Strength in Joy..Craig Denison Ministries

 Strength in Joy

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

As children of the Most High God, we are to be marked by contagious, unceasing joy. Through the Holy Spirit we have access to an unending supply of joy that comes from the wellspring of restored relationship with our heavenly Father. God longs to fill us with his joy that we might live the abundant life Jesus died to give us. He longs to make us children fashioned in the image of our Father that we might share his unending joy to a world without hope. May you discover the greater portion of joy available to you through the Spirit as you encounter the heart of your Father this week.

Scripture:“And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

Devotional:    

The strength that comes from the joy of restored relationship with our heavenly Father is unlike any other strength we can find in ourselves. The joy of the Lord is unceasing, unwavering, and powerful. It comes from a place of internal peace with God rather than external, fleeting circumstances. And it is wholly available to us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord. May we be a people marked by the joy of our heavenly Father as we allow God to come and fill our lives with his powerful presence today.

Nehemiah 8 gives revelation on God’s desire to establish joy at the foundation of following him. In Nehemiah 8, the nation of Israel had just rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem and were learning again what it is to live in obedience to the word of God. As Ezra opens God’s word, the people fall on their faces in mourning and shame for their disobedience. And in response to their tears, Nehemiah proclaims to God’s people, “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 8:10). God desires for joy to be at the foundation of relationship with him. He longs for us to be a people marked by the joy that can only come from restored relationship with our Creator. His joy is to be our strength.

The true picture of strength in the earth is total joy that comes from dependence on our heavenly Father. Psalm 16:8-11 says, “I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”  It’s only in utter dependence that the Lord is able to fully work in and through us. It’s only in setting him always before us that we will be fully strengthened by the joy that comes from relationship with him. And it’s only in continually seeking his presence that we will discover the fullness of joy and pleasure meant to be our portion as his children.

God wants to be your strength today. He wants to root and ground you in his unshakable joy. He longs to guide you to the still waters and do a mighty work in your heart to increase your capacity for his joy. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” May you discover the powerful medicine of joy today as you enter into a time of guided prayer.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the strength that comes from joy alone. Allow Scripture to fill you with a desire to have more of the joy available to you in God.

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17

“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 8:10

“I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:8-11

2. What care, thought, or burden is keeping you from the fullness of joy today? What area of your life do you need to surrender in order to live in total dependence on your heavenly Father? Where is God wanting to fill you with his abundant joy today?

“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

3. Surrender every area of your life to the capable hands of God and enter into the joy that comes from dependent relationship with your Creator. Rest in his peaceful presence and allow him to fill you with joy overflowing. Ask him to guide you into a more joyful life and to free you from whatever bonds would keep you from experiencing all he has for you.

“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.” Psalm 28:7

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:12

May Paul’s prayer to the Colossians be your pursuit today as you seek to live in the fullness of life Jesus died to give you:

“May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.” Colossians 1:11

Extended Reading: Nehemiah 8

Is Your Prayer Life Built on the Rock?..Clarence L. Haynes Jr.

 Is Your Prayer Life Built on the Rock?

By Clarence L. Haynes Jr. 

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” - Matthew 7:24-25

There is a challenge of faith we all experience. That challenge is the distance between knowing what we are supposed to do and what we actually do. So often, we get excited to hear God's Word, and we celebrate over what it says. The problem is we struggle to put it into practice. I will admit it is easy to put God's Word into practice when everything is going well in your life. However, are you willing to do the same thing when everything seems to be falling apart? The test of faith and obedience is what you do when things are not going right. This proves where you are building your house.

As I have gotten older and more mature (hopefully), I recognize that many love to hear God's Word, but we struggle to put it into practice. Some of this struggle is because we don't want to do it. The other part of the struggle exists because what God asks us to do may be difficult. I want to speak to myself and to you so we would not just be hearers of God's Word but doers as well.

The blessing is in doing.
The blessing of God's Word is connected to how much you put it into practice. This is the urging we see throughout the Scriptures, and Jesus equates this to being a wise man who is building his house upon the rock. The test of wisdom is, are you putting Jesus' words into practice? You are not just listening but doing. When we stop hearing the word and fail to act on it, we only fool ourselves. James 1:22 says, 

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” NLT

Is your prayer life built on the rock?
Since this is how you should live, how are you doing? One area where there is a tendency to breakdown and not put God's Word into practice is with prayer. We bring our requests to God but hold on to the anxiety that goes with it. We don't typically associate this with not putting the Word into practice, but that is exactly what it is.

One reason we pray is to let go of things causing us anxiety. We get the first part right and exercise wisdom in bringing them to God. However, we miss the second part because, foolishly, we keep the anxiety that led us to pray in the first place. I have done a lot of worrying in my day, and I can assure you it produces nothing good in your life, nor does it change any situation. By the way, Jesus told us it wouldn't. Remember these words.

“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” - Matthew 6:27

The obvious answer is no, yet how often do we continue to worry even after praying? Why do we do this? It's because of that gap between knowing what to do and doing it. Don't get me wrong. I am not trying to pass judgment or declare that this is easy. I have wrestled with this enough to know it's not. However, if we will hold on to God's word and do what it says, we need to cast our anxieties upon the Lord and leave them there. 

The Challenge
Here's the challenge for today. Let's be wise. According to Jesus, wisdom means taking and acting on what he said. If you want to build your prayer life on the rock, then learn what Jesus has said about prayer and do just that. I can assure you that if you do, you will experience all the benefits of prayer because you have set your life on the rock by practicing what Jesus said.

Intersecting faith and life:
Holding on to anxieties and worries doesn't make the situation better. It simply makes you worse.

