Unspeakable Joy

I can’t seem to shake the Biblical idea of “rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” (I Peter 1:8 KJV)  I’ve always been kind of a happy guy.  It is a lot easier for me to put a smile on my face than to wear a frown!  When I started hanging out with my future wife in high school we were two peas in a pod when it came to our dispositions.  When I think back of the attributes that drew and kept me near Piper, it was that sassy smile on her face, her quick wit and the ability to turn almost anything into an encouraging word or moment.  It was (and still is, I might add…) just plain fun to be with her!

The more I got to really know her though, I discovered that her joy wasn’t just an external expression but stemmed from a deeply set, personal, intimate experiential knowing of the love of Jesus Christ and a powerful expectation of His Word doing what He said it would do to those who believe!  She was different than most people I knew… in many respects, she was even different from her family roots… and as I’ve stated before, whatever she had… I WANTED TOO!  

Well, that joy has been a major part of who we became as a husband and wife team, as parents, as ministers and as members of our families as well as with friends.  And you know… even as we deal with the effects of Alzheimer’s with Piper, I find that we are still called to carry on the example of “rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

I found out early on in this journey that we’ve been on for about seven plus years now, that the deeply set, personal, intimate experiential knowing of the love of Christ that Piper has… and I eventually nurtured inside of me, cannot stand to stand silent in the presence of the sadness, depression, hopelessness and defeat that I regularly see in the expressions of many of the folks we come into contact with on a daily basis.

There may be times when I am fighting some real emotions and pain when I look at the current results of the symptoms of this attack upon Piper, but you know… I suck it up and let that smile of the expectation of our faith in Jesus Christ and the truth of His Word burst through, because even though I may be hurting, I know that it is only temporary and that His truth with eventually prevail!  In these situations it is almost like I can’t help myself!  That “joy unspeakable” simply has to explode onto the scene and through it allow the expectation, joy, peace and love of Papa God immerse those who need it the most!

As Christians, you and I are to be living epistles of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  For my wife and I in our current situation, that epistle usually leads off with a smile, an encouraging word and a testimony of our faith in the possibilities of our God in the face of what medical science says is impossible.  And time after time, almost without fail, our joy causes an almost immediate change in the attitude and expression of the other individual.  You can almost see the light of hope begin to flicker deep within the recesses of their eyes!

So… what do you think?  How strong is your confidence in the presence of that unspeakable joy inside of you?  When things get hard, what emotion pops up from the depths of your being?  How do you react when faced with the sadness of the world around you?  Is it with Joy or do other reactions come to the surface?  I like the idea of all that unspeakable joy bouncing around inside of me just waiting to pop to the surface when called upon to minister to me… or to the needs of others!

Like those TV commercials that end with the statements: “What’s in your wallet?” or “What’s in your safe?”  I could ask a similar spiritual question that makes you to go deep and discover “What’s inside you heart?”  Have a great rest of the week, and as you do keep asking yourself… “Do I expect to ‘rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory’ when the tough situations of life happen to me today?”

Can't Help But Rejoice

I’ve mentioned numerous times of how I speak scriptures and sing to my wife each morning as I help her up for the day.  Well, today was no different and as I went about my work I found myself kind of absent-mindlessly singing:

♫ “This is the day, this is the day,

     That the Lord had made, that the Lord has made

     We will rejoice, we will rejoice,

     And be glad in it, and be glad in it…” ♪

But I suddenly stopped as a thought hit my mind and I explained to Piper that it is not only a privilege that we get to rejoice but it is also the right of every born again Christian man, women, boy and girl!  Then I began to consider the idea that our right to rejoice in Him comes as part of the package that Papa God has provided to us who believe through Christ’s death, burial, resurrection and ascension to the right hand of God… as part of our position “In Christ!”

Now that got me excited this morning and I couldn’t wait to get my wife to the table and breakfast served so that I could delve into all this in the Word of God!  As I began to consider all that we have “In Him” I couldn’t help but to rejoice at all we have through the finished work of Christ!

Think about this with me for a moment here!  We get to rejoice because:

• ·         2 Corinthians 5:17 says that we are a new creation and the old things are passed  away!
• ·         Ephesians 2:10 declares that we are His workmanship!  
• ·         Romans 8:1 states that we have no more condemnation!
• ·         Colossians 1:13-14 proclaims that we’ve been delivered from the power of darkness and are now kingdom citizens with all its benefits!
• ·         I Peter 2:24 reports that Jesus has provided healing for us!
• ·         I John 4:4 unequivocally declares that no matter what comes against us, that the One who is greater than any other force lives in us!
• ·         Philippians 4:13 boldly states that we can do ALL things through Christ!
• ·         Philippians 4:19 documents that God supplies All of our needs!
• ·         And Ephesians 1:13 sums it all up by declaring that we have ALL the blessings of heaven in Christ!  And the list goes on and on and on…

So I ask you today: “How can you possibly NOT rejoice first thing each day and then throughout the day, NO MATTER WHAT SITUATIONS PRESENT THEMSELVES TO YOU?  You and I have EVERY reason in heaven to rejoice here on the earth!  That statement of faith causes me to get both sad and frustrated every time I hear a Christian complaining about something or speaking out words of fear, doubt and/or unbelief!  I guess it all comes down to what you are dwelling on at any given time.  Are you WORD connected or WORRY connected?

