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Joy! It’s a wonderful thing! And nothing brings more joy to my heart than knowing that I have Jesus on my side! (Or rather that I am on His side!)

I love those opening verses in Peter’s first letter. Verses 3 to 12 speak of the hope of eternal life. First Peter writes about what we have NOW … many trials and testing by fire. Then he reminds his readers what we will have THEN … a priceless inheritance, wonderful joy, praise and glory and honor.

And right in the middle is my favorite verse in this passage.

“You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.” [1 Peter 1:8 NLT]

What we have when we love and trust Jesus (even though never seeing Him) is a glorious, inexpressible joy – or as some of the older translations render it – joy unspeakable and full of glory!

Right amid the many trials and testing by fire is a glorious, beyond words JOY! I love living in that JOY!

Courage to act and courage to speak. Radiance that comes from being with Jesus. Obedience. Praise and Prayer and Power. Those marks of the Christian are to be highly appreciated and desired. Here is one more, and it is the most elusive of all.

It comes at the end of Acts 4. “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.”

Unity in Christ. You would think it would be so easy, after all we are the Body of Christ, we are all attached to the same Head. But history has given testimony to the fact that Unity is often the one thing missing among us.

Too often we think that uniformity is what God desires, and that is definitely not so. We think everyone should be like us, talk like us, think like us, act like us. And if they don’t, they certainly cannot claim fellowship with Christ.

When we compare ourselves to each other, we get in real trouble. Comparisons always need to be aimed in a different direction, STRAIGHT UP, NOT SIDE TO SIDE. I can always find someone who is worse than me, and ignore those who are better, but when I compare myself with my Master and see how far I have to go, then I realize I don’t have the time to be condemning others for their walk. I’ve got too much to do about me!

It’s been a tough few months. The days have been populated with “troubles” that need to be addressed. I have felt a bit wimpy lately! That probably means I have paid more attention to the “troubles” than I have to the LORD. When I woke this morning, I knew what I needed, what I had been lacking, I need my Bible and prayer and praise.

When my prayer and praise life is interrupted by life in general, I feel spiritually weak. There is no power in my life when there is no praise and prayer.

In Acts 4, when Peter and John left the presence of the rulers and went back to their own people, they reported what had happened and all that the chief priest and elders had said to them. After the people of God listened to the account, they immediately raised their voices together and began to praise, and then they began to pray.

“Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.”  They praised God for who He is and what He had done. [4:23-26]

Then they prayed, “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.”  [4:27-30]

As soon as they were done, “the place where they were meeting was shaken.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”  [4:31]

PRAISE plus PRAYER equals POWER. It was so in Peter’s and John’s day, it is so in ours.

God’s people need God’s comfort. At least this one does. Many are facing situations and difficulties. In Isaiah 40 God’s command is simple: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.”

Then God gives Isaiah a prophecy in verse 3 that has been applied to John the Baptist’s ministry. “Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, ‘Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! Fill in the valleys and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves and smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken!’” [40:3-5 NLT]

In Isaiah’s time when a King wished to travel to another country, he would send out people ahead of him. It was their job to make a road for him to travel on. They would prepare a highway for him, filling in the valleys, leveling the mountains and hills, straightening out the crooked places and making rough places smooth.

When we look at people around us, we can often see the same wilderness conditions. There are valleys of despair and sorrow, valleys so deep they cannot climb out on their own. In other lives, we see mountains; mountains of circumstances and problems, mountains that are completely insurmountable without help.

Then there are those who have crooked places; consciences that have been molded by this world, hearts and attitudes that have been bent by sin. And then there are the rough places. Each of us has rough places in our lives.

God’s comfort that we bring to people is often simply to build a highway just as John the Baptist did for Jesus the King of kings to come into a life so that He can reveal His glory.

I have had a few tough months. I was talking to my friend the other day and said it’s been like walking with a pebble in my shoe. Then getting another pebble, and another, and another, and …. One problem or trial is difficult, but compound problems or trials is often overwhelming and awakens emotions (even doubts) I thought I had already conquered in the power of God’s Spirit.

I was walking around the house as I was wrestling with the “pebbles.” Walking through Bob’s office I spotted a magnet on Bob’s gun cabinet. It said in large letters “10 Things God Wants You to Remember.” I walked past it a couple times until my curiosity got the better of me and I finally pulled it off the cabinet.

What 10 things does God want us to remember?  At least what 10 things does the magnet’s creator think God wants us to remember?

1-I will bless you. 2-I will not fail you. 3-I will provide for you. 4-I will be with you. 5-I love you. 6-I am for you. 7-I believe in you. 8-I will answer you. 9-I will strengthen you. 10-I will give you rest.

I don’t know about you, but I “know” all those things. But it is one thing to “know” them, it is another thing to “live” them … and still another thing to “live” them amid the trials and difficulties that are so much a part of this life.

