The Joy of the Whole Earth

 “You thrill me, Lord, with all You have done…I sing for joy because of what You have done.”

~Psalm 92:4

        What brings you great joy?

        Children can.  A soul mate or friend can.  They are so much better than a work or casual association.  Health is a joy we seldom appreciate until we have sustained sickness, serious surgery or live with a chronic condition.  For those in prison, joy is being visited by the family member whom your eyes ache for.  For the innocently accused, joy is acquittal.  For the lost in battle, being found is their joy and for a POW, their release. For the worker, joy is time, maybe in a cozy nook at home or a scenic reprieve.  For the couple with multiple children, maybe some get away time? For the single, spending great times with friends.  For the elderly, joy means visits with family members. For the creative, a work of art.  For the writer,  authoring a new chapter. (or editing one!)  The list is endless, yes?  

        And then there is the joy found in careless abandon.  As a little girl in Michigan, it was the outside play in summer or winter that thrilled me.  In summer, we dwelt in a cottage on a lake. I know now how privileged I was. I climbed trees, picked berries, adventured in the woods, fished, swam, played with turtles, and survived mosquito bites. I played Canasta and read comic books.  I fell asleep to the serenades of crickets.  In winter, the cold delighted us. We reveled in the snow.  We slid on the ice in the streets or on sidewalks with glee!  We never shrank from it.  We formed the snow into balls, figures and structures. We laid in it, or made paths in it to simulate rooms of a house.  Once Dad made an ice pond of our backyard!  We were breathless and tireless in the cold.  This freedom is one of the best joys of all.

        Joy is not defined by material things.  Temporal materials can be a facet of joy but do not sustain it.  It might be fun to have big money, but unless it is used to bless others, might it not drive us?  I know of some investors who are married to the Stock Exchange. It dominates their life. They arrange their social life around it. There is no guarantee of longevity with riches; they can dissipate quickly. Money can be extorted in secret and well hidden.  Inheritances can be argued over, envied, or dwindled away.  Gold has the most lasting quality but it is bound by gravity.  “Don’t store up treasures on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them and thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven…where the desires of your heart will be also.”  (~Matt. 6:19)

       One of the best songs ever written is based on Psalm 48:2, The Joy of the Whole Earth. I cannot say this truth without singing it. The Bible is filled with verses of joy, from Deuteronomy to I John.  Their messages lift the spirit.  Visit your Concordance and have fun!  Or take ten minutes and stroll through Psalms looking for the word joy.

       Without Jesus, there would be no joy in this life or in Eternity to come.  Whether we realize this or not, God is our base. Without Him, we anatomically and spiritually would be breathless.

       Praise God it is His will for us to know joy. “I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy.  I have given them My Word.”  ~John 17:13  He does not want us to go through life without the element of joy.  Yes, life can be a suffering crucible at times.  But since Christ suffered, that demonstrates clearly there will be times we also will be asked to suffer and endure.

        “Because of the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame.” (Hebrews 12: 2,3) 

         A prayer for all of us:   Dear Lord, this Lent, this Easter season, we thank you for Jesus, the Joy of the whole earth. Thank you He endured the cross.  Because of His sacrifice, we can know joy. Joy flourishes when sin and evil are crushed. Thank You for this costly gift of joy. Thank You that material goods and money do not run our lives.  When we suffer, Lord, help us consider ourselves privileged;  We get a small helping of what Jesus did for us.  In His name we pray.  Amen.

Deborah Thomas

In a recent Bible study I could not get past the first verse.  When a scripture does not let you turn the page, you have found a wonderful thing.  1 Peter 2: 1 got me.  “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind.”

Prior to this verse the reader is told that humans are like grass and their glory fades like flowers.  But the word of the Lord stands forever.  Then follows the Stop Sign verse, “Therefore…”   Since God’s Word stands forever, we have work to do in order to further our salvation.

Today in our neighborhood, the trash is picked up.  I need to throw this garbage out of my life:

Malice.  I rarely want to intentionally hurt someone but I do notice that on occasion if I am insulted, I wish I could invent a clever zinger in reply.  Moments like these might be turned around if I prayed instead.  And what about when our life is sometimes affected by darkness more than it can handle?  I am taking a writing class at a local college.  We are assigned the task of reading and critiquing the work of other students. Most write with a secular slant.  Being exposed to darkness depresses my spirit.  But I can offset this by reading my Bible often.  A brother inspired me that being around unbelievers give us the chance to pray for them and influence them.  Marvelous viewpoint, and is it not so?

Deceit.  Do I paint the truth to make myself look better than I am, or leave things out of the picture?  Do I fudge? My husband asked me if I had used our new clothesline recently and I quickly said, “Oh yes!,” thinking I had when in fact I realized, NO YOU HAVE NOT, because I forgot I had it.  So I had to back up.  In my case, I think I need to be slower to respond and think about my words.

Hypocrisy.  “How are you today, Debby?” an acquaintance might ask, and I say, “Oh, fine.”  I probably cannot tell a stranger my inner feelings, or even a friend if I am short on time.  But a better response might me, “Pretty okay.”  Or, “How about I take a pass on that?”   Another way I find myself at fault is that as a middle child, I play the peacemaker role.  I listen to one person’s story and try to sympathize and side with them.  Then I listen to the other side and side with them.  A good listener does not have to invest an opinion. One more consideration about hypocrisy: do I expect things of others that is not a standard for myself?

Envy.  Do I wish for myself what others have been granted and resent they have it?  In the writing world, others might be receiving accolades or prizes or publishing opportunities.  Do I rejoice for them or begrudge it?  Is there anything you envy?  A way to break the hold of envy is to ask God to bless that person. Every time it comes up.

Slander.  I wonder when or if I say something that is not very kind what my motivation for that is.  If I apply this to myself, I shudder to think what God knows about me He could disclose if He wanted to.  Yet, usually God in His kindness does not tell all.  May we be as merciful to others as God is to us.

Peter has another stellar admonition in verse 2: “…crave spiritual milk (the Bible) [because] by it, we grow up in our salvation.”

Have you been saved by Jesus, dear reader?  I was at age eight but only came to fully understand His friendship with me at age sixteen.  Did I have a love of His words at age eight?  Not much.  I knew John 3:16 and Psalm 23 and the Ten Commandments.  At age sixteen, I fell in love with the Word.  Big difference!

I cannot rid myself of these five maladies on a permanent basis.  They are temptations.  But if I crave His Word, I will take them to the trash pile and my salvation will flourish.  Hallelujah!