The Apostle Peter commended his readers saying: “…yet believing (in Christ) ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” (I Peter 1:8 KJV)  John Gill in his “Exposition of the Entire Bible” further explained Peter’s thought by translating it as: “With a joy believing on Him, which is better experienced than (just) expressed.” In other words, this kind of heavenly joy is only fully realized when it is lived and not just spoken about.

I have known many good Christians who talk a good story and will even be heard uttering words of praise and rejoicing, but yet it is clearly evident that it is strictly coming from the intellect and not from a heart and life that regularly experiences the joy of the Lord that Paul talked about when he declared in Philippians 3:1 “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord…” (KJV)  To me he is simply saying: “When push comes to shove, always find yourself rejoicing in the Lord!”

I can honestly admit that this is something that I need to get back to!  I was reminiscing with Piper this morning of how the joy of the Lord used to just come out of our mouths whenever something unexpected happened and the funny looks we would get as we stated “Praise the Lord” instead of the expletives that others around us muttered when things would go a little crazy!

Over the last few years there have been a few times when I’ve been stretched and pulled with the events of my wife’s health that I’ve surprised myself with a few “terms” that came out of my mouth!  And sure, maybe I could try and justify it because of the extreme physical and emotional stress I’ve been dealing with… but you know… I really don’t believe that there is any excuse!  If I am truly focused, expectant and sold out to the truth of Papa God’s love for my wife and I as declared in His holy Word, then I don’t want to waste my words with fear-tainted comments… I want to preserve His truth, His love and His power in our lives through each and every word I speak!

Is that even possible?  I don’t know… but I am sure gonna try!  So what am I going to do?  I am going to keep rejoicing!  I believe that rejoicing is a powerful tool that Papa God has given us and I am going to keep putting it to work for me!  How about you?

Have a great week.  Stay in tune and focused on His Word and keep asking yourself… “What or whose words am I expecting to release from my lips during the good and the bad times of my life?”

Are You a Practitioner?

We went out back  a few days ago to toss the ball for the dog and after a while I found myself with pruning shears in hand cutting away the debris that came down from the trees during the recent hurricane.  In the far corner of the yard there was a tangle of vines and broken branches that was precariously hanging from an oak tree a few inches from the top of our shed where we store the riding mower, lawn and garden equipment and a variety of other items.  

This particular tree sits (or rather leans at a slight angle toward my property) on the other side of our fence in a commons area between us and the neighborhood park.  I always assumed that it was community property.  But I recently discovered when following the red flags marking the property line from the survey we had done before we purchased the home that this tree is actually on our property.  

I knew that our property line goes an additional 10 feet or so beyond the back fence, but was not aware that it angles out another 12 feet or so where the side and back lines connect before angling back to the gate on that side of our yard.  So that 50 – 60 foot Oak is our responsibility!  

But back to my original point… I was pretty tired when I went out that afternoon but forced myself outside to give the pooch some exercise.  By the time I had cut down the vines, removed the broken branches and trimmed a lot of the over-growth from the back fence line, I found myself full of energy and realized that I was having a great time!  I think that it is wonderful to know that we don’t have to depend on our own strength throughout each and every day!

I wrote about Psalm 143:8 last week where the psalmist extols the Christian’s hunger to learn more about Papa God’s love each morning.  He goes on to explain how Christians like you and me have put their expectations in Him and desire to know the way that He would have us to go for we “long for and have anchored the very vitality – our exuberance, physical strength, mental vigor and the vital force and purpose of our lives on Him!” (personalized from the God’s Word © and Contemporary English Versions)

Well, that’s what happened to me!  My physical body was drained but He gave me the strength and joy to complete a task and enjoy doing it!  I was talking with someone the other day explaining how I regularly worked two or three jobs at a time throughout the years while we raised our family, but have never been so stretched and physically, mentally and emotionally challenged as I have been over these last seven years as a 24/7 care giver for my sweet wife.

But even in the midst of these trying times, Papa God is there as the vitality of my life.  You see… I don’t have to depend on my own strength, my own abilities or my own determination!  I just have to stay in tune to Him and His Word and allow His joy to be my strength!  When everything else is stripped away, He is the vital force and principle of my life!  I’ve learned that nothing else matters… nothing or nobody else can do what He alone can do!  When one is faced with what the world calls impossible each and every day, His possibilities shine as a candle in the night.

I can’t… and I won’t take my eyes off of Him for “with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26 KJV)  That’s how I can smile when the health care professionals, family members, neighbors, friends and the people we walk past in the stores we shop at look at me with that sad look of hopelessness in their eyes.  I tell Piper all the time that she is a living epistle of the Word of God and will testify of how His Word is working in her body perfecting a healing and a cure.

And as for me… well, I am a practitioner of Mark 9:23 ‘cause I believe and shall see that “all things are possible to him that believes!” (MKJV)  How about you?

