According to Galatians 5:22-23 the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control. For me, joy is not always easily found or expressed. But the fruit is meant to be expressed. So often I hear Christians tell one another they recognized them by the joy they convey, a joy that is not often seen outside of Christ. True joy cannot be found outside of God. Job 20:5 says, “that the exulting of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless but for a moment?”  Joy is not happiness. It is not contingent on circumstances; it relies on who we are and how we perceive the world and our circumstances.
The fruit or results of having the Holy Spirit within us, of walking and acting in the Spirit is transformation to the image of Christ. The characteristics listed in Galatians 5:22-23 are characteristics of Christ. The verse goes on to say that “against these things, there is no law.” When our response is one of choosing to operate in Him, we will not sin. The law is not something we have to consider as we walk in the Spirit. We are freed from the law. Romans 8:1-2 reads, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” How awesome is that? How amazing? What a wonderful reason to rejoice! It seems so difficult for so many to give up the hold of the law though. They want the rules, as long as the rules fit their worldview. They want to know what they should do or shouldn’t do and they judge anyone who doesn’t go along with those rules, even when they, themselves often do not. But following Christ is not about rules, laws, or traditions, it is about seeking God and following Jesus which means walking in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit means having the Spirit indwell you. It means choosing to do what He leads you to do rather than what your natural self, often called “the flesh” would choose to do. Romans 8:5-10 in The Living Bible says,
Those who let themselves be controlled by their lower natures live only to please themselves, but those who follow after the Holy Spirit find themselves doing those things that please God. 6 Following after the Holy Spirit leads to life and peace, but following after the old nature leads to death 7 because the old sinful nature within us is against God. It never did obey God’s laws and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their old sinful selves, bent on following their old evil desires, can never please God.
9 But you are not like that. You are controlled by your new nature if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that if anyone doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ living in him, he is not a Christian at all.)
In the ESV verses 6-7 read this way,
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.
To set one’s mind on the Spirit is a choice. We take part in whether we will think about the Spirit and what He wants for us or on our flesh or our basal desires and pride want. Are we choosing to be hostile to God or submissive to God? To choose to follow laws can still be hostility toward God. To follow laws without the Spirit is to feed one’s pride and that does not yield to God’s will for us. To set our minds on the Spirit and respond in the image of Christ is pleasing to God, glorifies God, and results in demonstrable  and demonstrated love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control, the fruit or results of the Holy Spirit in our lives and hearts.
We want happiness and mistakenly think joyful expression is the result of being happy. That is backward, happiness can be the result of joy but rarely if ever will mere happiness result in true lasting joy. Happiness is transitory since it is based on conditions, events, or situations. In fact, we can have joy even when we are going through difficulties. Psalm 27:5-7 reads,
For he will hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will lift me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be lifted up
    above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
    sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
    be gracious to me and answer me!
You see David was in a day of trouble, yet he was praying and so he was able to worship, shout joyfully, and sing to God because as he sought God, God lifted David’s head. David understood that the Lord was his salvation through everything, that gave him joy. Believer, does that give you joy? No matter what is happening around you, God is your salvation.
Where is joy? Where do we find it? The answer is somewhat obvious but, obvious doesn’t always mean easily understood or accepted. We find joy in The Lord. In 1 Chronicles 16:27 when David is singing a song of praise to God, he says, “Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place.”
Once again, David was praising, he was seeking God. David was in God’s dwelling place and that is where he found strength and joy. The dwelling place of God was His Tabernacle and then the Temple, not a people but a tent and then a building. Now, the dwelling place of God is His church, it is His believers. Ephesians 2:18-22 tells us,
 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
We are joined together into a holy temple in the Lord, a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. The church is God’s dwelling place. Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20). If you can’t find joy, maybe you need to ask yourself when the last time you were with the church, praising and worshipping, fellowshipping and learning. Perhaps you need to consider if you are seeking God or finding yourself. I mean if Jesus is right there with us when only two or three are gathered, how can we not rejoice? If He is there when just a few of us gather, how much more will His presence be encountered, experienced and expressed when there are twenty or one hundred and twenty gathered in His name?
Joy is found in God’s presence. Joy is expressed through praising him and worshipping Him.  We know joy because we know God loves us and cares what happens to us. Psalm 35:27 says, “Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!”
Joy is found in courageous obedience to Jesus, serving Him and His glory, and being a good steward over what He gives us. In The Parable of the Talents, Jesus tells the story of three servants who were entrusted with money from their master. The first was given five talents, the second was given two talents, and the third was given one talent. Upon the master’s return, he found that the first and second servant had traded and doubled the master’s money. The third merely buried the money in the ground. The master took the talent from the third servant. He then told each of the first two servants, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:14-46).
Other kinds of obedience result in joy as well. Spreading the good news about Jesus and helping them by demonstrating His love gives us joy. But the greater joy, the best joy is knowing we are chosen and known by God; we are saved. When Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples, they came back rejoicing over the great things they had done in Jesus name. Luke 10:17-20 reads,
The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
Just after this Jesus prayed in the Holy Spirit. The Bible refers to this as rejoicing! Consider that when we pray in the Spirit, we are rejoicing. Also think about this, in this passage (Luke 10:21-24), as Jesus prays in the Spirit to the Father, God’s triunity is shown so gloriously to us and He invites us into that unity with Him.
In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
We rejoice over our salvation and Jesus’ revelation to us and to those He allows us to show Jesus to. We rejoice because we know Him and because we are known by Him! Do you understand this is The LORD, God Almighty, Creator, Lord of Hosts? He is God and He knows us, and He wants us to know Him! Praise God! That is a magnificent reason to be filled with joy.
There is so much more to say on this topic! Joy is a gift from God, it is a choice we are able make in the Holy Spirit. It is a blessing that we can and should openly express. I leave you with this benediction today.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

What follows is a teaching I have prepared for my church, but it is bursting out of me, I just want to share this with someone. I feel as if there is something here God wants someone to hear. So I have my notes here. I have not changed the wording or linked all the Bible passages as I normally would before posting it on my Salt & Light page. I hope you get something from it.

