Category: Author’s Choice

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Lasting Joy

 

My dear sister,

It comes into my soul slowly and softly some days, other days with a force, this joy that fills me from above.  I can’t predict but I can purpose.  Purpose to live with joy.  It’s the newness of the year, the hope of the unknown, the friendship of those close and near, but most of all, it is my Savior and His sacrifice that brings joy.  

You see I often live a deceived life.  You might too.  What are you hoping in?  Is it the next paycheck, the good doctor report (today I’m enjoying one of those), the latest gadget, having the final word?  You fill in the blank…what brings you hope?  I find hope and joy in so many things, and not always in Christ.  But when I’m seeing clearly, my hope and joy are fixed squarely on Christ, as the only TRUE and LASTING source of joy.  All the other counterfeits fizzle out quickly—you know this.  I know this.  Why do we fall?  The allure of sin, omission and commission, it tempts us.  It pulls at our hearts and convinces us that the struggle for true joy in Christ is not worth the fight.  The world with its flashy promises of satisfaction, the flesh, so weak and unwilling at times; these things deprive us of the joy we are meant to live in.  

How can we cling to the promises of Christ and find the joy we need to sustain us?  As we know, like Nehemiah, ‘the joy of the Lord is our strength’ (8:10).  There are a few things that help me live in the joy I’m called to:

~Reflect:  Are you looking into your soul and asking the hard questions?  Are we being honest with ourselves, and others, about where we really our in our walk with Christ?  Our relationships?  Our commitments?  

~Rest & Renew:  Often the answer for me is not doing more, but doing less.  Christ isall-sufficient.  As a college roommate once told me:  “Stop acting like you’re Jesus, Ruth!”

~Remember:  Whether it’s a long talk with a friend, looking over photo albums, or journaling, finding ways to remember God’s faithfulness to me brings me JOY!  (Keeping a gratitude journal is awesome for this as well.)

~Repurpose:  Make choices in line with what God is speaking to you through the Word, wise counsel, and prayer.  Sometimes I know what God is calling me to, and I go the other direction like Jonah.  Making a choice to follow where I’m called ALWAYS brings joy (even if it’s not easy!)

I pray your year is one marked by joy in Jesus, the only lasting source of satisfaction and peace in this world.  

(Listen to the song below for extra encouragement on your quest for joy!)

“I Will Rise”, by Chris Tomlin:

There’s a peace I’ve come to knowThough my heart and flesh may failThere’s an anchor for my soulI can say “It is well”

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles’ wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise
There’s a day that’s drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes
Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead
And I hear the voice of many angels sing,
“Worthy is the Lamb”
And I hear the cry of every longing heart,
“Worthy is the Lamb”
With confidence in Christ’s continued work in you…..your sister, Ruth

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Are We There Yet?

 

 My Dearest Sister,

​

​Do you remember those long, family road trips as a kid to some exciting destination? You know, the ones where ten minutes seemed like an eternity because you couldn’t wait to get to the beach, or grandma’s, or wherever it was your parents were taking you? You must have asked the phrase “Are we there yet?” about a dozen times, always with the same response of  “Nope, not yet.” It seemed as if you would never arrive, but would be stuck in the car, just waiting forever. Sometimes, that’s what life feels like to me, except now God is in the driver’s seat, not my mom or dad. And even though I’ve matured quite a bit since I was eight, I still have that same attitude of impatience. I have this place in mind where I want to be and I want to be there NOW. I don’t want to wait for God to take the detours to avoid the wreckage on the highway or slow down because it’s raining outside. All I can think about is the destination so getting there in one piece is the last thing on my mind. You know, even as a society we lack patience. It seems as if everything today is available quickly, from fast food to on-demand television, instant download music to same-day shipping. We don’t like to wait for anything, do we? So when the topic of waiting on the Lord comes up, it’s no wonder that our response is similar to that of an eight-year-old on a never ending road trip: “Lord, are we there yet?!”

​Whether it’s a job we want, prosperity we’re seeking in a relationship, or even something we desire to happen in someone else’s life, God doesn’t always answer our requests right away. Sometimes, He asks us to wait patiently for Him to do His perfect work. As I’m sure you already know, having patience in God’s timing is not always a simple task. When there is suffering and heartache at hand and we can imagine a way of peace and prosperity that seems much more fitting, it’s not always easy to understand why God works in the way He does. While the Lord’s plan doesn’t always happen as speedily as we would like, we do have the assurance that His timing is better than ours. Ecclesiates 3:11 speaks about this: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” The simple truth about God’s timing is that we will never understand it. Even though He has given us a piece of eternity through salvation, my sister, we cannot comprehend His full plan. It is too great and too perfect for our mortal minds to even begin to understand. We do, however, have the hope that His timing makes all things more beautiful than we can ever imagine, even if we don’t see it upon first glance.

