His Joy Completes Us

 

The joy of the Lord is my strength… Nehemiah 8: 10

This is one of those intriguing verses that both, confuse me and delight me.  I’ve never been completely sure what it truly means.  But, the words have always had an impact…even when I don’t fully grasp it…the words grab my soul. 

We spent a glorious week at Lake Erie recently, and one morning, I decided to go down to the beach by myself to enjoy the quiet serenity of the waters.  After I walked a bit and looked for some beach glass, I sat down on a rock to just be…to admire the splendor of my surroundings…and the majesty of Lake Erie in all its glory melted my heart.  Scripture thoughts came to mind at that moment. Thoughts of how creation reflects God’s nature and who He is, like Romans 1: 20, floated in my mind as I contemplated the beauty of the place: 

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." Romans 1: 20

Then, this realization came to me: everything I love about the great lake speaks to me about God and who He is:  immense, powerful, overwhelming, owe-inspiring, and absolutely, indescribably, stunningly gorgeous.  Contemplating the emotions that the lake evokes in my heart leave me breathless and speechless.  And above all…it fills me with joy.

In that solitude, I closed my eyes for it was almost too much…and something I had just read a few minutes before I made the trek down the 80+ steps to the beach came to my mind…it was just a few words:  “it is not our joy…it is His joy…” that’s when it clicked:  the joy this place fills me with is not mine, it is His joy.  And, in turn, in His joy, my heart fills up with His joy, and in that joy, I am renewed and strengthened.  The sensations I experience when the Joy of the Lord fills my soul are a manifestation of power and strength that allow me to face life and whatever comes with it…therefore, the joy of the Lord is, indeed, my strength!

Oh, how marvelous!

I breathed in the clean, morning air, deeply grateful for these moments.  And to think that the way the immensity and the beauty of Lake Erie blows me away is a pale comparison to the way Our Lord’s Majestic Presence will one day make me feel…praises flow out of my soul.  Worthy is the Lamb.  May His Joy strengthen us each and every day, as creation reminds us of who He is.

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 

John 15: 11

On Wings like Eagles

 “They will soar on wings like eagles…” Isaiah 40: 31b

This portion of verse 31 in Isaiah chapter 40 has never come to live in a more vivid way that this summer when we spent a week at a waterfront property on the shores of Lake Erie.  Staying at that place was a gift from the Almighty to help us relax and unwind after an incredibly trying year.  Many blessings were discovered during that week.  But one that would be most enduring and endearing, I believe, is the eagles. 

Little did we know, when we first arrived, that the house we were staying at was in the flight path of a couple of eagles that lived in the wild, calling a tree 500 feet away from us, home.  I spotted it first.  It was our first morning waking up in the house.  As it became my morning routine, I went to my favorite spot, the area I nick-named “the sunset room” to stare at the lake.  At that moment, I saw a big bird flying back to shore from way deep in the horizon.  I followed the bird with my eyes until it disappeared among the trees nearby.  I mentioned it to Dan saying something like, “it was a huge bird…do you think it might have been an eagle?”

I’ve never seen an eagle in the wild, let alone a bald eagle.  Dan dismissed me and the day got away from us, setting the thought of the big bird aside in my brain.  The next day came, and in the early afternoon, we planted a couple of chairs under the shadow of a big tree on the little private beach that was part of the property we were staying at.  Dylan was trying to brave the cold, lake Earie waters by splashing around, when, all of a sudden…this magnificent bird just flew by, low, parallel to the lake, quietly gliding…turning his head toward us as if to make sure we recognized it.  We were speechless.  It was a bald eagle in all its splendor. 

The next day, the waters were fiercely choppy.  There was a warning not to get in the lake under danger of being smashed against the rocks.  The winds were howling.  Nobody was around…as usual, I was in the sunset room, just staring at the immensity of the sea, marveling at its raw power…and yep, you guessed it: the eagle flew by back and forth.  I called Dan and Dylan as if I had found gold.  We went outside and there he came by again.  This time, we follow him until he found what we realized was his perching branch, then, the most amazing thing, we spotted another bald eagle in the distance.  There were two!!  They performed a magnificent eagle show, flying by, back and forth…at one time we saw them both perching on the same branch.  We walked there, we saw the one up close…and watched their flying in amazement.  That day, we finally witnessed what it means to soar.

These majestic birds didn't just fly, they soared…the intensity of the winds and the roughness of the sea rather than slow them down or intimidate them, seemed to energize them.  They soared above it all powered by the strength of their wings…on wings like eagles…

The ability to soar above it all was given to eagles by God.  And He promised that we will be able to do that as well.  The same power that makes eagles soar in the high winds and above the disturbing waves…the same power that rose Jesus from the dead lives in us and gives life to our mortal beings.  (Romans 8: 11)

but those who hope in the Lord

    will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

    they will run and not grow weary,

    they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40: 31

 

We continued to see the bald eagles circumventing the lake in their majestic soaring during most of the week.  The waters and the winds eventually calmed down, but my soul was forever touched…

Salt and Light

 You are the salt of the earth... (Matthew 5: 13a)

You are the light of the world... (Matthew 5: 14a)

I heard a meditation on these two core principles of Christianity which filled me with hope, so I wanted to share my own reflections based on what I heard, hoping they will be a blessing to you as well.