Let’s begin by reading 1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
 
Various trials… I would say we have seen our share of various trials recently. Yet, at least for me this church, even in its own turmoil has held me together, has been the comfort of God for me. You have wept with me, held your arms around me, and rejoiced with me.
I have not had the happiest couple of months. Losing my mother was extraordinarily difficult. It did not help that when I should have been processing that loss and the pain that accompanied it therefore healing, that it felt like a barrage of calamities hit me one after the other. I know that I was not the only person in this church to experience difficult times. Separately and together, we have had various trials hit us, we have suffered separately and together. I know that the enemy is afraid of Jesus Christ in us, he is afraid of what we can do and who we can be in the Holy Spirit.
There are a number of ways people can deal with tribulations like that.  We could let them defeat us, lay down and say, “you win.” We let the bad circumstances overcome us and become ineffective Christians or wounded self-pitying people. We could, like the world, blame God for the atrocities the enemy is performing all over this broken world.
We could try and fight the enemy, looking for solutions to the problems that pop up. We could run around looking for loans, suing people to get “justice,” or wounding those who have wounded us. But, that is us forgetting the goal, running a race aimlessly or beating the air like a boxer with his eyes closed. That is us fighting the problems, not standing in the faith and promise of God, not remembering our hope, that imperishable inheritance.
Or we could keep our eyes on Jesus, we could remember the goal, seek God, glorify the Lord and bring as many people with us to eternal life as possible. We can hold on to the hope of Christ and rejoice, even in midst of the sorrow. We can believe, truly really believe and so rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. We can listen to the voice of God and do what He tells us to do, even if what He says is, “Rest,” or “Forgive. Vengeance is mine.”
Suffering can result in us turning inward on ourselves and living in the pain the enemy wants us to live in, crippling us in the kingdom. But it can result in greater things, it can result in great glory to God. It can result in us becoming powerful and effective Christians.
In my own suffering, I felt a little like Job. I was not in a self-pity mode, but I reached a point where I was afraid to say, “At least it’s not worse,” because I felt like when I said it, the devil said, “It can be! Let me show you!” But, I stayed in communion with God, even when it wasn’t as passionate as it could have or should have been. He kept reminding me of Genesis 50:20 when Joseph explained to his brothers how and why he forgave them for what they had done to him as a teenager. “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
That is the hope we hold onto, that God will bring good out of all the stuff that happens to us. Paul reminds of it in Romans 8:28-29 as well. It is very good that we are made more like Jesus and other good comes out of it. God wants good for us, He wants salvation for everyone. That doesn’t make the tribulations any less tumultuous, but it does help us to trudge on through them, to obey God, and to eventually look back and even rejoice for what came out of it. The faith that God will work good out of evil and will work good for those who love Him can give us the reason to praise Him even when we are hurting and don’t know what else to say. I can say, “thank you Lord that some of my family and friends got to hear that my mother loved you.” I can praise the Lord because I know I will see my mother again in the resurrection and I know she is with Jesus completely at peace and joy, all her doubts vanished, all her pain gone. I can praise God because through the church being forced to find a new place to meet, we have come to know that we are the church, one body who loves each other very much, who loves Jesus very much and who will continue regardless of a home. That we will be a very strong core to a growing body who will glorify the Lord and impact His Kingdom in ways the devil never could have imagined. The evil he meant for us, God meant for good and to bring about that many people will be saved.
Then my sister encouraged me with some verses from Job. Job 5:8-11 reads,
“As for me, I would seek God,
    and to God would I commit my cause,
9 who does great things and unsearchable,
    marvelous things without number:
10 he gives rain on the earth
    and sends waters on the fields;
11 he sets on high those who are lowly,
    and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
 
Those verses and her prayers ignited me. I knew I needed to seek God even more during this time. I needed to cry out to Him and know He is omnipotent and that He loves perfectly and steadfastly.  I did. I read Psalm 42 because I completely understood what David meant when he described his soul as downcast. It’s so much more than sadness. David said his tears were his food day and night. He said that his soul was in turmoil. That is how I felt. I wanted to stop hurting. I, like David wanted to feel like I had felt in the past at a high point of faith and my walk with Jesus.
What was David’s answer? He said,
“As a deer pants for flowing streams,
    so pants my soul for you, O God.
 My soul thirsts for God,
    for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God”
He said his need for God was a desperation, an absolute requirement for his life, the way a deer requires water.
He said, that he remembered the praise when he poured his soul out to God. And He said in verse 8,
“By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
    and at night his song is with me,
    a prayer to the God of my life.”
He ends the Psalm in verse 11 with,
“Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation and my God.”
 
