Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:5-7, NASB). T.S. Eliot (the past century poet) described the Christian life as “A […]
The Joy of Severe Simplicity Read More »
About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God (Acts 16:25, ESV) Paul and Silas were singing after being beaten and thrown into prison. They’d cast a fortune-telling demon from a slave girl, eliminating her owner’s profit potential. In anger, they stirred up a crowd against Paul and Silas, with the crowd
The Power of Joy in Prison Read More »
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice (Philippians 4:4, ESV). I try to rejoice in all things and often fail miserably. I understand that I should rejoice always but I must admit that I often don’t feel like it. And yet Scripture keeps reminding me to… Rejoice always (1 Thessalonians 5:16). Consider it
Aging by Rejoicing Read More »
Consider it all joy … when you encounter various trials (James 1:2, NASB1995). The Bible teaches joy in all situations. Not only does James tell us to consider it joy when we encounter trials, but Paul also echoes this thought when he says in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say,
Ups and Downs of Walking With Jesus Read More »
Happy are those who obey the Lord, who live by his commands (Psalm 128:1, GNT). God wants us to be happy. The Bible doesn’t portray a dour God who wants to pour sour milk over our fun. In God’s Word, most translations use the words “blessed” or “joy” instead of happiness. The GNT (Good News Translation)
The Biblical Formula for Happiness Read More »
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy (James 1:2, NLT). Learning to respond to our trials with rejoicing takes discipline. I like the New Living Translation (NLT) version of James 1:2 — that we consider our troubles an opportunity for great joy. When
The joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10, NIV). Most of us are in food comas now. Be patient, as we have only one more day of celebration (and football games) before we get to our long-awaited diets and signups for the health club. But on the first day of 2024, what Biblical concept should we
The Joy of the Lord ~ New Year’s Message Read More »
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV). When considering all the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians, joy is the one that I really want to experience. If I have joy, I will love better, be at peace, have patience in
Let’s Try Joy This Week Read More »
Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength! (Nehemiah 8:10, NLT) I foster joy with my twin granddaughters, Gabby and Gwyn. When they see me, they laugh. I want them to be happy when I am with them. Joy comes from what we focus on. If we look long at pain,
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy (James 1:2, NLT). I believe the greatest psychological statement or dictum ever written was not by Sigmund Freud or Brene Brown but by James, the Lord’s brother. In the New American Standard Version of James 1:2, it