Sing for Joy
June 27, 2022
What fills your heart with joy? Is it your family or friends? Maybe it’s your hobby? Whatever it is, it fills your heart and puts a song on
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What fills your heart with joy? Is it your family or friends? Maybe it’s your hobby? Whatever it is, it fills your heart and puts a song on
One of the most painful things to deal with is when someone turns on you. You thought they were a friend and when you needed them they turned
The phrase “Every cloud has a silver lining” means you can derive good from every bad situation. It probably originated from a John Milton poem from 1634. While
Do you ever wish you could silence the foolish people? Those who blab off their mouths and spew gossip and lies? Maybe you would like to walk up to them and deliver the perfect one-liner that leaves them without a response? Fortunately, most of us aren’t that witty or quick, which saves us a lot of headaches. There is a way to silence the foolish people. It is through your good deeds. Leave them speechless by what you do, not by what you say.
“For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good.”
When wronged by another person, our initial reaction is to defend ourselves. They attack us by spreading rumors and gossip. We want to confront the person. We dream of the perfect comeback to their slander. Unfortunately, the reason the person is foolish is that nothing silences them. Their mouths run on and on. Proverbs often warns us about stooping to the level of a foolish person. Prov 10:8 The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin. Just as the old saying goes: “it does no good to wrestle with a pig, you both get dirty, but he enjoys it.”
Have you ever been so excited you couldn’t keep quiet? Have you kept thinking that you gotta tell someone? That’s what the resurrection of Jesus Christ did to the disciples. They were so transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit that they couldn’t keep quiet and needed to tell everyone about the Good News of Jesus Christ. Of course, this got them into trouble as well. We should all want to get to the point where you can’t keep quiet about Jesus.
But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
What drives you to follow Jesus? Is it a promise of eternal reward? Is it the relief that comes from forgiveness of your sins? What if you were brought in before authorities to give an answer? Would you stand firm in your faith if you were told to stop following Jesus? Peter and John were brought before the religious council and told to stop proclaiming Jesus’ name. Their reply; “What is right in God’s eyes?” They answered to a higher calling, and even at the threat of harm, they would not back down.
I am usually up before the sun. I can see it rise from where I sit while I do my devotions. Those first rays of the morning bring everything to life around my window. The Birds start to chirp, the animals and insects start to move to the warmth, and the plants start to turn towards the light. When we follow Jesus, that darkness no longer can overcome us. He is the light that brings new life.
John 1:4-5“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
The light brings new life. It shines in on the darkness. It wakes the world up and brings warmth to the cold. Jesus came into the world to bring new life. He shines in on the darkness of your soul and gives you hope. He brings life to dead bones and illuminates the darkness so His disciples can see the way. Nothing can stop His penetrating light.
Do you know there are over seven hundred promises from God in the Bible? What’s amazing is that God has kept every one of them. Many of these promises are for you today. Entering into God’s promises takes a step of faith on your part. Are you going to leave what is comfortable and step into the unknown? That is usually what it takes. Today we see Israel was on the cusp of the Jordan river and entering into God’s promises.
Joshua 3:17 “Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.”
This is the second time God has parted the waters for the Israelites. This time they are crossing the Jordan and entering the promised land. They are about to realize all that God has promised them. Notice how it still took a step of faith? Moses was gone, and Joshua was in charge. Can I trust him? On top of that, they had to pass through the Jordan during the flooding season. What if the water breaks away and we drown? When God promises something He will bring it to completion.
Everything needs maintenance, or it decays. Left too long, it will fall into disrepair. That’s why you see buildings falling apart. The owner has neglected them. Eventually, you wake up and realize it’s time to make some changes. That is how Asa felt when he heard the prophecy of the Lord. He went about reforming the nation of Israel and bringing it back to the Lord.
2 Chronicles 15:15
“All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn it with all their mind. They had sought him with all their heart, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side.”
King Asa was known as a reformer. He heard the prophecy from Obed and started to tear down the idols all over Israel, and then he consecrated the nation of Israel, and they sacrificed 700 bulls and 7000 lambs to the Lord. He then committed to seeking the Lord with all of his heart, and Israel followed him. After this oath, they rejoiced and sought the Lord, and He gave them rest on all sides.
Do you remember the song “Don’t worry, be happy?” It was part of a soundtrack for a movie in the 80s. It caught on, and people used to
Have you ever been separated from something, and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t reach it? Have you ever felt separated from God? Feel like you