The meditation reminded us that in this passages, which are part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is not saying anything like, 'you will be the salt of the earth and the light of the world' or 'you could be...' or 'you might be...'  He is not saying, 'put your mind to it and you may be...'  He is saying:  "you ARE..." For those of us who are like me and do not have much faith in one's own abilities or adequacy, it is hard to believe that we "ARE" the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  People like me tend to believe the only thing we "are" is failure, disappointment, sinner, loser, lost, inadequate and overall, just profoundly flawed and incapable of "being" anything more than a mere worthless, wretched waste of good space.  It's harsh, I know...but...I can't deny I often think of myself just as described. The reflection I heard today, however, reminded me that I have actually very little to do with being the salt and the light.

The thing is...the ultimate truth is... it is not about me.  Boy, have any other set of 5 words been such a deep revelation to me, Praise the Lord that the Holy Spirit inspired Pastor Rick Warren to utter them so clearly all those many years ago in his book The Purpose Driven Life. 

It's not about me...it is not about my good deeds or my lack of thereof.  It is not about my lack of will-power or my inabilities, failures or inadequacies. It is all about the power of the Holy Spirit living in me.  It is all about that blessed Third Person of the Holy Trinity who chose to reside in me and act through me, that I can possibly be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  It is the Holy Spirit the One who is the Salt and the Light...and since He lives in my heart, in my soul...then, I'm able to be Salt and Light as well.  It is the deeds of the Holy Spirit enacted through Christians that are the Salt and the Light; therefore, we are.  

That is why Jesus says "You ARE..." because you HAVE the Holy Spirit and He is the Salt and the Light; therefore, you ARE!

That's why we are called to be like Jesus...we are to be "imitators of Christ" like Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11: 1.  We are conformed to the image of the Son; (Romans 8: 29) therefore, Christ presence must show through us.  It's inevitable.  We can't help it.  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined...(Romans 8: 29a) and, even in our sin and in our deeply flawed day-to-day existence, the miracle, the greatest gift is that Christ lives in us...and nothing can change that...not even us.

We strive to be like Jesus.  We seek Him first.  We try to walk with Him.  But, even as we fail ... He is there, shaping us, finding us, picking us up, never letting go.  He died, to save us!  Why would He abandon us now?  He won't.

He is the saltiness in the salt and the flame in the light.  Regardless of how perfect we might think our deeds are and how magnificently we belief we are doing our job...without Christ...it all amounts to nothing.  That is the real failure: forgetting that it is all about Him.

Not by my will, but by His Might!

I can't believe it just got so dark in here.  A minute ago I had to close the shutters because the sun was hitting my eyes, and now, I have to open them because all the light is gone.  Dark clouds cover the sky...yuk... a thought pops into my mind:  I have NO will-power.  That is a truth about me that I try to hide as best as I can.  The thing is, the person I try to hide this truth from the most is myself.  But, then, the truth comes out and it explodes in my face, leaving me disheartened.  Like, when I'm sitting in my reclining chair at night, watching a show, feeling and looking totally bloated after devouring a thousand snacks...because I was hungry and didn't have the will-power to say NO to myself.

UGH!

I don't know where I'm going with these thoughts.  The only thing I know is that I'm not feeling particularly in-love with myself this afternoon. Perhaps, it's the fact that Grant left for work today, which means I won't see him more than Saturday nights, and after having him home for a month, I'm feeling deflated by seeing he is gone again.  Maybe, it's the fact that work is consuming me and I feel like I'm drowning.  I also think the fact that Dylan is running in 3 different directions today (which means I have to drive him) is particularly stressing me out right now. Or, it might be that I feel trapped in my clothes because of all the weight I've gained lately due to the fact that I can't muster the will-power to stop eating, precisely because I have NO will-power!

Sigh...

I look out the window and see that the dark clouds have actually gone away, leaving room for the blue skies to shine again.  Then, another thought pops into my mind out of nowhere: whatever is causing me to be unhappy with myself today is not powerful enough to destroy a truly fundamental truth:  I can do all things in Christ who gives me strength...in Christ who makes all things new. (Philippians 4: 13, Revelations 21: 5)

Just like the blue skies are always there, even when they are covered by dark clouds, Jesus is always in me, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, even when I allow my mind to go to all my dark places.  I know my lack of will-power often drags me down to the pit, leaving me emotionally deflated. But I also know that Christ's Powerful Hand is always extended towards me, to lift me up, and to bring me out, where I can breathe again. Not even my non-existing will-power can erase that...because it is not about me or about what I do.  It is all about Him and about what He has done and continues to do for me...for us.  It is not by my will.  It is by His Might!  It's not by my will that things might happen.  It's by His Might that they get done!

