Develop a Joy Habit

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you… Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
1 Peter 1:3-4; 8-9

The dictionary defines joy as “the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.” For those of us who call ourselves Christian, that something is not a thing at all but a who - Jesus Christ, the Risen One, the Son of God - I AM. Joy in my opinion is something much greater than happiness. Happiness can be fleeting, if we desire only happiness it becomes easy to sink into despair, to wallow in self-pity when things aren’t going according to our plan. Joy, on the other hand is dependent on the cause of joy and in this case the cause is Jesus, who is the Alpha and Omega, eternal and ever present, which means we can be filled always with what this week’s passage calls inexpressible and glorious joy. 

Ok, I can hear some of you groaning already. You can’t possibly know what I am going through; life is just too hard to be joyful right now. See that’s just my point - you are right I may not know what you are going through, but I have faced my own tough times so I know how hard it can be to keep the faith and let that amazing joy fill me. Perhaps you noticed that I left some verses out from this week’s passage. These missing verses talk about how we can rejoice in God’s protection but that we will have to face all sorts of trials - this life will give us much grief, but those things are meant to build our faith in the One we can’t see right now - the One responsible for joy. Joy that can be felt when we are exhausted, when we are in pain, when the storm is raging and of course in those moments when all feels right in our world.

We need to develop a joy habit - but how? First and most important is to remember that no matter what - joy is there just under the surface waiting to burst forth and soothe our souls - all because of Jesus. So what can we do to keep that joy flowing? Daily we need to praise and glorify the One responsible for the joy in the first place. We need to practice trusting God with every part of our lives. We must love others sincerely - remember the greatest commands that fulfill the whole law are to love God and love others. We must also remember - that God loved us even while we were sinners - so we need to show the same mercy and grace to others. We must fill our mind with good things-meditate on all that you have to be thankful for - not just the big things but the little things too. Caring for others with acts of compassion and kindness will develop that joy habit. 

So what’ll it be this week? Will you search for happiness in things that are only temporary or in other flawed humans or will you tap into the inexpressible joy that is given by an amazing and eternal God? Join me in developing a joy habit!

A Prayer
Father – like your servant Peter, may we give you all the praise. Thank you for the new life filled with hope, inexpressible and glorious joy. Lord, you know how easily we let the world, our circumstances and other people take that joy from us - help us to develop a joy habit. You’re your help we can have joy in even the midst of life’s storms. Thanks you for Your mercy and grace, love and compassion, thank you for the never ending inheritance we have through Jesus - in whose name we pray, Amen.

Be Welcomed In

“Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
2 Peter 1:10-11

A little bunny had slowly hopped up near the entrance to the offices of the church where I work. I snapped a picture of it and sent it to a friend with the caption “Even bunnies come to church in Kansas.” My friend responded a bit later with, “That’s a good church, every bunny is welcome.” That made me smile and chuckle just a little - then I got to thinking. 

For a church to be good, to be great - everybody should be welcome. Jesus regularly welcomed people into his circle that the religious leaders of the day complained about as being improper. Now don’t get me wrong, making everyone welcome in church, doesn’t mean avoiding the tough issue of sin. What it means is giving everyone the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus, to feel Christ’s love for them through the family Jesus left behind to take care of business.

We need to remember that we are sinners too and that the only difference between those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ and those folks who it might be easy to shut out - is that we have experienced the amazing, life changing, life giving grace of Jesus. When we accepted Jesus and handed over the Lordship of our lives to Him we were welcomed into His family, His kingdom and He expects us to do the same for others. We have to remember that we were welcomed with a warm embrace even though we were not perfect. In this week’s passage Peter encourages his readers to do some stuff, so they will continue to grow, continue to be changed from the inside out. His encouragement reminds us that we are on a journey to perfection that we will only achieve when we are welcomed into the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ. Part of that that journey includes welcoming others to join us. But what kind of things must we do to gain the rich welcome that Peter says is waiting for us?