David turned to God and God covered him in His love and reminded him of the hope and salvation He gave him. I did too. I finally turned fully to God.
We can’t expect to stand firm in Christ if we are not seeking God with the desperation of that panting thirsty deer. We can’t expect to resist the devil if we are inviting him to engage with us by trying to fight him and wrestle with him rather than crying out to God and letting the LORD do great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number as the book of Job reminds us, He does.
My sadness did not magically disappear, but my hope grew and my joy grew. God showed me that a person can be in deep grief, but still have joy. The more I spoke to God, the more I cried out to Him instead of an empty room, the more I looked for the Lord, the more hope and joy I had, regardless of my circumstances.
And then I saw God moving to help me, I saw Him shining His favor on me, improving some of the circumstances that had piled on me.
How does my crying out to God, how does us putting our faith in God rather than ourselves glorify the Lord? People are watching. People are watching our responses and reactions. They see if we dig way down and flex our own muscles or we stand firm in faith and ask the Lord to be our strength, provider, comforter, counselor, and savior. It is not about changing circumstances. Our circumstances can improve but we can remain bereft or we can grow farther away from God as we become what the world sees as strong. Paul was harassed by Satan who had given him something he described as a thorn in his flesh. Paul turned to the LORD and begged Him to take it away. God chose not to change the circumstances, instead He changed His servant.
2 Corinthians 12:7-12 reads,
 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The Lord’s power, His omnipotent unimaginable strength is made perfect, that is it is shown and expressed in our weakness. God can do it all and it is shown best when displayed through our imperfection, our inability, our frailty. It is His strength, not ours that brings people to Jesus. It is God’s strength that allowed Him to lay His life down on the cross and raise up again to defeat death and sin. He empowers us and gives us strength to rise above our circumstances. Paul wrote to the Philippians and said in chapter 4 verses 12-13
12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
When we operate in His strength and not our own, the circumstances do not have to bring us down. But He can and does do great things for us. He does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number!
He will give us the church building He showed us. He will do it in a way, none of us imagined. He can do so much more than any of us can think up. He can and will and has provided for us again and again. He heals! He anoints! He brings people to Himself even through the evil campaigns of the enemy.
And what about the good that comes out of the evil that the enemy tries to work against us? Sometimes we don’t know about it. We don’t know how we were protected from some awful thing. Sometimes it takes time to come about. Scholars guess Joseph spent about thirteen years or so in prison for a crime he did not commit. It was two years from the time he interpreted the dreams of the cup bearer and baker to the time he was asked to serve Pharaoh. It was the gifts and wisdom God had given Joseph that saved Egypt and his family.
But there are many times when God let’s us see the good that came from the thwarted attack of the enemy, the weapons that tried to take us down and maybe even looked like they hit the target. I can tell you that I saw how many people I have that love and care about me, my good friends, my church, my family. God sends those people to be His arms hugging and holding you, His comfort as The Holy Spirit operates through His people as we obey the “one anothers” out of love for Jesus and each other. God sent Job’s friends to comfort him during what had to be horrific and unimaginable sorrow. His friends weren’t perfect, they proved that when they spoke out of themselves rather than the Spirit of God. But Job’s faithful response, changed his friends lives and gave them an encounter with the LORD of Lords.
And often, the good that comes from it is the transformation of our character to the image of Christ. Romans 5:3-5 describes it this way,
3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
 When we’re suffering, not only does the Lord make us more like Jesus but if we choose to pay attention, we can be very aware of the awesome love He has for us. He pours His love into us through the Holy Spirit. He builds us up and He lets us feel that amazing love He is, fill us up with it and even helps us to love others with better with His agape love.
For me, the peace, the comfort, the love all came when I cried out to God, when I sought Him and asked for His help. The joy came when I praised Him for being awesome and good even when my circumstances were terrible.
We can feel so alone in suffering, in trials, and difficulties, but that is a lie from the enemy. Remember God’s promise, “I am with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.” We might ignore God, but He will not leave us, and He will not ignore us. He will not remove His hand from our lives unless we want Him to do that.
One of my favorite names for God is, The God who Sees Me. This was what Hagar called him when she was so hurt by how she was treated by Sarai and Abram after she became pregnant. God pursued her into the wilderness, comforted her and gave her the promise of her son, Ishmael, which means God hears.
We can cry out to Him and know He hears us. We know He sees us, and We know He has compassion for us, and we know that God loves us perfectly because He is love.
And we have more than Hagar’s promise of God hears, we have Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us! We are definitely never alone. And if we are part of a Jesus following, Bible believing, Holy Spirit led church, we also know that the people around us can empathize, that the people around us love us because we are called and empowered to love one another as Jesus loved us. That has been proved in us again and again. We have rejoiced together, we have wept together, we have walked and grown together. That kind of love, the love of God and the love He gives us for one another is what gives us joy regardless of the circumstances.
John 15:7-12
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
 
I praise the Lord. I praise Him, not because the world is honkey dory, but because He is God. Because He is God with me, Awesome Mighty God, Lord God of Hosts. The world doesn’t need the lie that life is a rose garden if you’re saved, the world needs the truth that God is always God. They need to know that He prayed for them in the garden of Gethsemane and that He died for them and resurrected for them. They need to know the hope of eternal life. I praise God because He is I Am.
The world sees the way we respond to problems. They can call us stupid or apathetic, tell us religion is a crutch, or offer advice about what they would do in our circumstances. Their response will not affect or change our lives,; But maybe they can take notice and see how good God is and start a journey to Christ and let their life be changed by Jesus, who gives us strength to do all things.
The first and most important thing we can do when we are being attacked, when we are facing various trials is cry out to God and let Him be God! If we abide in Jesus, whatever we ask will be given to us! We cry out to God. We can listen and obey. We can move as He orders and rest as He orders. We can and should put on the full armor of God letting salvation, righteousness, truth, and faith protect us and wielding the very powerful sword of the Sprit, the Word of God. Every piece of the armor is about Jesus. Jesus is our Salvation. He gives us our righteousness. He gives us our Faith. He is the Truth. He is the Word of God. Ephesians 6:11 tells us to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”
You have the Spirit of God in you! He adores you that much that He chose to live in you. Live in the Spirit rather than doing what the world says you ought to do in your circumstances. Cry out to God and obey Him, submit to His will. James 4:2-7 says it like this,
You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
You don’t have to do more than merely resist, the word for resist is antistēte, it means to set against and withstand.
The same word is used in 1 Peter 5:9 let’s read 1 Peter 5:6-11
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Once again we humble ourselves, we put ourselves under His mighty hand, we cast all our cares on Him and we resist.
What does it mean to resist, to withstand to stand firm or stand against? Exodus 14:13-14 describes a bit about resisting the enemy. When the Israelites reached the Red Sea and they looked and saw the Egyptian army closing in on them, they were afraid, but Moses spoke for the Lord and said, “And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
So, today whatever your circumstances, trials, anxieties, or sorrows I encourage you to cry out to God and put on the whole armor of God. Let’s humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand asking Him to fight for us; let’s resist, stand against the devil firm in our faith that God is mighty and He has called us to His eternal glory. He will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us! He is I Am! Jehovah, Lord God Almighty!

If you are a Christian or have Christian friends then I do not doubt that at some point, some person attempted to comfort or encourage you with Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
When I was younger, I had no idea what that verse meant. I imagine there are many new Christians or less spiritually mature, or those who do not have the chance to read the Bible on their own who are in the same boat I was in. What does it mean? Out of context, the verse gave me a picture of a genie, using the ill-fortune of one man for the benefit of another. I did not find comfort in that. So today, as I begin a series attempting to answer the tough questions, I’ll try to answer this one, “What is the good in Romans 8:28.”
First then, let’s put the verse back into context. Romans 8:24-30 reads,
For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
What is the hope for which we were saved? It is our future glory, our redemption with Christ becoming fully His when it is revealed that we are the sons of God (Romans 8:18-23). To put it more plainly, one day, Jesus will return to gather the saved to Himself. All the dead Christians will resurrect and those still living will join them as they are raised up in the air to meet Jesus. In an instant, every one of us will be transformed, we will be made perfect and as the old earth is destroyed a new earth will replace it. That new earth will have a city called New Jerusalem and there, we will live as one with Jesus and one another (1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 21,) Revelation 21:3-4 reads,
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
 
