Freely you have received, freely give. Jesus (Matthew 10:8b)
Hans is my neighbour. He is a really generous guy. Since before we even moved in he was looking for ways to help us lend us things that we need. There was the time when I needed an extension lead. And another time when I needed to borrow his wheelbarrow. There was a time when I was between lawnmowers and being able to lend his blessed me heaps. I thank God for Hans.
The other week Hans got my attention from across the fence. He said that his mower had broken down and wondered if he could borrow mine. I replied very positively. I didn’t have to think about. I seriously felt full of joy and literally ran to the shed to get it out and bring it around to his house. And went back inside still beaming and proudly told Sarah starting to realise how much I had enjoyed the opportunity.
I have received freely from my neighbour. And I was so glad to get a chance to give freely back. I think I learnt something about what it can be like to be a cheerful giver (1 Corinthians 9). The only thing I felt compelled by was joy itself.
How much more have I received from Father God! And so freely!
What if I saw opportunities to give to Him this way?
What amazing joy would I experience?!
God has been so incredibly generous to me. What if I truly realised it?
What if I always gave - whether giving money, time, energy or gifts - that freely and joyfully?
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Living Lightly
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Jesus (Matthew 11:23-30)
New Year’s and summer holidays are a great time to reset for a new year. And thanks to God, my family has been able to get a bit better at living lightly this year. As we’ve focussed on God together as a family, prayed together and kept things positive we’ve gotten a bit better at smiling and laughing even when a lot seems to be going on.
But as life sometimes becomes full of activity, it’s easy for activity to become the focus of life. We can become engaged with doing rather than being, with the activities themselves instead of the people around us. Life quickly starts to feel busy, heavy and gets out of the wonderful, “unforced rhythms of grace”, that come from the life of God.
But how do we get out of ‘activity mode’? How can we get back to living out of the overflow of real life from God? I’m not satisfied to presume that there is nothing we can do about it. We’re grown-ups. We can say no. We can exercise self-control. We don't have to wait for our emotions to come around.
Jesus invites us to keep company with Him and that He will show us how to really live – freely and lightly. Wow! What an offer! We have an ever-present life coach who knows everything and lives inside us! Sometimes we just need to slow down or step off our activity track to just – be – with Him. When we make intimacy with Him our goal and priority, then we can realise life that fulfils.
The joy of fulfilment is not going to come through activity. I won’t receive joy when I complete my to-do list or by trying to. Living automatically won’t lead me to joy. But we can take joy as we keep company with Jesus. There is joy in His presence.
We don’t have to stand on a hill and wait for the wind to change.
We can take joy.
We can walk with Him and live now.
New Year’s and summer holidays are a great time to reset for a new year. And thanks to God, my family has been able to get a bit better at living lightly this year. As we’ve focussed on God together as a family, prayed together and kept things positive we’ve gotten a bit better at smiling and laughing even when a lot seems to be going on.
But as life sometimes becomes full of activity, it’s easy for activity to become the focus of life. We can become engaged with doing rather than being, with the activities themselves instead of the people around us. Life quickly starts to feel busy, heavy and gets out of the wonderful, “unforced rhythms of grace”, that come from the life of God.
But how do we get out of ‘activity mode’? How can we get back to living out of the overflow of real life from God? I’m not satisfied to presume that there is nothing we can do about it. We’re grown-ups. We can say no. We can exercise self-control. We don't have to wait for our emotions to come around.
Jesus invites us to keep company with Him and that He will show us how to really live – freely and lightly. Wow! What an offer! We have an ever-present life coach who knows everything and lives inside us! Sometimes we just need to slow down or step off our activity track to just – be – with Him. When we make intimacy with Him our goal and priority, then we can realise life that fulfils.
The joy of fulfilment is not going to come through activity. I won’t receive joy when I complete my to-do list or by trying to. Living automatically won’t lead me to joy. But we can take joy as we keep company with Jesus. There is joy in His presence.
We don’t have to stand on a hill and wait for the wind to change.
We can take joy.
We can walk with Him and live now.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
God is my source
I believe that it is possible to live joyfully, that joy is something we can experience in our day-to-day lives. I believe that we don’t have to wait for joy to come along mysteriously but that we can ‘take’ joy. I am experimenting with believing that joy is the ‘new normal’. Of course, there are times when sorrow is appropriate but as a default – joy is possible.