Fortunately, Peter makes it clear for us in verses 3-8 leading up to this week’s passage. First, Peter tells us that Jesus’ divine power gives us everything we need to live a grace filled, abundant life and that that same divine power helps us to escape the selfish temptations of this world. Then Peter tells us we must build upon the faith that bought us to Jesus in the first place. Upon faith we add goodness and then we add knowledge and with each thing we add we become more like Jesus. To knowledge we add self-control and perseverance - things that helps us resist temptation and allows us to treat others with the same kind of patience that Jesus treats us with. Then as the framework of our life becomes stronger we add more to it like godliness, brotherly kindness and the greatest and strongest part of our lives then should be love, Christ like love.  

Jesus was in that habit of welcoming in those, no one else would ever think of welcoming, let alone treat with any respect or love - what about you? Are you in the habit of welcoming in the lost, the tax collectors and sinners in your life?

This week, I want to challenge you to add to your faith all of the things Peter tells us we should, so that we will be richly welcomed into the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ who died to save us from ourselves. As you do, welcome in those in your life who need the amazing, life changing, live giving grace of Jesus. Will you be welcomed in? Will you welcome others?

A Prayer
Father – thank you for the divine power you give us to grow in faith so that we can stand firmly as daily we become more like Your Son. Help us to always be mindful of how He welcomed us into His love when we were still an unlovable mess. Show us who in our lives we need to welcome into our divine family, so they too can find faith and be made whole. Thanks you for welcoming us into Your family, into Your kingdom. In the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior we pray, Amen.

The Greatest House

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit”
Ephesians 2:19-22

I am not sure if it was the work of historical fiction I had recently read or the world waiting for the newest member of the British royal family to be born, but I was thinking about the House of Windsor and that great house is the inspiration for this week’s devotion. Now I am not talking about actual house here, rather in this case it is the family that is called a house, so the House of Windsor is of course the royal family. There are other famous houses of course for example: The House of David, from Old Testament Israel, The House of Romanov - Russia and perhaps you are familiar with the House of Faberge. All of these houses are or were powerful and influential families. 

In this week’s passage Paul is telling the Christians in Ephesus they are no longer outsiders, they have become part of a great house - The House of God, members of a royal family. Unlike earthly royal families or Houses, the House of God has no line of succession, because the King will sit on the throne forever. Jesus Christ is that King and as Paul tells the Ephesians the House of God is built on a foundation of the apostles and prophets and held together by Jesus Himself. Furthermore, because this King in His power and might, compassion and love, mercy and grace has defeated our greatest enemy, we who are members of the House of God; because we have believed and trusted in Jesus have the ability, the right and the power necessary to influence our world. 

But, the privilege of being a member of this great house, the greatest house there will ever be, comes with great responsibility. It is probably safe to say that we each know at least one person who claims to be a member of the House, but whose words and actions bring shame to the family, who hurt others in the name of the King or whose hearts have not really been transformed by Jesus’ amazing grace and love and so live selfish instead of selfless lives. 

This week, I want to challenge you to reflect the power, compassion, love, mercy and grace, things that are the hallmarks of the eternal House of God - to positively influence the world around you, to love those the world says are unlovable, to hold up those who are weak, and to love the sinners around you because you are one as well, love them right into the greatest house.

A Prayer
Father – How amazing it is that we are called sons and daughters of the King, because we have been redeemed by the King’s own blood. Thank you that we are part of the greatest house, the eternal House of God. Help us to live as a reflection of Your House to the world around us, drawing them to Christ so that they too may be called sons and daughters. Jesus is King and He reigns forever over the House of God. It is in the name of the King we pray, Amen.