That hope is not only for the future, it sustains us now and it begins now here on this earth. We are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ and that is the good that all things work toward. The more we are like Jesus, the more God is glorified. Let me interrupt myself a moment to explain what glorifying God is. It is a special sort of praise and honor to God, one in which the world can see a glimpse of the God we know and love, the God who knows and loves all of us. It means we reflect God, we look and act like Jesus because the Holy Spirit indwells us and is day by day transforming us to be more and more like Jesus. 2 Corinthians 3:7-18 in the Message explains glory this way,
7-8 The Government of Death, its constitution chiseled on stone tablets, had a dazzling inaugural. Moses’ face as he delivered the tablets was so bright that day (even though it would fade soon enough) that the people of Israel could no more look right at him than stare into the sun. How much more dazzling, then, the Government of Living Spirit?
9-11 If the Government of Condemnation was impressive, how about this Government of Affirmation? Bright as that old government was, it would look downright dull alongside this new one. If that makeshift arrangement impressed us, how much more this brightly shining government installed for eternity?
12-15 With that kind of hope to excite us, nothing holds us back. Unlike Moses, we have nothing to hide. Everything is out in the open with us. He wore a veil so the children of Israel wouldn’t notice that the glory was fading away—and they didn’t notice. They didn’t notice it then and they don’t notice it now, don’t notice that there’s nothing left behind that veil. Even today when the proclamations of that old, bankrupt government are read out, they can’t see through it. Only Christ can get rid of the veil so they can see for themselves that there’s nothing there.
16-18 Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.
 
He does not save you and then leave you as you were, He saves you and changes you. He works hard in you and we cooperate with Him in that work. Philippians 2:9-13 describes it like this,
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
 
If all things work together for our good, then how can the very worst circumstances possibly be for our good? Consider this, when is it that a person is more likely to turn to God in desperate need? Is it when she has a full belly, big bank account, perfect health, and plenty of friends? Or is it when she is suffering? Our suffering can work for our good, if we allow it to do so. James wrote,
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways (James 1:2-8).
Paul wrote to the Romans something very similar,
 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5).
As we mature, it is not only the bad situations that should bring glory to God through our transformation but all conditions. In Philippians 4:11-13 Paul puts it this way,
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Whatever this broken world brings our way, be it good or bad, The Holy Spirit can use it for our good, our transformation and His glory. Let me leave you with this reminder from 2 Corinthians 3:16-18, this time in the English Standard Version
But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
​

​1 Peter 4
Yesterday we read about how we are different from the world and that difference is expressed by how we treat people. Today, we see how that difference is exhibited by our behavior. Verses 1-3 read,
Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.
Jesus suffered so much and it was for our benefit. Our own suffering, which for most of us will never be as bad as Christ’s can also be for our benefit. We can learn from it and we develop the character of Christ because of it. Romans 5:1-5 says it like this,
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
 
We cannot let Jesus sacrifice on the Cross and His victory over death and sin mean nothing to us by not letting his suffering or own transform us. The past is the past. God no longer sees our sins we He looks at us, He sees us as new righteous creations. There is no sin in Christ. Christ was sinless, He took our sin away, and we no longer have sin in us or on us. 1 John 3:4-6 reads,
Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
 
Although we can and sadly often do act the way we did before we knew Jesus, we do not have to be compelled to sin any longer. Even though we may do things that are considered sins, we are not under the law any longer so theoretically nothing we do is sin. But there are things which produce goodness and things which do not. There are practices, behaviors, and attitudes which exalt God and there are those which exalt ourselves. 1 Corinthians 6:12 says it this way,
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.
 
We are just not the same as we used to be. Exalting ourselves and feeding our basal desires just doesn’t hold the same charm anymore. The world will undoubtedly take note of the difference and they will not like it. The old friends we used to party with, won’t recognize the new person we’ve become and they will want their old friend back. Why? Because our new desire to be good shows them that their actions are not so good. Verses 4-7 read,
 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.
7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.
 
Judgement Day is coming. They will be judged. But our walk with Jesus in the Spirit can speak volumes to the lost. We can tell them the wonderful news of Jesus Christ and they can be saved!  But if we act the way we acted before we knew Jesus, if we sin the way we used to, they won’t see Jesus as real and they won’t see His power and saving grace.
Living by grace doesn’t mean sinning as if there is no such thing as law, it means exercising the power of God within us and living the holy righteous lives we can because God is able to transform us. Verses 8-11 read,
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
 
Grace is wonderful and miraculous. We are not yet perfect but we have been perfected, even while God is still making us perfect. The law is no longer something we follow to be called good. It is part of us, written onto our hearts, so that we understand the crux of it which is reconciliation with God. We are free to love as God loves. Hebrews 10:14-18 reads,
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them
    after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
    and write them on their minds,”
17 then he adds,
“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
 We will make mistakes but if we strive to act out of God’s love, we will not make those mistakes as often. Even when we do, love will cover the mistake with grace. People need God’s grace and we have it! We can show them His marvelous grace through exercising the gifts we’ve been given. We use those gifts for our benefit, the church’s benefit, and the world’s benefit. If we don’t use them, we are not serving Jesus Christ as we could, we are serving ourselves and hiding the Gospel from those who desperately need it.
We will suffer. We do suffer. And there are different kinds of suffering. Sometimes we go through awful things because we acted in certain ways and we have to experience the consequences of those choices. That suffering can discipline us. But sometimes our suffering is undeserved. Sometimes it is because we are standing up for Jesus, walking in the Spirit, and refusing to deny Christ by giving in to sin. That suffering can also teach us but in addition it glorifies God and points the world to Jesus. Verses 12-19 read,
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And
“If the righteous is scarcely saved,
    what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
 
Jesus suffered for our sake and the sake of every person on this planet. He was lifted up and hung on a cross as the world tried to humiliate Him. But the curse they tried to inflict on Jesus became a blessing and honor for us. So when people slander you, try and hurt you, or try to shame you undeservedly, remember Jesus will be glorified. Rejoice, you are being honored and your suffering can be a blessing to those living under the curse of death. Rejoice because the trials you are suffering are making you more like Jesus. If your life is changing to look like Jesus, then maybe you ought to question if you are walking in Christ. If your suffering isn’t reshaping your character into Jesus’ character, then perhaps you ought to question if The Holy Spirit is in you. Judgement Day is coming for all of us.
 

