Unspeakable Joy!
“…ADONAI! Our Lord! How glorious is your name throughout the earth! The fame of your majesty spreads even above the heavens! ... When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars that you set in place - what are mere mortals, that you concern yourself with them; humans, that you watch over them with such care?”
Psalms 8:1, 3 & 4 - Complete Jewish Bible
Winter! The Glory of the LORD in Creation! What a welcome change from the dog days of summer! And what a beautiful way the Creator of all, has chosen to show His majesty. Though this is not the season to stop and smell the roses, let us not abandon enjoying what has been prepared especially for us. Take a brief walk outside, stop and look around in genuine awe in what He has done. Embrace the cold breezes and allow the frigid air to re-awaken your senses. God’s glory is magnified by His works! From watching in wonder as the snow falls gently from the heavens, to listening intently as the cardinals and blue jays flit around in the barren trees to the exciting thrill of touching the first ethereal icicle of the season, Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter were designed for our pleasure, so let us revel in our earthly playground under the watchful care of the Almighty.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Courage & Joy
Unspeakable Joy!
"Be of good courage , and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD." Ps. 31:24 KJV
There are those days whereas you feel so blessed and so thankful that trying to explain the emotion using mere words almost seem to echo within the halls of blasphemy. Your heart knows it, your soul feels it and your mind even manages to embrace it, but the lips are incapable of appropriate utterance. Welcome these days as a gift from the Creator of Joy that it is. God gives us these days to encourage and refresh our souls. Relax, enjoy His blessing and allow your world to be renewed.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Can You Hear The Hiss of the Snake?
Unspeakable Joy!
Do You Hear the Hiss of the Snake?
Loser. Has been. Failure. Pathetic. You've heard these words before. They're not new to you. But they hurt. They sting. Somehow, you manage to get on with your day. But it's still there. The hissing. The sinister echoing voice in the background. Whispering and harassing. Were this taunting coming from an actual person, you'd avoid them, turn away, tell them to get lost. But there's the rub...these accusations are coming from someone you can't see.
Can You Hear the Hiss of the Snake?
It's our human nature - we hear something long enough, we start to believe it. Whether the accusation stems from an incident in your past, something you did this morning or something you're considering doing in the near future, be assured that condemnation will come calling. Whether you're a child of God, a non-believer or somewhere in between, it will search you out.
The Hiss -
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'
"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Can You Hear It?
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked...they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not eat from?" The man said, "The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"
The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (Genesis 3:1-5 & 6-13 NIV)
Did You Hear The Hiss of the Snake?
Thousands of years later, generation after generation, that snake still uses the same vile tactic. Deception. With a trick and a lie, he was able to pull out the first foundational stone that led to the downfall of man; by taking a statement given by God to Adam and perverting it. The truth of what God said is found in Genesis 2:15-17:
"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
But this is what the snake told Eve, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'? You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Do You Hear the Hiss?
But now, it's no longer Eve. The snakes eyes are now set on you. Me. Us. Our families, friends and the neighbors on our street. His goal is the same of course - to continue pulling out the foundational stones to ensure the continual fall of man. Peter warned us of this in 1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) "...your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
And with the relentless piercing forks of his hissing tongue, he continues to accuse. To deceive. To devour. Are you listening to the hiss? Do you feel a tingling, cold shameful shiver slowly trickling through you every time the hiss makes itself known? It's fear. The same type of fear you would show if you unexpectedly encountered a deadly cobra or rattlesnake. You instinctively know that the safest way out is to crush the snake with a quick and decisive blow. But you hesitate. The snake has his eyes locked on you and you feel powerless to do anything about it.
So you quietly, though reluctantly...accept your fate.
No More Hiss
But here's the exciting news! Unlike the above scenario, you have not come upon the snake unexpectedly. He's already made himself known. He sought you out! But this time, you have no fear. Not anymore. You're familiar with the hiss now, you already know what it's going to say, "ssssss..." The shiver you're experiencing now is not from fear. It's from disgust. He's been exposed. You have recognized the messenger for the cunning, crafty and poisonous serpent that he is. And how were you able to do this? Remember, your adversary the devil isn't the only one searching you out. Christ is as well. He told us so. "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. (2 Chron. 16:9 NKJV)
Satan whispers those condemnations to steal your joy, kill your faith and destroy your life. And he won't stop until his voice eventually becomes your own. He'll stick to the plan. He knows that once he has you believing it, the next step is you acting upon it. Eve listened to the snake. As a result of listening to him, she believed him. And once she believed him, she acted upon what she had been listening to. She ate the apple. And that was her point of no return.
We no longer have to be held captive and left wandering the fields of fear, shame and hopelessness. When we give those issues to Christ, He'll not only walk us through them, but He will also identify the reasons we got there in the first place. And what comes after that you ask? Healing.
