Rejoice!

I'm doing a Bible study this month with a friend of mine and since it's the month of November, most of the verses are about giving thanks and rejoicing.  Our verse for today was Psalm 118:24: This is the day which the LORD hath made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.

When I emailed my friend my thoughts on today's verse, I wrote this:

"This is the day which the LORD hath made; I will rejoice and be glad in it...even if it kills me!"

Why?  Because some days are not always pleasant and filled with happy people or situations.  In fact some days are just like the book  by Judith Viorst, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, but what we CHOOSE to do with our circumstance will be up to us.

Will I rejoice and be glad in it?

Or will I make myself miserable all day long nursing a pity party?

Habakkuk 3:17-18 says this:  Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:  Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

No matter what comes my way today, I have a choice.  What will I choose?  I choose JOY!

    But that's just me!

Real joy is not found in the best moments of life, but in trusting that God is making the best of every moment-Anonymous

"In the absence of all other joys, the joy of the LORD can fill the soul to the brim."  C.H. Spurgeon

MYOB

Psalm 138:8a  The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me:

Acronyms:  formed from the initial letter or letters of a compound term.

We've all seen them, and from time to time use them to remember something we've learned,  like:

G-God's 

R-Riches

A-At                     

C-Christ's

E-Expense

Or-

F-False

E-Evidence

A-Appearing

R-Real

The other day, one immediately sprang to my mind when someone seemed more concerned about what they thought I did and were not paying attention to what they should be doing.  An acronym that we have heard and used since childhood:

MYOB-Mind Your Own Beeswax!

Sometimes, if we are not careful, we stick our noses in places they don't belong.  We have our eyes so focused on what others are doing, we take our eyes off of our Saviour.

I've been guilty of that, you probably have too.

So, what to do?

Refocus.

Move our eyes from others, and set our eyes on our Saviour.

When I recognize that my sight is off, I ask God for a new set of glasses!

            But that's just me!

It is better to hold out a helping hand than to point a finger-Amish Proverb

Hindsight

Hindsight:  perception of the nature of an event AFTER it has happened.

We've all heard it, and I'm sure we have, at one time, have all said it:  "I wish I knew then what I know now, I would've done things differently."

Would we really?  I would like to think so-

The 'Shoulda', Coulda', Woulda' Syndrome!

I recently experienced that so-called-syndrome.  I reacted to something in such a way that was not in what I would call my 'normal' character.  I keep thinking about it and wondering, 'What on earth caused me to react this way?'  

Was the moon full?  Were the planets out of alignment?  Was I hungry and didn't have access to a Snickers Bar?

Whatever the reason for my reaction, it brought regret.

So, what to do?

Like David, I prayed-

    And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.  1 Chronicles 21:8

In this life, there are moments when we are going to be foolish, and to act foolishly.  But with God there is always forgiveness.  1 John 1:9

Hindsight causes us to wish things were done differently;  I am allowing this event to prevent me from making the same mistake again-

                                        But that's just me!

"Our yesterdays present irreparable things to us; it is true that we have lost opportunities which will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future.  Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ.  Leave the Irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistible Future with Him."  Oswald Chambers

"Brethren I count not myself to be apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,"  The Apostle Paul 

Witness

I'm wondering why it seems harder to witness to family members than it is to witness to strangers? Is it because we don't worry so much about conflict or rejection from a stranger, but we do with a member of our own family?

Jesus would often direct those He saved from their sins, or healed from their diseases to go tell those at home FIRST of their salvation and healing, and then go and tell others.

Ezekiel tells me that I have a responsibility to tell the lost, regardless of who they are, about their future judgment.  If I don't, I will be held accountable.  (Ezekiel 3:16-21)

In Luke 16:19-31Jesus tells us about the Rich man and Lazarus.  

I can't get verses 27 and 28 out of my mind.  The Rich man, while in torment, had one request:

"Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:  For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment."

Those in hell don't want their families to go there.

Revelation 21:4a says, 'And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;'

I believe some of our tears will be from missed opportunities to witness.  We will regret not speaking a word in due season.  We will be sorry for our silence.

Would I rather witness to my family and make them mad, or wait until they are in hell and they ask me, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Satan wants you to THINK there will be conflict and anger when you witness to someone you love, but God is saying that 'Today is the day of Salvation!'

Determine to rely on God's Grace when you witness so that you don't worry about the reaction of others.  You can steal the Devil's power by facing what 'will' happen instead of remaining silent because of what 'might' happen.

Be brave! Be Bold!  There are souls to be won!

D.L. Moody once said, "Faith makes all things possible- Love makes all things easy."

Witnessing is easy when there is love behind it!

    But that's just me!

Praise

I learned something this week when the Lord smote my heart about something.  It shocked me.