​James 1:1-18
God doesn't send suffering to you, but He does allow you to suffer, to go through trials, and experience tribulations. There is not a person among us who has not suffered. There is probably not a person, who is not right now going through some difficult situation, has not just emerged from one, or is not about to enter one. Believer, you are not alone. Even when your suffering seems worse than anything around you, even when you think no one can or will understand, even when you give in to the lie to isolate yourself in it, you are not alone. The church, your brothers and sisters imbued with the Spirit of Jesus Christ are there, waiting to walk beside you and bear the burden with you and needing you to bear the burden with them. God is with you too. He has chosen to indwell you, to abide in you and He wants you to abide (stay and live) in Him.
One of the reasons that the Gospel of Christ spread so far, even in ancient times was because Christians were persecuted very badly. In order to save their lives, livelihoods, and lifestyles of faith, they had to leave Jerusalem and other cities. They had to leave behind family, friends, and the only faith they had ever known. This terrible maltreatment, discrimination, and oppression led to the scattering of the church, especially the Jewish Christians who could be arrested and killed for not keeping the Pharisaical law.  Verses 1-4 begin James letter to the dispersed church.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
In other words, go ahead and choose to be happy over the various trials you go through. Those trials, whatever they are cause you to exercise your faith. Faith allows you to persevere with resoluteness, to be even instead of not agitated, troubled, or despondent. As you walk faithfully, the Holy Spirit is conforming you to Jesus’ perfect image. That is His will for us (1 Thessalonians 4:3). What a good thing! Faith in God carries you through and grows with each step you take. What is faith? The author of Hebrews defines it this way in Hebrews 11:1-3,
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
God spoke and created the Universe. What He speaks, is. His word is His will (desire) manifested (come to be). So we can have faith that God’s will for us will happen. God wants good things for us! He wants our sanctification. He wants us to glorify Him. He wants us to know Him, to be in a close relationship with Him. Hosea 6:6 is one of my favorite verses.
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
    the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
 
 
Zechariah 13:9 reads,
And I will put this third into the fire,
    and refine them as one refines silver,
    and test them as gold is tested.
They will call upon my name,
    and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘They are my people’;
    and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’
Believer, He wants these things for us, but He will never force us. He will never sanctify us against our will. If we are not willing to look at our trials with His wisdom and grow our faithfulness, steadfastness, and character, then He will not make us. Verses 5-11 read,
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
If we are not willing to look at the situation from a godly perspective or even ask God to show s His perspective, we will not and cannot develop the perseverance that comes from faith, because we won’t have be choosing to look through faith from God’s wise point of view. When we suffer, when we are brought low, God is really bringing us up to His image. But if we refuse and instead want to mourn the worldly things we’ve lost or pursue those worldly things instead of the kingdom of Heaven, God will let us, but we’ll fade away with no impact on the kingdom, no change in us, and no treasures in Heaven. That is why it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle; because the rich man doesn’t want to give up his comfort for suffering (Mark 10:23-25). Faith assures us that whatever we give up for the Lord will be replaced a hundred times over. In Mark 10:29-31 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
Faith reminds us that we have eternal life. It is that hope, that knowledge of what God has done, is doing, and will do that allows us to be happy, to choose joy through the hard times and remain joyful and faithful through the easier times. Verse 12 reads,
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
So many of our trials, so much of our suffering is the result of our own bad choices. Choosing to be joyful through our suffering does not mean believing that God sent you temptation in order to cause you to sin so that you can suffer. When people sin against you, He lets it happen for your discipline, but He doesn’t tempt people to sin, regardless who they are. Verses 13-15 read,
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
I have heard people say and even believed in the past that God sends tests, that He wants me to suffer, be ill, poor, or whatever. Oh believer, God does not rain evil down on you. He will use it for your good and sanctification (Romans 8:28-30), but He doesn’t send evil, there is no evil in Him. He sends good because He is good. Verses 16-18 read,
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
God is steadfast. God never changes. He is good and He is bringing us into His image, making us the best of His creation.
Believer, I know you suffer. God knows you suffer. But you can choose to be joyful through it because you know that it is making you like Him, complete, perfect, and the best He has (and what He has is wonderful and endlessly good). I know you suffer but take joy and if you can’t ask God to show you the situation through His eyes. God wants good for you.