While I believe that our Father God desires joy for our hearts, I believe also that there is an enemy who seeks to steal our joy. I am realising that I need to be aware of the fight that I am picking as I put my head out in the line of fire by writing a blog on joy. So I have taken to asking why when I am not feeling joy, pursuing an answer from God and His Word.
In the last few days I experienced a feeling that is quite familiar for me, a feeling that I have come to recognise as my confidence slipping from me. It’s an inner battle that I have fought from time to time and won, taking more ground as I go. It had been a while, but I thank God for awareness, or discernment, to see it coming and ask Him for help.
Usually as I feel my confidence slipping away I chase hard after it asking, “Where did I go wrong?” “What is wrong with me?” and, “Where is my joy?” But God is gracious and He snapped me out of this default response showing me how foolish it is for me to focus on myself, and how ensnared I can become chasing my own tail to reach what I can only find in Him.
I remembered the Word in James 4:7-8,
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
Sigh. Selah. What relief we have in Him. God is my source. Surely our joy comes from intimacy with our Heavenly Father.
That day was a great day. I took the car to school that day, and for the first time since Josiah started kindergarten we drove together there and back. He was so excited that we could do that – it was infectious, and I caught on as well.
While I believe that our Father God desires joy for our hearts, I believe also that there is an enemy who seeks to steal our joy. I am realising that I need to be aware of the fight that I am picking as I put my head out in the line of fire by writing a blog on joy. So I have taken to asking why when I am not feeling joy, pursuing an answer from God and His Word.
In the last few days I experienced a feeling that is quite familiar for me, a feeling that I have come to recognise as my confidence slipping from me. It’s an inner battle that I have fought from time to time and won, taking more ground as I go. It had been a while, but I thank God for awareness, or discernment, to see it coming and ask Him for help.
Usually as I feel my confidence slipping away I chase hard after it asking, “Where did I go wrong?” “What is wrong with me?” and, “Where is my joy?” But God is gracious and He snapped me out of this default response showing me how foolish it is for me to focus on myself, and how ensnared I can become chasing my own tail to reach what I can only find in Him.
I remembered the Word in James 4:7-8,
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
Sigh. Selah. What relief we have in Him. God is my source. Surely our joy comes from intimacy with our Heavenly Father.
That day was a great day. I took the car to school that day, and for the first time since Josiah started kindergarten we drove together there and back. He was so excited that we could do that – it was infectious, and I caught on as well.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Live now
Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.
Jesus, Matthew 6:34
Wrong thinking can steal our joy. I realised recently that I was spending a lot of time thinking about the future – which way will it go? How will it be? Theorising and meditating on the future like this simply becomes worrying. Such thinking is frustratingly futile and joy is the most unlikely experience or thought to have.
For a long time, God’s people lived in exile. Instead of enjoying their homeland they were captive in Babylon. And they weren’t enjoying it. God told them to trust Him and wait for His timing. But they could only focus on what they had in the past and what they were hoping for in the future. Prophecy came from Jeremiah, recorded in chapter 29 of his book, that they should start living – really living – there in Babylon; marry and have kids, work hard, pray for things to go well there.
Live now. Live today. Living in the past or the future will do our heads in.
I was just constructing a lego truck with my boy. My mind in default mode easily went to thinking about what I could be doing next – start making brekky, read my TIME magazine, finish blogging. I had to stop myself and realise that I can live now and enjoy the moment without thinking about what comes next. I don’t have to multi-task.
Worrying about the future wastes our time and dishonours our Father God who deserves our trust.
Whatever the future, whatever the details – God is there. He knows and He is not freaking out. So I am free to enjoy the present.
Live now. Have a joy-filled day.
Jesus, Matthew 6:34
Wrong thinking can steal our joy. I realised recently that I was spending a lot of time thinking about the future – which way will it go? How will it be? Theorising and meditating on the future like this simply becomes worrying. Such thinking is frustratingly futile and joy is the most unlikely experience or thought to have.
For a long time, God’s people lived in exile. Instead of enjoying their homeland they were captive in Babylon. And they weren’t enjoying it. God told them to trust Him and wait for His timing. But they could only focus on what they had in the past and what they were hoping for in the future. Prophecy came from Jeremiah, recorded in chapter 29 of his book, that they should start living – really living – there in Babylon; marry and have kids, work hard, pray for things to go well there.
Live now. Live today. Living in the past or the future will do our heads in.
I was just constructing a lego truck with my boy. My mind in default mode easily went to thinking about what I could be doing next – start making brekky, read my TIME magazine, finish blogging. I had to stop myself and realise that I can live now and enjoy the moment without thinking about what comes next. I don’t have to multi-task.