In professional sports, such as baseball, when a player is struggling, they are often sent “down to Triple-A” so that they can refresh the basics. Maybe I need to refresh the basics too.  Often the simplest truths are the weightiest. You are welcome to join me over the next ten days.

I had an MRI last Friday to see if there was any “progression” in a certain issue. Thankfully (PTL), there was none, and that issue can be shelved for two years. Unfortunately, the MRI discovered a couple other “issues” that will need follow up investigations.

At the same time of that MRI, I was dealing with a pinched nerve in my neck – not a new issue but one that I have battled for six years. That doctor wants another MRI to see if there is progression in the spinal stenosis.

As part of my recent MRI, I had to update paperwork. St. Luke’s graciously (wisely?) printed off the list of my surgeries and procedures – it covered two pages. I started to laugh. I’m sitting in the waiting room waiting for an MRI and thinking about all that is wrong with me and realizing that meme is certainly applicable – “I have Early On-set Rigor Mortis!”

 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away …” Yep, like Paul, I am outwardly wasting away. But … I prayfully hope that “inwardly” I am allowing the LORD to renew me day by day.

Whatever is happening in my body they are but light and momentary troubles that are “achieving for [me] an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”  [2 Corinthians 4:16-17 NIV]

PTL

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” [Galatians 5:22-23 NLT]

We experienced such kindness on this trip. Our children took such good care of us. Our son and grandson graciously helped us when we needed to go up a set of stairs to the restrooms or across the uneven ground we found at the graduation.

Too often we think Kindness involves big acts, such as buying a car for an employee who bikes miles to work. More often kindness is a small gesture of thoughtfulness. It is something that should flow through our lives every day and touch everyone.

The small acts of Kindness we experienced over those five days reminded me of a time after we moved from California to Boise. It was just Bob and me; we had a 3-bedroom rental. One spare bedroom we set up as an office and the other as a guest room.

The church needed to provide housing for missionaries who were coming to town, and we volunteered. When I set up the guest room, I tried to think of things that I would want to have if I was visiting. I added extra pillows and blankets, lotions, extra towels in the bath, etc.

After the first night, the woman came to me and thanked me (in tears) – for the extra pillows. She said so often the places they stayed didn’t have extras. She either had to ask or do without.

Kindness should be the atmosphere we walk in, shared with all we encounter.

We just returned from Arizona. I have been offline because we traveled to Glendale for our grandson’s graduation ceremony. It was so delightful to be there with our family. We are blessed now with four grandsons, three granddaughters and one great. To be a small part of their lives is such a blessing.

Psalm 127:3 tells us that “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.” [NLT], and Proverbs 17:6 reminds us that “Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged.” [NLT]

There is nothing more precious than spending time with a child. It doesn’t matter if that child has our DNA or comes to us through adoption or marriage.

Just a few minutes with a baby reminds us of all that is right with the world. And watching little ones grow into toddlers and then preschoolers is such fun! I love the elementary years when they are like sponges learning and growing and finding a sense of who they are. And while I know all the things said about teenagers, and how difficult those years can be, I love teenagers! Finally, being able to converse on an adult level and see how God is moving in their lives is one of the greatest blessings in life.

I also know that as parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, Kids Church teachers, no matter how we relate to children, we have a responsibility to present the LORD Christ Jesus to them so that they fall in love with their Savior and walk with Him throughout their lives.

I used to remind people when I was a pastor that I’m human, which means I am going to do something stupid, react a wrong way, hurt rather than help. I’m not perfect – I’m not God. I always added that we must hang our hopes on the Savior, not the pastor.

Sounds good, doesn’t it. Until I really do something stupid, react a wrong way, hurt rather than help. When that does happen, life becomes very difficult – both for those my actions affected and for me.

Part of the problem is that while I know I’m not perfect (just as I reminded people from the pulpit), it hurts when I realize just how horribly imperfect I truly am. I remember then that I also must hang my hopes on my Savior, not on myself.

It is then that I find myself crying out for mercy like that tax-collector in the temple. “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’” [Luke 18:13 NIV]

Jesus said the man who cried like that, rather than the one who exalted himself, went away justified. I know when I do something stupid that I am forgiven by God. Unfortunately, I must cling to that promise too often.

Every now and then a phrase will come along and resound in my spirit. I will be reading the Word of God and then suddenly stop. That often happens in Romans 5 when I read about God’s marvelous gift of grace that came to me while I was still a sinner, still His enemy.

This morning, God spoke with just three little words!

“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” [Romans 5:10 NIV]

“How much more!” I heard God whisper … “Do you truly understand that you are living in the ‘how much more?’”

Everything BEGAN when we were reconciled to God through the death of Christ Jesus – it began. Now, reconciled, saved, we are LIVING in the “how much more!”

There is no end to “how much more!” There are no limits to “how much more!”

The question is, “How much do we trust Him for the ‘how much more?’”