“Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

Continuing our theme of goal setting, as we anticipate the coming of Christ during this Holy Season, I am writing about joy. It is the time to rejoice with exceeding great joy! As in the first three goals of this series (trust, wisdom, love), joy is in our control. We can choose to have joy, to be joyful, just like we can choose to trust, to gain wisdom, and to love.

I’m no psychologist, but I believe that most humans are inclined “go negative” without some intentional changing of the mind. An article from Psychology Today bears this out. So, to be joyful requires an intention, a choice, a follow-through.

Perhaps it would be helpful to describe or define “joy.” One good definition from Christianity Today is this: “Simply put, Biblical joy is choosing to respond to external circumstances with inner contentment and satisfaction, because we know that God will use these experiences to accomplish His work in and through our lives.” Joy is not being giddy regardless of what is going on, it is not denying our hurts. The fact is that for many, the Christmas season is painful and depressing, and perhaps for valid reasons. So how can we be joyful when we are hurting?

The great news is that we are not on our own. We do have help. Joy is actually a fruit of the spirit, meaning that is a gift or empowerment to all believers by the Holy Spirit when we accept Christ as our Savior. In fact, not only is it available, but joy is also necessary to our Christian walk and testimony. Christians are known by their fruit. Do you want to be known as a Christian? It’s not enough to say you are a Christian. You and I must walk the talk. So then, how do we exhibit the joy that is the fruit of the spirit?

First: Realize that joy is not mutually exclusive with other emotions. Of course, you will mourn and grieve a loss, but you can still have hope. Of course, you will likely experience pain from sickness or injury, but you can still be thankful. Of course, you will be angry when you see someone mistreated, but you can still allow God to use you. Of course, you will be frustrated when troubles come your way (and they surely will), but you can still be content. In other words, don’t think that to be joyful you should not feel pain, bereavement, anger, frustration, etc. Jesus himself felt bereavement, pain, anger, and frustration.

Second: Remember that as believers, regardless of our circumstances, we always have Jesus. He is in us, and we are in Him. The Apostle Paul reinforces, writing from prison while anticipating execution: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4). Jesus himself says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). And James tells us to “consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2).

Third: Reframe your mind to have a joyful mindset; in other words, determine to be joyful. “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans 8:6). Decide that your contentment will be in your relationship with Jesus. Intentionally look for beauty in your surroundings, whether it be in a flower or a child’s smile or in a kind gesture, and give thanks to God.

Fourth, fifth, and sixth: Reflect on your day, repent when you have failed, and resolve to do better tomorrow, with the counsel of the Holy Spirit. We are disciples on a journey; we are pressing on; we are not there yet, but one day we know we will experience joy that knows no bounds. “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we have the best reason in the world to be joyful. Let us rejoice with the Wise Men at this most joyful time of year:

“When they heard the king (Herod), they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:9-11)

In Christ,

Judy

Psalm 103:2–5

“Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

Continuing our theme of goal setting, and seeking first the Kingdom as our priority, today’s devotional will focus on pressing on by working toward greater love. We have already discussed the goals of greater trust and greater wisdom. In the weeks to come we will discuss greater joy and unity.

Today I will write about love. Here are some strong statements, commands even, about love from throughout the Bible:

• “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”  Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27
• “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Leviticus 19:28; Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27
• “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34
• “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12
• “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

How will I focus on obedience to these commands to love God and love one another? I think this is a very challenging goal because we (or maybe I should just speak for myself) are naturally very self-centered. Perhaps that is why Jesus told us that the second greatest commandment (after loving God) is to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And Jesus also gave us the Golden Rule: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

If our standard is how we love ourselves and want to be treated, then we have a guideline for how we should love others. In fact, as he is prone to do, Jesus gave us an even higher command. He said to love others more than ourselves, in that we should be willing to lay down our lives for another. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).  And he was our model.

How do we learn to love like Jesus?

1. We recognize that every human has been made in God’s image. James confirms this when he recognizes the doubleminded nature of our speech, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness” (James 3:9).
2. We cannot truly love God and others unless our hearts are in the right place. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). In other words, we love because of Jesus; we love out of gratitude for his love for us.
3. We make the Golden Rule our baseline: we treat each other better than we expect to be treated.
4. We commit to love as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
5. We are especially mindful of what comes out of our mouths. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29).

This is just a start, but if we can pursue these objectives we will be off to a very good start in growing in our love for others.

In Christ,

Judy

Psalm 103:2–5

“Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

Continuing our theme of goal setting, and seeking first the Kingdom as our priority, today’s devotional will focus on pressing on by working toward greater wisdom.

I admit I am a sort of knowledge junkie. I love to learn new things, and I love to share that knowledge. However, what I really desire is to be able to impart wisdom. That is, I really want to be able to give sound advice at just the right time.

The Oxford Dictionary defines wisdom as “the ability to make sensible decisions and give good advice because of the experience and knowledge that you have.” Notice that wisdom is based on knowledge and experience. Logically, then, you can have knowledge and experience without wisdom, but you can’t have wisdom without knowledge and experience. Knowledge alone can even be dangerous, but wisdom is the right application of knowledge.

As believers, we desire an even higher goal of biblical wisdom, which has as its foundation love for God and for others as we seek to discern what is right and how to live godly lives based on our knowledge and experience. If we want our wisdom to be godly, then we must ensure that our knowledge is from the Bible and that our experience is in the context of the church and good Christian leaders. “Spend time with the wise and you will become wise, but the friends of fools will suffer” (Proverbs 13:20 (NCV)). But first and foremost, if we want godly wisdom, we need to ask God for it. James 5:7 reads: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

Wisdom benefits both ourselves and others. The Book of Proverbs is a wealth of knowledge about wisdom. From Proverbs, here are just a few reasons to pursue godly wisdom:

• To get guidance: “…let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance…” (Proverbs 1:5).
• To find the right course of action: “Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path” (Proverbs 2:9).
• To find favor with God and other people: “Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man” (Proverbs 3:4).
• To please God with my life: “For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord” (Proverbs 8:35).

The Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians in his first letter, verse 1:20 asks: “Where is the wise person? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” Then he answers his own question in verses 30-31: “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

To summarize how we press on to gain godly wisdom in support of our desire to press on to the goal of seeking first the kingdom:

1. We continually remind ourselves and reinforce our knowledge of the wisdom from God by reading God’s Word.
2. We develop our relationship with Christ by praying to him and thanking Him for his guidance.
3. We ask Him specifically for wisdom, both daily and in the moment (James 5:7).
4. We acknowledge the Holy Spirit as our Counselor, and rely on His counsel moment by moment, for each thought that we think, each word that we say, and each action that we take (John 14:26).
5. We intentionally seek the friendship and counsel of godly and wise people (Proverbs 13:20).

It’s just that simple. If our motivation is to glorify God and edify others, I am confident that God will bless our thoughts, words, and deeds and we will be empowered to act with wisdom. “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6).

In Christ,

Judy

Psalm 103:2–5