​Going back to those road trips as a kid, did you ever just have the urge to climb in the driver’s seat and take the wheel from your mom or dad because you thought you could do a better job of navigating? Of course not! You were just a kid. You didn’t know how to operate a vehicle and even if you did, you didn’t know which roads to take to get where you were going. What’s more, your feet probably wouldn’t even have reached the pedals. So why do we as Christians get so eager sometimes to take the wheel of our life from God? We don’t always know which roads we’re supposed to take. Most of the time we don’t even know the destination; but we still put God in the passenger seat, look over with a smile and say “I’ve got this, Lord. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.” And then we strap a couple of blocks of wood to our feet, pull out a phone book to sit on, and it’s full speed ahead! Though it’s silly to think of that happening, it’s true. We all have periods in our lives like that. If you’re anything like me, it’s difficult to sit back and relax when we don’t even know where the destination is. We start to worry about the outcome and then the desire to take the wheel from God and find our own way starts to eat away at us.

​To learn patience in waiting on the Lord, my dear sister, we must first learn to trust Him completely with our future. Psalm 27:13-14 exhorts us to do this: “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” We must remember, dear sister, that the Lord is good! He has our very best in mind and will never fail us in that pursuit. And although God’s timing isn’t always as quick as we desire, He knows exactly when we are ready for Him to move in our lives and exactly when we need to be patient and wait. Maybe you have had a certain concern on your heart that you have been praying about for a very long time and you just want to sigh and say “Lord, are we there yet?”. I urge you, dear sister, not to lose heart, but to remember the promises of our Lord; He makes all things beautiful in their own time. Unlike us, He already knows the destination and the way to get there. We just need to trust that His goodness will see us through to the end. While our own earthly parents may have taken a wrong turn on some of those road trips, God never steers us in the wrong direction. Have faith my beloved sister, and wait, I say, on the Lord!

​Your Sister in Christ,

​Lauren

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Faithfullness: Healing

My Dear Sister,

Sin. Apart from God it does irreparable damage to our souls and our lives. Apart from God we are helpless to do anything but walk in the darkness. It is only when the Lord intervenes in our life and awakens us to His glorious light do we realize that we’ve merely been blindly stumbling through our lives without even a flicker of a candle to guide us. Along with the light, we receive new eyes. We can now see the hopelessness of our old ways and the destruction we’ve left in our path. Praise the Lord that it brings Him glory to save us in our helplessness and rescue us from our own depravity. Sin has wreaked havoc on every square inch of our lives, yet God takes us into His arms and promises to heal us. He takes our broken lives and begins the process of sanctification, the process of healing that will continue throughout our entire lifetime. God promises that once He begins this good work He will bring it into completion. Paul says in Philippians, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it into completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (1:6).

Praise the Lord for His great faithfulness. He will never forsake us, and even when we fall He will continue healing us. I’ve seen God been faithful in many ways but if there is one point that His faithfulness is essential it is in making us more like Christ. We will never get there on our own. There are too many broken pieces to put back together, too many jagged edges to smooth away.  If we ignore the damage sin has done to us we will never be healed. Known sin that has not been confessed has the power to devour us. If we make no effort to extract it from our lives it will remain there, eating away at us. Therefore, we must confront it head on. It will not be easy but it is essential for your growth. For we have not been called to impurity, but to holiness (1 Thess. 4:7).

In the Psalms, David cries out to the Lord, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled” (6:2). In Lamentations, Jeremiah writes, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (3:22-23). The Lord is ready to flood you with His mercy; not just today but every day for the rest of your life. His steadfast love will never cease; it will go on for all eternity. With Him by our side we have the power to conquer the sin in our life and He will give us whatever we need to accomplish that end. He will be faithful to renew our souls and heal us with His gentle hands.

The passage in Lamentations goes on to say, “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.” Because the Lord has extracted us from the darkness and has plunged us into His glorious light we now have hope. God is our hope, our Savior and our Light. So hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Confront your sin and ask God to help you pull the root of it completely out of you. He will be faithful; He will give you the strength and He will heal you.

May you be blessed in the year to come,

Kayla