Further Reading

• Matthew 11:28-30
• Philippians 4:4-7
• 1 Peter 5:6-7

How to Begin a Daily Quiet Time in 5 Easy Steps ..Ron Edmondson

 How to Begin a Daily Quiet Time in 5 Easy Steps

By Ron Edmondson

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.  - Hebrews 12:11

I often encounter people who want to begin a daily quiet time, but they aren’t sure how. It really isn’t as complicated as we often make it out to be. The main thing is simply to do something, but in case you are one of those still wanting to but not sure how…

Place - Pick a definite place where you’ll be every day for your quiet time. It should be as free of distractions as possible. This place will soon become very comfortable to you.

Schedule Time - Pick a reasonable amount of time and put it on your schedule. If you use an electronic calendar like I do, you can set it to repeat the appointment every day. Start with 15 minutes, maybe even 10. By the way, it most likely will seem like a sacrifice at first, but keep the objective in mind. As you accomplish discipline in a little time it will be easier to increase the time you spend.

Format - Decide basically how you will structure your quiet time. If Bible knowledge is your goal, then you may want to choose to do a Bible study. You can change the format over time and do combinations of each of these.

Activities –Decide what you will specifically do in your time. Will you do a Bible study or simply read Scripture and pray? If your time is 15 minutes, for example, you could spend 6 minutes reading the Bible; 3 minutes talking to God; 2 minutes in silence, asking God to speak to you; and 4 minutes writing your thoughts at the time. The goal is not to be mechanical or punch a clock here, but rather to provide structure, which will lead to productivity in your building your God relationship.

Discipline – Commit to doing something consistently for at least 30 days. Every day… without exception… do it… whether you “feel” like it or not. If you miss the exact time, make it up later in the day. Again, it will require sacrifice. Habits and lifestyles form this way and you’ll need this discipline, because as soon as you attempt this dozens of obstacles will stand in your way.

Now I realize “easy” is not the best choice of words for this post, but I did want you to read it. Forming this time into your daily schedule will not be easy. Nothing of value is ever easy. The main objective for any of us, including pastors, is disciplining ourselves to do something every day. Over time, it becomes a habit that is easily repeated. Even better, it will soon become the best and most productive part of your day.

A Prayer to Sit with Sinners.. Ashley Moore

 A Prayer to Sit with Sinners

By Ashley Moore 

“And the Scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’” - Mark 2:16-17, ESV

“I’m not shopping there anymore.”
“I’m not eating at that restaurant.”
“I won’t be seen supporting anything that supports (insert whatever sin is being glorified in our world at the time).”

We are so quick to cancel–especially on social media. And I understand most Christ-followers do not intend for their strong opinions or social posts to hurt anyone intentionally. Because I personally know many who have shared these articles, and I know that in real life, they would never, ever exclude anyone from enjoying a meal at their table based on their skin color or gender identity. If they ran into someone in public who thought and lived differently than them, they would treat them with the same kindness they give a fellow congregant at church. They would welcome them in love. 

But on the internet, people don’t see that. All they have to go on is what we’ve shared. And if we were to put ourselves in their shoes for just a moment, our re-share or flippant response could be perceived as a personal slight. Our comments and statuses are often towards business ideals, not targeted at specific people, but our written response doesn’t give that distinction. Instead of withholding our support in an effort to uphold biblical principles and liberties, our posts are perceived as personal attacks, shame fests, or an all-out war on individuals.

And I wish more of us Jesus followers understood that we can’t expect lost people to understand biblical truths or display biblical fruit. They’re lost. The Bible calls them blind, saying they are veiled from the truth (2 Corinthians 3:14).

I love Jesus’ strong rebuke to the Pharisees. Because it also applies to us. Somehow some of us have mistaken Christianity as a call to hunker down and protect the flock from the outside world. Much like the Pharisees began to believe, we fall for the lie. It’s us against them. But that’s not what Jesus said. Instead, He reminded the Pharisees and us, He didn’t come to rescue the righteous (those already in Christ). He came to save those sick and in need of a savior (Mark 2:17). His plan for reaching those in need of a savior was by putting His Spirit inside His people. We are salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). But how can those in need of the Great Physician see the light if we withhold our presence from the places where they are or refuse to have meals at the restaurants where we may encounter them? 

We don’t have to support worldly ideals. And if the Holy Spirit prompts you through His Word and confirms through His people that you need to refrain from doing business at a certain place, by all means, obey God. But I wonder if we even consult God before we enact our attempts to make a stand for biblical principles. Friend, this can be so dangerous because we never know who our words behind the screen may be confusing and further pushing away from coming to know Christ. Let’s not confuse sitting with sinners as somehow renouncing our salvation or our belief in God’s Word. Sitting with a sinner doesn’t make us unsaved. After all, our way to salvation, Jesus Christ, consistently sat and dined with sinners, tax collectors, and the like. Maybe we should too? 

Let’s pray:
Lord, 
Thank you for your Word; that is our solid foundation when we get carried away by the opposing narratives in the world. Jesus, protect us from the enemy, who seeks to divide us, turn us against each other, and stop sharing the Gospel with those who desperately need it! Lord, forgive us when we carelessly speak or post things that do not portray your great love for lost people. Give us wisdom, Lord. Help us know how and when to make a stand. And when to have conversations in love over a meal. Lord, we need your wisdom. Thank you for giving it generously without finding fault. Thank you for your Spirit that reminds us of your word and helps us know what to say. May we heed the Spirit in all our interactions. And may we be salt and light in a dark world that needs your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.