Honest Reflections

Two-minute read.

“If we have the joy of the Lord, others will see it!”

In the closing message of a seven-part series on who Jesus is, the pastor ended with that statement. Immediately, people came to mind whose light shines brightly in my life. Women from around the world who have enriched my life with their love of Jesus. Their lives shine brightly amidst dark tragedies and impossible odds. Never doubting the Lord’s plan, they take what comes their way and give it to the Savior, allowing Him to work through their circumstances, their lamps never dimming but growing brighter.

Remaining upright in heart during difficult days requires a decision: trust God. Most of the time, the Lord’s work remains a mystery to us. We can’t comprehend His thoughts, so we can’t always understand His ways, but we can trust them without understanding all the details.

“Even during the darkest days of our trials, my joy came when I took tentative steps in God’s direction.”

Laura Story, When God Doesn’t Fix It.

Writing about her twenty-eight-year-old husband’s battle with a brain tumor, singer, songwriter, Laura Story discovered the Lord’s joy in her darkest days when she moved towards Him. Maintaining an upright heart means keeping it tuned into Jesus. When we take steps towards the Savior, He meets us more than halfway. The Lord wants us to experience His joy and live in His presence always, no matter what our circumstances. In our pain, when we lie at the bottom of the pit, our situation forces us to look up, and when we do, we will find Jesus and discover His joy.

As our 31-day journey comes to an end, I pray you have discovered a joy in the Lord you never knew before. Even tiny steps in the Savior’s direction will draw you into His arms. Experience the love of Jesus, and allow His joy to strengthen you one day at a time. In Him, you have everything you need not only to persevere, but to do so joyfully.

Journal Questions:

How has taking steps toward the Lord helped you discover His joy?

In what ways do you maintain an upright heart?

How can you be glad in the Lord today?

Joyful Application:

Turn to Jesus and experience the joy He longs to give you, now and always.

Two-minute read.

When we first place our faith in Jesus, we feel invigorated and ready to take on the world. But as time goes by, the fire can fade if we don’t stoke it. Aware of the potential to lose our vigor, Paul tells the believers what will fan the flames. First, we must rejoice in the hope of salvation. As life’s problems stack up around us, remembering the temporary nature of today and focusing our eyes on eternity to come gives us hope to persevere. Having the hope of Christ gives us the patience to endure tribulation, and staying connected to the Savior through prayer helps us remain connected to our life source, which provides everything we need to overcome the struggles we face in this world.

My most recent struggle, an excruciating ear infection, had me crying out to Jesus. Unable to sleep, I tossed and turned, trying to find a position that would alleviate the pain, crying out to the Lord for mercy and help. As I prayed, I began thinking about a young friend who has fought a 14-year health battle because of a botched surgery. In constant pain, her latest episode involved another operation. Still in pain, they haven’t resolved the issue, still searching for a way to help her. The pain I felt made me think of her pain, and I started to pray for her. Then those prayers expanded to other people I know, dealing with different health issues, living in pain. In that moment, the Lord taught me lessons I hope not to forget.

Rejoicing in the hope of the Savior helped me persevere with patience, and constant prayer allowed God to use my pain to help me grow and transform. Abiding in Christ, staying attached to the vine, will supply us with all we need to face the day’s battles, not only with hope, but with the joy of the Lord who strengthens us.  

Journal Questions:

How has rejoicing in the hope of salvation strengthened you?

In what ways has God helped you persevere with patience?

What does staying in constant prayer with the Lord do for your life?

Joyful Application:

Rejoice in the hope of the Lord and live in His divine joy.

Two-minute read.

At the end of my prayers, I type five letters: IJNIP. The abbreviation represents “In Jesus’ Name I Pray.” From my earliest memories, my mother taught me to pray this way, though I did not understand why until I became an adult. Speaking to His disciples, Jesus tells them that after His resurrection, they will experience profound joy as they come to understand the truth of His teachings. Now, through Christ, they can ask God anything and He will answer their prayers.

Knowing God will answer our prayers if we ask in Jesus’ name gives us joy. Our faith gives us confidence that the Lord will provide whatever we ask. When we pray in Jesus’s name, we use His authority, according to His will, not just to get what we want. In other words, when we align our hearts with the Savior, His desires become our desires, and we ask for things He wants.