Follow Him

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 1 Peter 2: 12

"I open the door for a girl today..." Dylan said as he was getting into my car when I went to pick him up after open-gym last week. "When she asked if someone could help her, nobody moved...I looked at the other guys and they didn't move. It's like they froze. Then, I got up and open it for her, and she said, 'thank you VERY much'..." He was proud and excited. I said, "good job, Dylan, always be ready to help, be a gentleman. Girls like that, even if society tells them they don't..." I was thinking in my head, "you should not have waited until she asked for help"...but...I have to pick my battles, I guess... "She will remember that, I guarantee it," I told him.  He felt good about it, especially because he thought that small action might have gotten him bonus points in the 'guys-to-keep-in-mind-for-possible-dates' score-card... I know...well, he is almost 16, so what am I going to do, right?

Anyway, reading 1 Peter 2: 12 made me think of this incident.  How do we live our lives in front of the pagans who deny God? How do we live out our faith as Christians in a society that tries to erase any trace of the Judeo-Christian values that constitute the foundations of this nation? How do we remain faithful as we witness the inevitable collapse of our country?

We have to do our part.  But, what's our part?

I think our job is to make sure we share our beliefs with those within our circle of influence and make an effort to live our lives in a way that demonstrate our faith:  let our actions be a reflection of Christ to those who watch us.  The problem is: do we have what it takes to live like this?

I fail over and over and over again.  My good deeds are lacking and my mouth is silent. In my fear of stepping on a mine as I walk on the mine-field that is my life, I freeze.  I don't want to be accused of doing wrong because that would jeopardize my position and our financial stability.  It's like I forget that I have been set free for often I feel as if I'm a slave to the pagans...and I'm ashamed of it...

What can I do?

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4: 18-20

Follow Him. That's what we must do: continue to follow Him regardless of the consequences.  Empowered by the Holy Spirit, follow Him. Covered by His Love, follow Him.  Strengthened by His Power, follow Him.  Offering our weaknesses as a sacrifice, follow Him.  Giving Him our failures and our disappointing deeds, follow Him. Remembering not to be anxious about our future, follow Him. Trusting His provision, follow Him. Being willing to take that small step to open the door for someone in need, follow Him. Surrendered at the foot of the Cross in all our weakness, follow Him. 

I don't know if Dylan will get high points in the girl-scoreboard ever...but I hope he is always ready to take that step of faith that will lead him to follow Him and to bring some light into this dark, dark world.  As for me...I trust the Holy Spirit will push me to where I need to be.  In the Precious Name of the One We Follow, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Leader.  Amen!

The Bridges of God

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. John 16: 13

Pastor Dan at church on Sunday used the analogy of bridges to refer to the Holy Spirit.  He pointed out how, after Jesus' physical presence from the world was gone, the Holy Spirit became our bridge to connect with God on a regular basis.  That was Jesus' promise in John 16:13, that even though His physical presence would not be with us anymore for a while, He would send The Advocate, the Truth Bearer, the Revealer of All Things to dwell in us and guide us.

What a magnificent message!  Jesus' words were meant to console His Disciples and to prepare them for their time of grief, but they were also meant for us, centuries later, His new disciples, the Church, to reiterate the truth of His Presence in us.  Therefore, the message is intended to keep us from despair and to give us hope, the kind of hope that a feeling of connection brings.  Here's where the analogy of the bridge works so well.  What does a bridge represent if not the connecting of two points that were previously separated by a chasm? 

Humanity had been on the other side of the abyss since Adam and Eve, but Jesus changed all that.  That's what the tearing of the Temple veil means: there is no more separation between humanity and God.  There is now a bridge and that bridge is Jesus. (Matthew 27: 51, Mark 15: 38, Luke 23: 45, Hebrews 10: 19-22) And once Jesus ascended, the bridge remained in the presence of the Holy Spirit in us: the Spirit of Truth and Understanding, Our Guide, Our Consoler, Our Advocate. (John 16: 7-15)

However, the miracle of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit does not stop at a personal level.  It is not a private miracle intended just for the individual.  The way I see it is more circular:  Jesus came down to earth to become the Bridge to God.  He ascended into Heaven for a while, but sent the Holy Spirit to reinforced and cement that Bridge to God.  The Holy Spirit dwells in God's children.  God's children carry the Holy Spirit in them.  Perhaps, then, the Holy Spirit allows and empowers God's children to become the bridges of God themselves.

I'm not saying that as individuals who are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we become the Holy Spirit and therefore, have the power to save.  Absolutely not.  My point is that, it might be possible, that the Holy Spirit in us can act through us to be the arms, hands, feet and voice of God while here on earth, and maybe, the same way, also as His bridges.  We, often, might be the only reference to God that a person may encounter in their life.  Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Bridge becomes available to those who are lost and still standing on the other side of the gap, through us.  

The gift of His Presence in me, is not just for me.  This is a gift that is supposed to be shared with the world...even if the world doesn't even know they want it.

The Bridge is already built.  Jesus is the Bridge.  May the Holy Spirit show us the way to extending Him, Christ the Great Bridge, to those around us. In His Precious Name.  Amen!