John 10:10 says it all. We can continue to listen to the hissing (lies) of the enemy, but as the Scripture points out, "The thief does not come accept to steal, kill and to destroy." But Christ says, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (NKJV)
The only question left to ask is, Who Are You Listening To?
Do You Hear the Hiss of the Snake?
Loser. Has been. Failure. Pathetic. You've heard these words before. They're not new to you. But they hurt. They sting. Somehow, you manage to get on with your day. But it's still there. The hissing. The sinister echoing voice in the background. Whispering and harassing. Were this taunting coming from an actual person, you'd avoid them, turn away, tell them to get lost. But there's the rub...these accusations are coming from someone you can't see.
Can You Hear the Hiss of the Snake?
It's our human nature - we hear something long enough, we start to believe it. Whether the accusation stems from an incident in your past, something you did this morning or something you're considering doing in the near future, be assured that condemnation will come calling. Whether you're a child of God, a non-believer or somewhere in between, it will search you out.
The Hiss -
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'
"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Can You Hear It?
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked...they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not eat from?" The man said, "The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"
The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (Genesis 3:1-5 & 6-13 NIV)
Did You Hear The Hiss of the Snake?
Thousands of years later, generation after generation, that snake still uses the same vile tactic. Deception. With a trick and a lie, he was able to pull out the first foundational stone that led to the downfall of man; by taking a statement given by God to Adam and perverting it. The truth of what God said is found in Genesis 2:15-17:
"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
But this is what the snake told Eve, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'? You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Do You Hear the Hiss?
But now, it's no longer Eve. The snakes eyes are now set on you. Me. Us. Our families, friends and the neighbors on our street. His goal is the same of course - to continue pulling out the foundational stones to ensure the continual fall of man. Peter warned us of this in 1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) "...your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
And with the relentless piercing forks of his hissing tongue, he continues to accuse. To deceive. To devour. Are you listening to the hiss? Do you feel a tingling, cold shameful shiver slowly trickling through you every time the hiss makes itself known? It's fear. The same type of fear you would show if you unexpectedly encountered a deadly cobra or rattlesnake. You instinctively know that the safest way out is to crush the snake with a quick and decisive blow. But you hesitate. The snake has his eyes locked on you and you feel powerless to do anything about it.
So you quietly, though reluctantly...accept your fate.
No More Hiss
But here's the exciting news! Unlike the above scenario, you have not come upon the snake unexpectedly. He's already made himself known. He sought you out! But this time, you have no fear. Not anymore. You're familiar with the hiss now, you already know what it's going to say, "ssssss..." The shiver you're experiencing now is not from fear. It's from disgust. He's been exposed. You have recognized the messenger for the cunning, crafty and poisonous serpent that he is. And how were you able to do this? Remember, your adversary the devil isn't the only one searching you out. Christ is as well. He told us so. "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. (2 Chron. 16:9 NKJV)
Satan whispers those condemnations to steal your joy, kill your faith and destroy your life. And he won't stop until his voice eventually becomes your own. He'll stick to the plan. He knows that once he has you believing it, the next step is you acting upon it. Eve listened to the snake. As a result of listening to him, she believed him. And once she believed him, she acted upon what she had been listening to. She ate the apple. And that was her point of no return.
We no longer have to be held captive and left wandering the fields of fear, shame and hopelessness. When we give those issues to Christ, He'll not only walk us through them, but He will also identify the reasons we got there in the first place. And what comes after that you ask? Healing.
John 10:10 says it all. We can continue to listen to the hissing (lies) of the enemy, but as the Scripture points out, "The thief does not come accept to steal, kill and to destroy." But Christ says, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (NKJV)
The only question left to ask is, Who Are You Listening To?
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Your Words were found, and I ate them
Unspeakable Joy!
Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV
“Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;….” What a great quote from the prophet Jeremiah! With the current economic climate, it's hard to retain any sense of joy. There's the fear of possible layoffs, difficulty finding other means of employment and with the new unemployment numbers continuing to be much higher than expected, it's very hard to imagine feeling joyful. Fear of the unknown can be overwhelming and exhausting. But remember, if we put God first, everything else will fall into place. It has to. He promised.
What an exciting promise! Isn't it a relief to know that when we allow God into our lives, that we no longer have to worry? How awesome is that? God reveals himself to us through His word. We find Him there. And when we desire to soak up those Words, like a sponge or eat them, the way Jeremiah so wonderfully describes above, joy can't help but follow. It's a joy so deeply rooted it springs up through the vast layers of our soul and the struggles that we face will pale in comparison and have to bow to our trust in our Father. And joy is contagious. As we eat God's word and it rejoices in our hearts, everyone around us will be affected. “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance…Proverbs 15:13 NKJV.
So, let's have some fun. Let's go out and spread some joy!
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