Have a great weekend, keep your eyes and your expectations on Him and keep asking yourself… “Whose Word am I expecting to believe and act on today?”

Columbus Day

When I stepped out into our backyard early this morning I was amazed at the calm beauty that surrounded me.  As the sun broke over a row of distant trees and sent a sharp angle of light across the yard, I thought to myself how peaceful it was and that it was hard to imagine that a day or two ago the skies where black, sheets of rain were pouring down and the trees were profusely bending to the strong gusts of wind from the outer rings of Hurricane Matthew.

At that moment in time the morning was still, the trees stood magnificently tall, the air was crystal clear, crisp and sweet smelling and there was green as far as my eyes could see.  As I prepared breakfast a little while later, I found myself praying that the peace that was present outside our kitchen window would also find its way into my being as I faced the new day and all my responsibilities.

We have a painting that hangs over our beds of an idyllic scene of a meadow with a stream lazily floating down the center of the frame.  On one side of the stream near a cluster of willows there is a young boy sitting in a boat with a fishing pole in hand.  For years this picture hung over my Mom’s piano in the living room of our home when I was growing up.  I can remember sitting at the piano when I was supposed to be practicing my scales and dreaming that the boy in the picture was me and what fun I was having in the warmth of the summer sun, pole in hand and the dreams of childhood dancing through my mind!

In the months that we have been in our new home and that picture has had its prominent place in the master bedroom, I have found myself gazing into that picture, especially when my wife was going through a traumatic time, and drawing peace from the idyllic scene and the childhood dreams that it had evoked in me.

As I looked up into the painting this morning I began to think about the importance of dreams.  Throughout the years of my life I have come across countless people who have never stepped out to fulfill a dream.  People who live a life of regular routine, safe from the unknown adventures that they may or may not discover as they follow a dream.  A life that to me… is squashed down with the fear of “What If?”  A life that I would find stale and rather boring!

With today being Columbus Day, I found myself getting a little annoyed at the negative articles that served to destroy the explorer’s character, lessen the importance of his place in history, and destroy the dreams that those elementary school history lessons describing the events of the year 1492 ignited in the hearts of children of my generations as well as those previous to me.

Sure Christopher Columbus had his idiosyncrasies, personal flaws, and other discrepancies, we all do, but he did something that most men couldn’t even imagine. He had the confidence and the courage to set out and follow his dreams.  I believe that this is one of the most important lessons and attributes that we adults should be teaching the younger generations.  Why do we try to white wash our history?  Isn’t history something we study in order to discover our roots, understand the gains we have made over the years and to learn from our mistakes?

As I study the history of our new home here North Carolina, it is easy to understand the deep pride that the southerners have with their past generations who fought in the war between the states.  To see the statues commemorating their heroes of times and actions past being defaced and torn down is a personal affront to the thousands of lives that were given for their families, for what they considered to be their country and a way of life that was changing before their very eyes.  

Whether we like it or not, those statues are a part of every citizen of the United States.  They commemorate a part of history that sculptured our current way of thinking, living and our place in the world today.  Some of those memories aren’t too pleasant and some are, but they all contributed to how we got to where we are in this generation.  Personally, I don’t want me or my family to forget those historical facts.  I want to be able to remember the good times as well as the bad when I am faced with daily decisions in order to follow the correct path.

I want all those historical facts in my tool box when I step out to follow a God ordained dream in this life, so that I don’t make the same mistakes.  I commemorate Christopher Columbus for the courageous faith and dreams that drove him and his crews to step into three tiny ships and set a course across a largely unmapped and unknown ocean to seek new adventures, chart new lands and open up the world to a whole new page of history.

I also commemorate Christopher Columbus for all the dreams he set forth in the minds of young boys and girls through the centuries… including that young boy that sat at his mother’s piano and dreamed of new and exciting adventures as he starred at the painting of the boy fishing on a drifting boat in a stream on a lazy summer afternoon.

Men and women in history like Christopher Columbus are heroes to people like me!  It is examples like there’s that have driven me to follow my dreams, to be an explorer of a type that charts new lands and seeks God-given adventures in faith that challenges the truth of the Word of God, and desires to be all that God has created me to be!

Sometimes the path is easy, and at other times it is not, but during the rough times I have found myself over the years turning to a familiar portion of scripture for guidance and peace and can also imagine Christopher Columbus doing the same in the midst of an mid-Atlantic storm that pushed the crests of the waves over and across the decks of the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria and opening his Bible to Psalms 23:1-2 and declaring: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me besides the still waters.” (KJV – and yes I realize that the King James Bible wasn’t written when Columbus took that adventure… but I am sure he had another version with him!)

So on this 524^th anniversary of Columbus’ adventure across the unknown sea, I encourage you to celebrate the courage, the faith, the discipline and the confidence he had to follow his dreams and become a symbol of what each of can do to boys and girls throughout the years past… and in the years to come!  Happy Columbus Day everyone!

Hey… I turned to Piper last night while watching TV and declared: “Well, we can add another item to our ‘Have Done’ list… we’ve been through our 1^st Hurricane!  Yeah!”  Now what else can I dream about doing…