can―right up to the very edge, and God will handle the Red Sea.

What will I do when I see my Red Sea ahead? I will go the the very edge and wait for God to part the water. If I do not go to the very edge, I will miss the power of God to save. But by faith I go to the very edge. It is not only the edge of my Red Sea; it is the edge of myself. I know that there is nothing that I can do. Believing, trusting, and knowing the waters will part, and I will go forward through what otherwise might have destroyed me. And I will find Him.

Staying the Course

“And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple”
(Luke 14:27).

There is a great distinction between being an admirer of Jesus Christ and being His disciple. An admirer wants to experience the glitter without making a lasting commitment. A disciple is a pupil who has counted the cost and placed himself completely under the guidance of the Master—whose love for Him is greater than for anyone or anything else, and who resolves to give and also give up whatever is necessary. This is radical discipleship.

Jesus’ words in Luke are not addressed to His disciples. Each disciple has already counted the cost, and made a decision to surrender. His question is directed to those who offer quickly to serve, and then fade away like a shooting star. It is to this marginal person Jesus says, “If you can’t do what it takes, you can’t be my disciple.”

To witness the enthusiasm of a new believer is exciting, but often such enthusiasm does not weigh the cost involved. “I will follow you anywhere,” someone quickly offers Jesus (Luke 9:57). This man is a new believer, and is fired up to go. He opens his mouth to speak without thinking of what his offer entails. In the very next verse Jesus carefully handles the man’s zeal without offending him by telling him that his future is uncertain. They are wanderers, and there is nowhere to rest at night. There are very few comforts following Him.

Jesus searches the group and His eyes rest on another man. “Follow me,” he says (Luke 9:59). The man asks Jesus to first let him first bury his father Jesus tells this man there is no hope for salvation for someone who is already dead, and that his obligations at home are nothing compared to the call upon his life (Luke 9:60). Jesus has looked upon this man’s heart and seen great potential. Time is of the essence, and he must be about the Father’s work.

The first man who offered to go with Jesus had a shallow faith that would not stand up under pressure. Jesus knew this, but the second man is different. Jesus sees his heart, and knows he can be used to bring life to those who are spiritually dead.

A third man quickly offers to go with Jesus, but asks the Lord to first let him go and tell his family farewell. “Any person who starts doing something and then keeps looking back is not fit for the kingdom of God,” Jesus warns (Luke 9:62).

God delivered Lot’s family before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and was warned for them not to look back. Longing for what she had left behind, Lot’s wife glanced back for one moment, and was turned into stone. When you follow Jesus old worldly friends are left behind, and will not understand what has happened in your life. When God calls, you should not ask others whether it is right or not. The call is not theirs. It is yours.

God cannot use people who allow personal desires to deter them, but he does use people with a commitment and a vision like Abraham. He stepped out in faith, followed God on a journey of a lifetime, and never looked back at Ur. He never built a permanent house again, but lived in tents, and moved when God told him. Abraham looked for the everlasting city of God.

The third man, just as the first one, is not fit for the journey. I find it interesting that the second man, unlike the first and third, did not offer to follow Jesus. He was asked. He had not spoken a desire to follow, but Jesus instinctively knew if he would make the sacrifice. He knew he could ask for a radical commitment, and knew that it would be given.

Jesus asks us, just as he did the second man, to leave self behind, take up His cross, and follow Him. These requirements don’t attract a large number of followers, but for those who follow and stay the course, the result of such a decision is guaranteed. “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:25).

My Sacrifice of Praise

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Hebrews 13:15, NIV).

My gift to Him is a thankful heart. When things are hard—when pain persists—when problems overwhelm, I will look for reasons to be thankful. I will seek to realize the blessings He gives that often slip by unobserved. The gift of thanksgiving in my heart—no matter what is going on in my life—is my sacrifice of praise. No matter what I face, it could be worse.

A friend's husband was in the hospital fighting cancer. The chemotherapy was tearing his body apart. The pain around her heart had turned it to stone. It hurt too much to feel. She could not bare to watch him fight for a healing that might never happen. Her pain imprisoned her, and she erected a wall to protect her broken heart. As she walked down the hospital corridor one morning, she saw a little old woman in the room next to her husband's, sitting up in bed shivering uncontrollably.

“Give her your favorite shawl,” the thought flew into her head. She ignored it, but it would not go away. Finally, in an attempt to get the voice out of her head, she brought her shawl to the hospital. With everything else going on in her shattered life, this was just something else that she saw as another chore. She was just going to leave the shawl on the woman's bed, but the little lady was still sitting up in her bed shivering. Moving closer to her, she placed the shawl around the woman's shoulder, and a pair of thankful blue eyes slowly looked up at her and melted her stony heart. With that one act of kindness, the wall that had held back her own pain was suddenly released, and the healing love of the Holy Spirit gave her freedom in the arms of that little woman in the next room.

The blessings of God are often missed because my mind is focused on my circumstance and not on His faithfulness to carry me through it. Each day I will open my eyes to His blessings around me. I will realize that others have a greater need, and I will give myself away. The wall which has imprisoned my own pain will come down, and praise and thankfulness will spring up. What had once been a sacrifice will be a sacrifice no longer, because my heart shall no longer focus on my pain, but on my passionate joy for His blessings.

Joyful Obedience

My obedience is better than my sacrifice. When I am obedient to God, my actions reveal that the cost of His sacrifice means everything to me. Now I can sacrifice anything for the wrong reason, but when I am obedient to His will in what I sacrifice, then I make His sacrifice the defining reason for my obedience. When His sacrifice TOTALLY defines who I am, humility is evident in every area of my life. A humble spirit inspires obedience. On the other hand, disobedience stems from pride. Longing for personal acceptance by others, it says “no” when the sacrifice involves humility. However, true obedience reveals respect for the cost of Jesus’ sacrifice, and goes where disobedience never will— into the very heart of God. This is where the joy of obedient sacrifice is discovered.

“Remember this,” Paul wrote, “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (II Corinthians 9:6-8.

God loves a cheerful giver who invests richly in His kingdom through obedience in every area of his life. What do I invest? How about you? Our compliance to God’s will speaks of joy in our own sacrifice. If we invest with joy, we shall receive the grace of His total supply for our work. His joy is discovered in giving as Christ gave to us.