I hate to burst your bubble, but a new car, fancy house, or bright clothing doesn’t necessarily align with Jesus’s heart. The Savior never drove a car, lived in a fancy house, or wore expensive clothing. God’s Son didn’t have electricity and running water when He resided on the Earth. A carpenter by trade, Jesus didn’t work with power tools; He worked with His bare hands, transforming wood into valuable items such as tables and chairs.

Jesus desires for everyone to know Him and the saving grace He offers. Connecting people to His Father matters most to the Savior. Praying for lost souls to give their hearts to Christ pleases the Lord. Desiring for God’s family to grow and heaven to become crowded brings joy to the Father. Jesus’s joy transcends to us when we align our hearts with His, asking for His desires, not ours.

Align your heart with Jesus, and allow His joy to overflow in you.

Journal Questions:

How has aligning your heart with Jesus changed your perspective?

How does praying in Jesus’ name empower your prayers?

What desire of Christ’s heart do you need to align your heart with today?

Joyful Application:

Experience the joy of Christ by aligning your heart with His

Two-minute read.

Watching “A Christmas Prayer”[1] on Pure Flix, the movie revolves around a child’s Christmas prayer list. Tasked by her Sunday School teacher, sweet Caroline, instead of making a wish list for Santa, creates a prayer list for Jesus, asking for things for other people. For Hank the postman, she asks God for a plane ticket to see his daughter. A school friend who needs a new coat and boots gets added to her list. Poinsettias for her neighbor who lost her husband, happiness for her widowed father, and a big client for her grandfather, Caroline’s list contained needs for the people she loved.

When a children’s book illustrator finds the list, it inspires her not only to meet the needs on it, but also to write a faith-based series about Adeliene the Angel. As the movie plays out, the true meaning of Christmas becomes apparent as Jesus works miracles in everyone’s lives. The spirit of those involved rejoices in God, their Savior.

Jesus’s presence with us causes actions outside of us. Although fictional, the movie portrayed how acts of kindness, motivated by Christ, have an eternal ripple effect that we won’t honestly know until God calls us home. Every small act impacts someone in ways we can’t imagine, helping the doer more than anyone else.

Within each of us, as Christ’s followers, we have the Holy Spirit. As soon as we place our faith in the Savior, He takes up residency in our hearts. Transformation begins immediately as the Lord’s grace and mercy root out our sin. As we draw closer to God and allow Him to search our hearts, He reveals the truth that helps us become more like Jesus. Walking with the Lord, He purifies us and fills our hearts with His divine joy, strengthening us for the journey.

Journal Questions:

How does having faith in Jesus motivate you to good works?

In what ways does the Holy Spirit prompt you?

How does your spirit rejoice in the Savior?

Joyful Application:

Rejoice in Jesus today as you allow His Spirit to lead you to good works.

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[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37593923/

Two-minute read.

From generation to generation, people continue to witness God’s acts of love. Recently, I discovered Sean of the South, a columnist who writes and sings about life in the American South.[1] Scrolling through his posts, you will discover tales from years gone by of heroism and faith that touch the heart. On Thanksgiving, I shared his post about a Methodist hymn, sung by four chaplains as their ship sank in 1943. The post that led me to his work centered around one of my favorite hymns, “It Is Well With My Soul,” by Horatio Spafford.

Sean sets the scene, describing Horatio’s wife, Anna, and their four daughters, bound for a mission trip to Europe to participate in revivals. A few days into their journey, another boat strikes the ship, causing it to sink. People jumped overboard into the water. Anna and her girls knelt by the bow and prayed for God to deliver them or give them the strength to endure what came next. The next morning, a sailor in a dinghy saw Anna clinging to a piece of wreckage, barely alive, rescuing her and taking her to Wales, where she sent a telegram to Horatio:

“Saved alone.”

Their daughters did not survive the shipwreck. Horatio boards another boat to meet Anna and comfort her. Midway through the journey, a shipmate knocked on his door to inform him that they were passing the place where his daughters drowned. Weeping over the memory of his four girls, he wrote a poem that became a cherished hymn.[2]

When peace like a river, attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Despite his profound heartache, Horatio focused his eyes on Jesus and allowed Him to comfort his broken heart. God’s love prevails, no matter the circumstances, passing through the generations and continuing into eternity. We must keep the Son in our eyes to experience His divine presence. When we do, like Horatio, we can say, “It is well with my soul.”