Worrying about the future wastes our time and dishonours our Father God who deserves our trust.
Whatever the future, whatever the details – God is there. He knows and He is not freaking out. So I am free to enjoy the present.
Live now. Have a joy-filled day.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Celebrate
They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
Psalm 145:7
For some reason the word “celebrate” makes me cringe a little. Does anyone remember Australia’s bicentennial campaign? Or, wait for it, the song “Celebrate Jesus”?
Enough cringing, I’m writing about joy.
Having young children has given me the chance to celebrate events that I have often given only passing thoughts to. Their birthdays are huge. And of course Christmas is all the more fun. But I was surprised to enjoy Australia Day (26th January) so much this year.
Given a random day off, I can easily spend most of the day wondering about what we could possibly do before getting to the end of it and wondering if we had any fun at all. This year the kids became really interested and before you know it we were downloading flags to colour in and the kids would count flags on passing cars. We ended up having a great bunch of friends over and filled the barbie with all kinds of carnivorous delights.
We had a great day. We engaged. We celebrated. And we really enjoyed it.
God has given us so many special times to enjoy – but it’s so easy to miss the joy that’s there to receive.
What’s coming up that you can celebrate?
What can you celebrate about today?
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
Psalm 145:7
For some reason the word “celebrate” makes me cringe a little. Does anyone remember Australia’s bicentennial campaign? Or, wait for it, the song “Celebrate Jesus”?
Enough cringing, I’m writing about joy.
Having young children has given me the chance to celebrate events that I have often given only passing thoughts to. Their birthdays are huge. And of course Christmas is all the more fun. But I was surprised to enjoy Australia Day (26th January) so much this year.
Given a random day off, I can easily spend most of the day wondering about what we could possibly do before getting to the end of it and wondering if we had any fun at all. This year the kids became really interested and before you know it we were downloading flags to colour in and the kids would count flags on passing cars. We ended up having a great bunch of friends over and filled the barbie with all kinds of carnivorous delights.
We had a great day. We engaged. We celebrated. And we really enjoyed it.
God has given us so many special times to enjoy – but it’s so easy to miss the joy that’s there to receive.
What’s coming up that you can celebrate?
What can you celebrate about today?
Monday, February 15, 2010
Take joy
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
I have decided to take a theme for this blog for the year. That theme is joy. I don’t particularly consider myself to be a someone who is constantly full of and expressing joy, but I would like to be more like that and I have come to believe that it may be possible. Joy is something we’d all like to have – we could all use some more joy in our relationships and in what we do.
The Bible mentions joy quite frequently and I have long assumed that as a Christian I should have it, but I have often felt less joyful realising I didn't seem to have it. Joy that comes by surprise and bubbles up from somewhere is wonderful but it’s somehow out of my control.
I have been encouraged recently with the idea that joy is something that I could learn. I have started to wonder if joy is something that I could cultivate and reinforce in my life. I am starting to believe that God wants me to have joy and if I can just believe the right stuff and not believe the wrong stuff then I may be able to possibly walk in joy.
By focussing, I want to chase it down, to understand it and to do my best to apply God’s Word to my heart and my life. I know that there will be a huge benefit to my life but also those around me. Imagine if my kids look back when they’re grown and remember me as being joyful in their childhood. Imagine the glory it would bring to God if others could see or sense the joy on my life – even when it’s tough.
I’m feeling a deposit of hope in my soul, that it is possible to live a joy-filled life, that I can take joy.
I am aiming to write weekly. I won’t be following any curriculum or chronology, and I’ll do my best to keep it real. I hope it encourages you. Feedback and following is very welcome.
PS – Sarah has started a great new blog called “Supermum world-changer” very worth checking out at http://supermumworldchanger.blogspot.com
I have decided to take a theme for this blog for the year. That theme is joy. I don’t particularly consider myself to be a someone who is constantly full of and expressing joy, but I would like to be more like that and I have come to believe that it may be possible. Joy is something we’d all like to have – we could all use some more joy in our relationships and in what we do.
The Bible mentions joy quite frequently and I have long assumed that as a Christian I should have it, but I have often felt less joyful realising I didn't seem to have it. Joy that comes by surprise and bubbles up from somewhere is wonderful but it’s somehow out of my control.