Deuteronomy 33:24 29
Today we will finish reading the blessings of Moses with the blessing of Asher and his final words to Israel. Moses’ prophetic words have taught us so much about our identity in Christ. Today is no different. We have learned how blessed with are, but today we will learn that we are deeply blessed, that we have so much reason to be happy that it is a wonder we don’t go through life dancing and singing. Verse 24 reads,
And of Asher he said,
“Most blessed of sons be Asher;
    let him be the favorite of his brothers,
    and let him dip his foot in oil.”
Most blessed of sons be Asher, he is the happiest of Jacob’s sons and that trait passed on to his descendants. That happiness, that joy made him a favorite of his brothers. Joseph was Jacob’s favorite, but Asher was the favorite of his brothers. He was well loved by people because of his disposition. Even his name means happy. Leah, his mother’s maid was so overjoyed at his birth that she named him for it.
People are attracted to happy people, to joyful people who wear their blessings naturally, not flaunted but enjoyed. Joyfulness praises the Lord throughout the day through the acknowledgment that there is something to be happy about. Some people, myself included don’t tend toward a natural state of joy but joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The believer should have a supernatural joy about her.
I confess when my flesh is overcoming my spirit (when I am letting my natural tendencies toward sin and selfishness overtake the supernatural tendencies of the Spirit to express Jesus Christ’s nature instead of my own) I am disposed to be visibly and outwardly melancholy. When I am under attack, I wear my suffering like a badge, whatever illness, depression, and wounds I have are obvious to the world. I may as well paint them on a banner and parade them. But that is not what my Lord means for me nor for you. He tells us to be blessed, to be happy. He tells us to show our praise and joy to the world. He did after all come to give us gladness and praise instead of mourning and weakness. Isaiah 61:2-3 reads,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion--
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
People showed their joy by dressing appropriately, by anointing their heads with oil, wearing clothes without holes and generally taking the time to care about their appearance. If one were in mourning he would tear his clothes, wear ashes on his head and until he was done mourning he wouldn’t bother with caring about how he looked. Asher’s joy meant not only did he anoint his head with oil, he dipped his feet in oil as well. Even his feet, lowly dirty things that they are, are anointed with oil because he is so happy. His life is a life of joy and it shows.
 The Bible tells us of two different occasions Jesus’ feet were anointed with oil, once by Lazarus’ sister Mary (John 12:1-8) and once by a sinful woman (Luke 7:36-50). Both were prophetic expressions of deep gratitude symbolizing Jesus as the Bridegroom of the church who would lay down His life for His bride. Jesus looked at His crucifixion as joyful, even though He fully knew how horrible it would be. He endured knowing it would happen, He persevered through His tortuous death because He kept in mind the hope of the Resurrection, the conquering of sin, and the joy of our eternal life (Hebrews 12:1-2). We will suffer too. Yet we are called to endure it, we are even called to consider it all joy (James 1:2-4). We can do that because we know it has a purpose and we know that we have hope.
How will anyone else ever know the joy we have, if we don’t live joyfully? If we whine and moan through life, no one will ever question our difference because who would want to moan and whine through life? Isn’t that what too many people do already? Peter told us to always have an answer ready to defend our hope (1 Peter 3:15). That means we should be living life in a hopeful manner, with apparent joy regardless of the circumstances of life.
Deep joy like that gives us strength. If we build our happiness on the Truth of God, the basis for our joy cannot be shaken, we cannot be shaken because we know God cannot be shaken. Verse 25 reads,
“Your bars shall be iron and bronze,
    and as your days, so shall your strength be.”
We mourn when we realize we are sinners in need of repentance. We become broken hearted at the recollection of our sin, but God forgives! Jesus is our Salvation! What a wonderful reason to rejoice. He has called us to be glad, to celebrate the grace not wallow in the sin. When the people of Israel had gathered and heard the reading of the scripture they realized their sin and they mourned, but Ezra spoke to them and said,
“This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep. Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:9-10).
Our joy is praise to God. Our exultation (expressed joy and celebration) is an ongoing prayer and song of thanksgiving to the Lord. Psalm 28:6-9 says it this way,
 Blessed be the Lord!
    For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
    and with my song I give thanks to him.
8 The Lord is the strength of his people;
    he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
    Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
Why do we have joy in the Lord? Because of who He is and what He has done and is doing for us. Verses 26-28 read,
“There is none like God, O Jeshurun,
    who rides through the heavens to your help,
    through the skies in his majesty.
27 The eternal God is your dwelling place,
    and underneath are the everlasting arms.
And he thrust out the enemy before you
    and said, ‘Destroy.’
28 So Israel lived in safety,
    Jacob lived alone,
in a land of grain and wine,
    whose heavens drop down dew.”
Jeshurun is another name for Israel, a term of affection for them. There is none like The LORD God. He rescues us. He will ride His white horse as King of kings through the clouds for our salvation. Revelation 19:11-16 reads,
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”
We can rejoice because as Great and Mighty as He is, The Lord is our dwelling place. We rest in Him. He is never-ending power, ceaseless strength, and unending protection. He holds us in His arms and He defeats the enemy with those same arms. God is good and we can celebrate. God is great and we can be happy. Verse 29 reads,
“Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you,
    a people saved by the Lord,
the shield of your help,
    and the sword of your triumph!
Your enemies shall come fawning to you,
    and you shall tread upon their backs.”
We are unique, no people are like us because no god is like God. We are called to live in joy, shining with happiness and glorifying the Lord. How will people ever want to know who He is if they do not see our distinctive joy celebrate Him? We don’t have to go through life in ashes of mourning, anxiety, or fear. We have Jesus Christ. We exemplify Him through joy. We are blessed, happy because He is The LORD our God.