I love it when the Lord does that; when He speaks to me directly, correcting my thoughts.  In His gentle but firm words, He says, 'I know you mean well, but you are not right.'

OUCH!

I have a hard time with recognition.  I like to do things for the Lord quietly and anonymously.  I have a hard time when someone says, 'Thank You,' or, 'I heard you did this for So-and So, that is great!'  

I am always quick to give the Lord the praise but I still feel really uncomfortable.

It's because of this one thing I know:

    Every good thing you see in my life really isn't me:  It's My Saviour.

Besides, I'm only doing my Reasonable Service.  No need to point that out...right?

   

That's when the Lord showed me my error.  Oh, not erring in not wanting attention, but the erring of not allowing people to thank me so that I can reflect their acknowledgment to bring praise to the Lord.

I was robbing God of praise that is rightly due Him and Him alone.

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 

Psalm 29:2

I'm not going to start flaunting every act of kindness, but I will humbly accept the compliment so that I can properly praise my Saviour.

    Because it isn't really about me-

                                            It's all about my Saviour-

                                                                        But that's just me!

Praise ye the LORD, I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.  Psalm 111:1

"Beloved Friends, we may well continue to praise God, for our God continues to give us causes to praise!"  Charles Spurgeon

                      

 

                                                                                      

                                                                                        

Fair-Weather Friends

Mark 4:36-37 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship.  And there were also with him other little ships.  And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

I'm sure you've heard the idiom about fair-weather friends.  It began around the 1800's and it refers to a friend who can be relied upon when the weather is good, but abandons you when the weather turns stormy.

Even as you read the definition of this idiom a few people probably come to mind.  Who can blame them?  I mean, who would voluntarily stick around during a storm?

JESUS.

Not only does He stick around, He enters in.

The first storm I think about in Scripture is in Daniel 3:25  The storm of persecution that Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego faced for refusing to worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.  They were bound and thrown into a fiery furnace, and yet as men peered in to witness their demise, instead of three men bound, they saw four men, loosed and walking around!  Jesus was with them!

God's Word shows us many accounts of storms:

    The storms of persecution, like the one above.

    The storms of abandonment by society-John 4:4

    The storms of living with blindness, deafness, poor health.

There is no end to storms we will face in this life, but I love the account in Mark. 

Jesus, is all knowing.  He alone knew a storm was brewing, and yet He still got into that boat!

Your friends may fail you.  Your friends may abandon you when you need them the most.  But Jesus will never leave you.

What storm are you in?

Jesus is in that storm with you.  Rest in Him.  Let Him rebuke the wind and the waves in your life and let Him restore you-

Peace and calm will come.

I know that to be true-

    But that's just me!

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."  Helen Keller

"Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness."  Euripides

I'm Fine

And as Jesus passed by, he saw.... John 9:1

The other morning, just before church Service, a friend of mine walked in and began to sit down in her seat.  I smiled and asked her, "How are you doing?"  She barely smiled, and yet she replied, "I'm fine."  I looked at her again and said, "But not really, but no time to talk...right?"  She shook her head yes, and sat down.  I meant to speak with her after the Service, but it never happened.

I often find myself greeting people in the hallway of our church, before and after the Services, on my way to do this or that, and yet most of the time, I don't actually 'stop' to really talk with them.  Some of these people I have known for 30 years, and yet I still don't know anything about them, below the surface.

And they don't really know me.

Why is that?

Do we tell people we are "fine" because we don't want anyone to know what's wrong?  Or is it because no one will take the time to really listen?

Or is it the honest fact that we have grown cold and don't have the time to really care?

"And because Iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."  Matthew 24:12

Galatians 6:2 says-Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Bear- means to support the weight of.  A perfect example of that was when Aaron and Hur held up the hands of Moses to prevail against the Amalekites.  When Moses tired and could no longer hold up his arms, Hur and Aaron held them up for him.  Victory was won with the help of his friends. (Exodus 17:11,12)

Fulfill- means to accomplish, achieve, carry out and perform.

By supporting each other through our hard times, we can fulfill the law of Christ.  We can be an encouragement to those around us when we really take the time to care.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary says:  A serving Christian lends a helping hand with heavy loads.  Though the principle would apply to all burdens, the context has special reference to the heavy, oppressive weight of temptation and spiritual failure.  While the 'spiritual' do the work of restoring, ALL believers are to be involved by prayer and encouragement.  This, Paul wrote, will fulfill the law of Christ, that is, the principle of love.

So what is the law of Christ?

Galatians 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

When Jesus passed by, He was always looking to help those in need.  Why?  Because He was looking with love.

I want to be more like Jesus.

The next time I ask someone how they are doing, I'm not going to ask while walking by.

I will take the time to stop and listen to what they really have to say.  Maybe I can lift someone's burden and fulfill the Law of Christ.

But that's just me!