I have been encouraged recently with the idea that joy is something that I could learn. I have started to wonder if joy is something that I could cultivate and reinforce in my life. I am starting to believe that God wants me to have joy and if I can just believe the right stuff and not believe the wrong stuff then I may be able to possibly walk in joy.
By focussing, I want to chase it down, to understand it and to do my best to apply God’s Word to my heart and my life. I know that there will be a huge benefit to my life but also those around me. Imagine if my kids look back when they’re grown and remember me as being joyful in their childhood. Imagine the glory it would bring to God if others could see or sense the joy on my life – even when it’s tough.
I’m feeling a deposit of hope in my soul, that it is possible to live a joy-filled life, that I can take joy.
I am aiming to write weekly. I won’t be following any curriculum or chronology, and I’ll do my best to keep it real. I hope it encourages you. Feedback and following is very welcome.
PS – Sarah has started a great new blog called “Supermum world-changer” very worth checking out at http://supermumworldchanger.blogspot.com
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Delights and desires (Mark)
Sounds a bit fleshy, doesn’t it? Sounds like some kind of sensual marketing. But I read it in the Bible.
Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4 (NIV)
We are right of course to disobey the desires of the sinful nature, those temporal and carnal and selfish desires that would destroy us; but we are wrong to throw all of our desires out with the bath water. We are mistaken to mistrust those desires that resonate and flow out from our hearts. God loves us, and our hearts are precious to Him. In Him, our hearts are good and its desires are redeemed. It is the enemy who has an interest in leading us to doubt our hearts.
There are times when I neglect prayer or reading the Word and it’s easy to begin to feel shame, which doesn’t help at all. When I consider that I have a deep desire to know God better and stir that up, then I am ready to run towards Him.
I can become frustrated at work, resenting the busyness and the paperwork. But it does me good to remember that I have a desire to be a good teacher. Stirring that desire motivates me to enjoy my work all the more.
We are invited to delight in our Lord. It blesses our souls and gives us joy to deliberately and intentionally delight in Him. I can dread all the tasks that must be done in a day or I can decide to appreciate the day that I have been given and all the wonderful opportunities that come with it. We can actively take joy and begin to delight in everything that God has done for us and promised us.
And He won’t neglect those desires that are in our hearts. He would see them spring up and lead us to greater wholeness and joy. Of course, the smiles on our faces will glorify Him more and more.
Our hearts are free. Its desires are good. All I need to do is let myself delight in Him, rather than spending all my energy to seek the desires themselves. He will give them to me.
PS - I have been intrigued lately with the idea that I can learn joy. I am wondering if I can learn soul skills that will lead me to live in greater freedom, maturity and joy.
PPS – I have to credit John Eldredge and what I have learnt from his teaching about our hearts and desire. I’m excited that I picked up a copy of his book called ‘Desire’ and I’m going to start reading it today.
Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4 (NIV)
We are right of course to disobey the desires of the sinful nature, those temporal and carnal and selfish desires that would destroy us; but we are wrong to throw all of our desires out with the bath water. We are mistaken to mistrust those desires that resonate and flow out from our hearts. God loves us, and our hearts are precious to Him. In Him, our hearts are good and its desires are redeemed. It is the enemy who has an interest in leading us to doubt our hearts.
There are times when I neglect prayer or reading the Word and it’s easy to begin to feel shame, which doesn’t help at all. When I consider that I have a deep desire to know God better and stir that up, then I am ready to run towards Him.
I can become frustrated at work, resenting the busyness and the paperwork. But it does me good to remember that I have a desire to be a good teacher. Stirring that desire motivates me to enjoy my work all the more.
We are invited to delight in our Lord. It blesses our souls and gives us joy to deliberately and intentionally delight in Him. I can dread all the tasks that must be done in a day or I can decide to appreciate the day that I have been given and all the wonderful opportunities that come with it. We can actively take joy and begin to delight in everything that God has done for us and promised us.
And He won’t neglect those desires that are in our hearts. He would see them spring up and lead us to greater wholeness and joy. Of course, the smiles on our faces will glorify Him more and more.
Our hearts are free. Its desires are good. All I need to do is let myself delight in Him, rather than spending all my energy to seek the desires themselves. He will give them to me.
PS - I have been intrigued lately with the idea that I can learn joy. I am wondering if I can learn soul skills that will lead me to live in greater freedom, maturity and joy.
PPS – I have to credit John Eldredge and what I have learnt from his teaching about our hearts and desire. I’m excited that I picked up a copy of his book called ‘Desire’ and I’m going to start reading it today.
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