​Revelation 3:14-22 To the Church in Laodicea
In this message to the church in Laodicea Jesus describes Himself in verse 14.
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.’”
Jesus is the Amen. Amen means, it is true. Jesus is the Amen, the faithful and true witness. He verifies the truth, He is the truth. When we say it, we are saying yes I testify that what was said is true! I agree! Isaiah 65:16 uses the Hebrew word for Amen as a title for God. Jesus description refers the reader to that scripture. Isaiah 65:13-16 reads,
“Therefore thus says the Lord God:
“Behold, my servants shall eat,
    but you shall be hungry;
behold, my servants shall drink,
    but you shall be thirsty;
behold, my servants shall rejoice,
    but you shall be put to shame;
14 behold, my servants shall sing for gladness of heart,
    but you shall cry out for pain of heart
    and shall wail for breaking of spirit.
15 You shall leave your name to my chosen for a curse,
    and the Lord God will put you to death,
    but his servants he will call by another name.
16 So that he who blesses himself in the land
    shall bless himself by the God of truth,
and he who takes an oath in the land
    shall swear by the God of truth;
because the former troubles are forgotten
    and are hidden from my eyes.”
The servants of God, the followers of Jesus will be satisfied, while those who did not recognize their needs will watch and be hungry and thirsty and not be able to get relief form their pain. Jesus’ message to the church is in verses 15-17.
“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. “
My friend recently referred to the church in America as the same as the church in Laodicea. I certainly can see the similarities between the church there and the church here. I think what makes us so lucky in countries like America is the same thing that blinds us to the truth and binds us from real Spiritual power. We, like they are rich financially, we’ve prospered, and need nothing.  According to Forbes, although we have the largest discrepancy of rich and poor among large advanced nations, the poorest 10% of Americans still live better than the richest 10% of people from countries like Russia, Portugal, and Mexico[i].
But the abundance and ease of our lives, even for those of us who are the poorest in America, keeps us from full dependence on God. We don’t need God to be God for us, because we can go to the store for food and we can turn a faucet for water. Jobs can be found. The government does the churches’ job and takes care of the poor. This has caused many of us to live a partial spiritual life. We don’t have time to zealously pursue God because we have to make money to live. We don’t need to pray fervently because our lives are so easy. Because of that we have no idea that we are starving spiritually, that we are not clothed in the garments of Christ, or that our treasure is not in Heaven.
Consider the times when you were most passionate for Jesus, remember the times when you were on a “Spiritual mountain top.” Those times were probably during and just after great suffering, a time when you had to rely on God to carry you through. When did you grow the most in Christ? When did you display the power of and fruit of the Spirit most clearly? Was it after you had been disciplined by the Lord? Was it when you were facing tribulation, persecution, and need? I would venture to guess that like me, the times you most resembled Jesus, were filled with the Spirit, and glorified the Father were those times of suffering.
I’ve heard stories about underground churches in countries like China where Christianity was illegal. The church had to meet secretly at undisclosed locations. No one could risk sending out messages about where the church would gather, yet every Christian met at the right place and the right time because the Holy Spirit told them where to go. Why doesn’t that happen in the US or the UK? We have no need of the Spirit to do that for us. We have watches, Facebook, Email, phones, and no laws restricting us yet. I’ve heard reports about churches in third world countries who meet for worship and stay and listen to teaching for hours and hours, where the people do not want to leave, where the Spirit manifests obviously throughout the day in every way. They don’t have their own bibles, they can’t regularly hear God’s word taught, and they savor the chances they have to hear it. Why don’t we experience that in the US? We have easy access to the Bible, to teaching, and to one another. We don’t know we need God’s Word so desperately so after the sermon reaches 45 minutes we start waiting for it to wind down and then think which restaurant we’ll go to after service has ended.
This easy life has made some of us complacent in our Christian walk. We’ve compartmentalized our lives, job, family, recreation, church, and Jesus. And rarely do the compartments mix. Jesus may be part of our lives if we walk like that but He is not our lives. Jesus tells us what to do if we are tepid rather than on fire, if we are complacent instead of hungry for God in verses 18-19.
“I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”
To buy that pure untarnished treasure takes no money. The poorest or the richest can buy it from Jesus. Isaiah 55:1-3 reads,
“Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
    hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    my steadfast, sure love for David.”
Jesus is the living water who quenches our thirst perfectly. John 4:13-14 reads,
“Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
He is the bread of life. John 6:35-40 says,
“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Too many of us have seen Jesus, have heard the truth, but have not believed. We have access to the treasure of gold refined by fire, but we don’t understand its worth. Matthew 13:44 reads,
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
Would we be willing to give everything up, all our effortlessness of life for the treasure of the Kingdom of Heaven? Or would we like the rich young man, like many who live life without struggle who walked away unsatisfied and afraid to trust God? (Matthew 19:16-22). Jesus loves us and He wants the best for us, which is why He disciplines those He loves. He knows that in order to experience the fullness of who He is, we need to lose some of what we have on earth. We need to suffer, to be refined by fire in order to get rid of the dross (the scum) of our lives. Isaiah 48:9-11 tells us that suffering is what purifies us and makes us better able to glorify God (reflect His image). He doesn’t discipline out of anger, He disciplines out of love.
“For my name's sake I defer my anger,
    for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you,
    that I may not cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
    I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
    for how should my name be profaned?
    My glory I will not give to another.”
Suffering is not just something to endure, it is something to rejoice about, to embrace, and to thank God for. It is through suffer that we truly manifest the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:1-5 reads,
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us”
Jesus is waiting for us to give up our comfortable life and depend on Him. He is waiting for us to ask for gold refined by fire, garments washed in His blood (forgiveness of sin) living water, and the bread of life. Verses 20-22 read,
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
All we have to do is recognize He is offering it and open the door and accept what He has. What He has is a treasure worth more than our lives and complete satisfaction in Him. We can let some of the ease of life go and embrace our suffering which will make our joy complete. When we do that and conquer we will sit with God on His throne. We will experience perfection of eternity in unity with the Lord and there will be no more suffering. It’s okay to suffer now so that we can enjoy an eternity without it. Revelation 21:3-4 reads.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
 


[i] Worstall, T. (2013, July 1). Astonishing numbers: America's poor still live better than most of the rest of humanity. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/06/01/astonishing-numbers-americas-poor-still-live-better-than-most-of-the-rest-of-humanity/
 

​1 Kings 15:16-33
The Lord often uses people we wouldn’t think He would, to bring about what He chooses. He uses people who belong to the enemy to discipline His chosen. Consider Habakkuk 1:5-11 where God uses wicked and depraved Babylon. The Lord will bring good out of bad for those who love and follow Him. (Romans 8:28-29). And remember, we are sealed with and indwelled with the Holy Spirit, we are Children of The LORD, and we are coheirs with Christ. We can take the bad situations and use them for good too. Let’s read about Asa and Baasha.
While Asa, a king who followed the Lord and cleansed the land of idolatry ruled in Judah, another kind of king ruled over Israel. First was Nadab, he did evil in the sight of The Lord and reigned only 2 years. He had such a short reign because Baasha from the house of Issachar, conspired against him while Israel under Nadab’s rule was laying siege to Gibbethon of Philistia.  During the battle Baasha killed the king to take Israel’s throne for himself. Verses 29-30 speak of his first act as Israel’s king.
“And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 30 It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned and that he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel.”
This evil man fulfilled the prophecy of The Lord about Jeroboam’s line because of the immensity of that king’s evil. (1 Kings 14:11-16). This was a revolting act propagated by a malicious man, yet he did what The Lord had prophesied.
Baasha and Asa were constantly at war with each other. Baasha decided to build Ramah to stop people from being able to go in or out of Judah. This meant people couldn’t travel to The Temple in Jerusalem to worship The Lord in truth. Asa love the Lord and so he cared about the people of Judah. People needed to be able to come in and out of the nation freely. But he also cared about the people of Israel who still needed to worship The Lord. So Asa had a plan. Verses 18-21 read,
“Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house and gave them into the hands of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, 19 “Let there be a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 20 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and allChinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21 And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah, and he lived in Tirzah.”
Baasha thought he had a friend in Syria, but Ben-hadad the king of Syria could be bought. And Asa made a covenant with him and paid him a nice price for the treaty. Syria turned on Baasha and Baasha could no longer build Ramah. Then Asa declared that every citizen had to gather the building materials left behind. Verse 22 reads,
“Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them King Asa built Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.”
Asa destroyed an evil deed and made it something good. Baasha was not concerned with anything but himself. Asa cared about God’s people. When we put the Lord first, it follows naturally that we will love people because He does. That is why Jesus connected two great commandments and said that in those two all the laws and the prophets are fulfilled. He said it this way in Matthew 22:37-40,
“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
The second, the command to love your neighbor as yourself is like the command to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. (Mark 12:30 and Luke 10:27 both include the word strength.) Loving your neighbor, other people is like loving The Lord! That is profound. But John goes on to tell us if we do not love others, we cannot claim to love God. We’re liars is we say we love God yet don’t love others. 1 John 4:12-21 reads,
“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
 We have The Spirit of God within us, perfecting us making us more and more like Christ every day that we allow Him to. He uses the suffering we experience, be they consequences of our sins or persecution for championing Christ to bring us closer to perfection.
We don’t have to freak out about the bad stuff. We can actually rejoice in suffering, pain, and all the bad stuff. God uses it for our good. We have God within us, we can use it for good too. We can encourage, comfort, and bring about good for others. Jesus has compassion for us, He understands what we suffer. (Hebrews 2:17-18, Hebrews 4:14-16). Jesus had compassion and He did something about the pain, weakness, and illness people faced. Matthew 9:35-38 reads,
“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
We are called to do something about it as well. People suffer. We suffer. But The Lord comforts and heals. We can bring people into God’s Kingdom and work good out of the bad.