When HE Speaks Your Name

“They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she said, ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. ‘Woman,’ he said, ‘why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’ …she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic ‘Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher).”
John 20:13-16

The last few days had been a blur of pain and grief. Peter had denied Christ as had been predicted. Most of the disciples had been hold up, behind locked doors out of fear for who would be the next one to lose their life. You see Friday, the Romans had crucified Jesus - their friend, their teacher, the Messiah - some had watched him take his last breath. They knew he was dead, they knew he had been taken from the cross and quickly put in a tomb. The city that had been in full party mode must have been subdued that Sunday morning. Early Sunday, a small group of women went to the tomb, to properly care for Jesus’ body - but He was gone. An angel told them to go tell the others that Jesus was alive, that the tomb was empty.

Some of the others had come and gone, they weren’t really sure what had happened - even though they were told what to expect. Mary Magdalene had stayed behind, overcome with grief already, grief made worse now because from her perspective - his grave had been robbed. The angels John said were sitting where Jesus had been laid talked to her but could not answer her question. Maybe the man she almost bumped into as she turned to go would have the answer.

Then He spoke her name, can you hear him - how gently and compassionately He must have said her name “Mary.” She’s been talking to him, she’d heard his voice, but it wasn’t until He said her name that she recognized Him. Notice, she didn’t just start asking him all sorts of questions - she just wanted to be close to him because He was there - He had spoken her name, that’s all she needed.

Has He spoken your name? On a mountain top? In the midst of a storm? In the stillness of the morning or in the middle of a long, dark night? If He has - how have you responded? Have you acknowledged him and longed to just be in His presence? Maybe you’ve heard Him speak your name and thought you were just imagining it - so you pushed the voice aside. Maybe your life is just too noisy to hear that gentle, loving, compassionate voice call your name. 

This week, when Jesus speaks your name stop, acknowledge who has spoken to you and rush into His arms. He will change your life when He speaks your name. 

A Prayer
Father – Thank you that you know our names, that you know each of us so well. Help us to hear Jesus when He calls us by name, because it means our lives will change if we let Him work in and through us. Jesus is our Lord and He know us by name, praise the Lord, Amen.

Veritas: Truth

“Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.’ ‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate. Jesus answered, ‘You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’ ‘What is truth?’ Pilate asked.”
John 18:36-38

It had already been quite a week. Jesus knowing full well what was about to take place had wept over Jerusalem, a city in full party mode for the feast of the Passover. The crowds had given him a royal welcome. Later, upset about what was going on in the temple, he cleaned house – so to speak and ruffled more than a few feathers in the process. Sharing a final meal with his friends, he had washed their feet, broke the bread and shared the cup, identified his betrayer and told Peter he would deny even knowing Jesus in a day’s time. Jesus tried to prepare them as they walked back to the Mount of Olives – but they still did not understand what the next few hours would bring. The human side of Jesus was doing battle with the divine side, he prayed in agony for His Father to remove the cup, but submitted himself to the Father’s will. He was arrested on trumped up charges and abused by the religious leaders before they turned him over to the Roman authorities – this is where this week’s passage picks up.

The position of governor held by Pilate was both a position of strength in which power was brutally abused and a position of weakness in which one wrong move could mean your head. Pilate’s brief conversation with Jesus ended with a rhetorical question “What is truth,” followed by his official proclamation of Jesus’ innocence. If Pilate had been a different sort of leader, he may have been able to impose his will upon the mob at his gate to release the innocent man Jesus. But he wasn't, in fact, he was just the sort of leader the divine plan required – the sort of leader who would give into the mob to keep the peace and save his own head – good thing for us.

Imagine, with as bad as we think things are on this planet now, how much worse it would be if Jesus, an innocent man – the incarnation of God, who came to speak truth, hadn't been sent to the cross by Pilate. Sin may have won and our world may have been plunged into a darkness none of us would be able to comprehend.

As we contemplate the events of Jesus’ last week may we always remember two things: God’s divine plan will always be successful and Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life.” Because of His obedience there is still light in our world – so share it with those around you.

A Prayer
Father – We often find ourselves asking the same question as Pilate – what is truth? Help always to remember that Jesus is the answer to that question because He is truth. Thank that He bring life and light into our world and our lives. Help us to share ourselves and His light with the world around us. In the name of Jesus, Amen.