James 1:1-4

This letter from James seems like a New Testament Proverbs. He wanted to pass along as much wisdom as he could to the persecuted and dispersed church. He was the leader of the church in Jerusalem. So he cared to pastor these people even though they were not all in Jerusalem any longer.

Verse 2 reads,

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,”

Are you like me and question if you’ve read that right? Count it ALL joy when you meet trials? How can we do that? How can we view it all as joy when we experience trials? Maybe James didn’t know how hard some of this stuff would be! So maybe James didn’t know suffering.

The early church suffered persecution. Believers were dragged off tortured, imprisoned or killed. He understood suffering. Josephus, a first century historian wrote that James was stoned to death about 62 A.D. He had been the leader of the church for about thirty years by that time. So chances are James experienced many kinds of trials.

I’ve been through stuff that tore me apart, broke my heart, and made me wonder if I would ever get through it. I was supposed to be happy about the pain, the struggle, and the upward climb? How can James expect us to count it all joy when we meet trials? Why would he begin his letter with such a bizarre statement? We are not happy that we lost a loved one. We are not happy to be persecuted. We are happy because when God brings us through the trial, we will be better off. Suffering while not fun has a great purpose. Verse 3 tells us,

“for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

Trials test our faith. God already knows us, He doesn’t need to know how strong our faith is. We go through tests so we can find out how faithful we are. Those tests, trials, and troubles remind us about how great God is, they remind us He is with us. And when we remember how God has brought us through everything else, we can go through each new trouble with more trust. We become more steadfast. What is steadfast? It means firm, unwavering, constant, doubtless.

We’ve seen people go through difficulties and the way they respond says so much about them. Do they whine and complain? Do they crumble under the weight? Do they give up? Do they try and fix the problems? We don’t blame a person for those responses. Those are natural responses to difficulties. But as Christians we have the advantage of The Holy Spirit. We can respond supernaturally. We can take joy because we trust our Lord.

I’ve seen those steadfast and faithful people respond to troubles as well. They are not laughing, but they are calm, trusting, and can even encourage and comfort others while they should be the ones being comforted. The depth of their faith glorifies Jesus and inspires people. And glorifying Jesus is our goal. Glorify doesn’t mean to merely praise God. It means to be like Jesus, to manifest the fruit of the Spirit, the character of Christ. It is the ultimate praise and worship to be like Jesus. It is the greatest expression of love to love others as He loves us. Verse 4 says,

“And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

One day we will be perfect and complete, we will be like Jesus. Now we strive toward that goal. We want that excellence and realization of who we can be.

Since we want to be like Jesus, we understand that each trial is an opportunity to become more faithful, more steadfast, and more like Christ. That is why and how we can count it all joy.

Psalm 77

Have you ever had trouble sleeping? I endure bouts of insomnia often. I cannot turn my brain off. Sometimes my thoughts center on the stresses of my life, and my anxiety steals sleep. This Psalm of Asaph reminds me of the sleepless nights of worry I have spent. Verses 1-6 read,

“I cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, and he will hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, I moan;
    when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

4 You hold my eyelids open;
    I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old,
    the years long ago.
6 I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;
    let me meditate in my heart.”
    Then my spirit made a diligent search:”

What is anxiety? At its foundation it is faithlessness, it is not trusting The Lord. When we’re anxious, we may pray, we may cry out to God almost constantly when we aren’t turning our troubled thoughts over in our heads. But we aren’t listening for the response, we aren’t allowing The Spirit to comfort or guide us. We may meditate, but rather than meditate on God’s Word, faithfulness, or strength, we deliberate on our problems, we contemplate the consequences we see as possible. There is no faith or peace in those prayers or meditations. God is not in them. Verses 7-9 convey the futility of that kind of prayer.

“Will the Lord spurn forever,
    and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
    Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah”

Can you admit that you’ve reached those moments when your cares so overcame you, you wondered if God was real or if He was ever going to deliver you from your struggles? Suffering can engulf us. It can makes us forget God in the midst of our difficulties. We forget to look at the purpose, the joy, and the good results of what we go through. We forget that triumph requires war, conquest requires struggle, and victory requires a contest. Romans 5:1-5 says,

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

It can be easy to concentrate on worries instead of the Lord. It can be easy to meditate on fears instead of Jesus. But take the time to contemplate who God is, what salvation means, and all the great and wonderful things God has done. We pray and listen and let Him tell us we can have faith. We read His Word and remember all the amazing things God has done for His children. Instead of worrying over the future, we look at our past and remember Jesus saved us. We can even look at the beauty of creation and let The Spirit comfort us. In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus told us,

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Asaph stayed awake, he wondered where God was until He finally decided to listen to God, to remember God, and reflect on The Lord’s greatness instead of his own problems. Verses 11-15 read,

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah”

God reminded Asaph of His sovereignty over everything that Asaph couldn’t control. The Lord created the earth and the heavens with words. He has authority over the entirety of creation, He can handle our problems regardless. We can trust Him. Verses 16-18 read,

“When the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    indeed, the deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
    the skies gave forth thunder;
    your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lighted up the world;
    the earth trembled and shook.”

God reminded Asaph of His mighty deeds and Israel’s salvation. Verses 19-20 say,

“Your way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

God led Israel out of the slavery of Egypt to the freedom of The Promised Land. The going was not easy, but God never strayed from His children. Believer, The Spirit led you out of the slavery of the enemy to the freedom of Christ. He is never going to leave you. He can do everything you need Him to do. He created the world. He divided the Red Sea. He rose from the dead! He can manage your room and board just fine.

Stop running after your needs and run after God instead, He’ll take care of everything else.