Journal Questions:

How does Horatio’s faith inspire you?

In what ways have you seen God’s love in your life?

Describe how Jesus makes your soul well.

Joyful Application:

Discover the joy of faith in Jesus as you focus your eyes on Him.

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[1] https://www.facebook.com/seanofthesouth

[2] https://www.facebook.com/reel/2024993515000656

Two-minute read.

Doing the right thing, what God wants, gives us hope. Within scripture, the Lord gives us plenty of directions for how to live our lives, a manual for right living. From the Ten Commandments to the Greatest Commandment, putting them into practice gives us the hope we need to persevere. My favorite book in the Bible, Ruth, exemplifies righteous hope lived one day at a time by doing the next right thing.

Widowed and alone, Ruth clings to her mother-in-law. Naomi, a woman of faith, takes her daughter-in-law to Bethlehem. A Moabitess, Ruth, becomes a foreigner in a foreign land, doing so willingly.

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

Ruth 1:16

Life in Bethlehem requires work. To provide for herself and Naomi, Ruth gleans from the wheat fields. Coming from a Levitical law God created to provide for the poor, harvesters would leave stocks on the ground for those in need to gather for food. As Ruth toils in the heat, she finds herself in Boaz’s field, where he takes notice of her hard work. As Boaz learns Ruth’s story, he develops affection for her, ordering his workers to leave plenty for her in the fields and instructing the young widow to only gather in his land.

Obeying Boaz, Ruth works through the harvest in his fields. When Naomi instructs her to go to Boaz and offer herself to him, she impresses the landowner enough to marry her. As a result, she finds herself in Christ’s lineage, great-grandmother to King David. Doing the right things, one day at a time, gave Ruth divine hope that the Lord fulfilled. We can enjoy the same hope as Ruth when we follow the Lord’s commands, doing the next right thing, and living in the eternal hope of Christ.

Journal Questions:

When has doing the next right thing given you hope?

What’s the next right thing for you to do today?

How does following Jesus give you hope?

Joyful Application:

Live in the hope of Christ as you joyfully do the next right thing.

Two-minute read.

Merry Christmas!

The phrase “Merry Christmas” originated in a letter written by Bishop Charles Booth in 1520. He wrote,  “I praye God ye may be all in good charite and mery this Crystmas.”[1] Before 2022, historians thought that Catholic Bishop John Fisher, imprisoned for denying King Henry VIII as the “Supreme Head of the Church and Clergy of England,” wrote the phrase in a letter to Thomas Cromwell asking for clothing and food, closing his letter with the sentence, “And this our Lord God send you a merry Christmas.”[2]

Christmas comes from an abbreviated version of “Christ’s Mass.”[3] Charles Dickens popularized the saying, “Merry Christmas,” in his infamous classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge. A Christmas Carol, published in 1843, used the phrase, “A Merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!” which popularized the words.[4] Used to decree good tidings upon the receiver, merry describes a behavior, deliberately having fun.[5]

Now that you know where the phrase originated and its intention, when you wish someone a Merry Christmas, it refers to finding enjoyment in the Lord. Actively seeking Jesus will bring you divine joy, something I pray you carry throughout the entire year. Capture the emotions of Christmas by focusing on Jesus. Let His works fill your heart as you receive the grace and mercy He gives you. No greater present can we find than salvation through Christ and eternal life with Him.

Spend this day celebrating the birth of Christ. Sing “Happy Birthday” to the Savior as a beloved family member. Give Jesus your heart, the gift He desires from you. Live in the fullness of God’s Son, today and always. Let the Lord’s divine peace and joy reign in your hearts as you pursue Him. In the season of gift giving, receive the best gift of all, Jesus!

Journal Questions:

What about the Christmas story brings you the most joy?

In what ways do you celebrate Jesus’s birth?

How can you carry the Christmas season with you all year long?

Joyful Application:

Celebrate with joy the birth of the Savior.

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[1] https://medium.com/english-language-faq/when-did-we-start-saying-merry-christmas-e225ebd7c9f5

[2] https://northernwilds.com/the-story-of-merry-christmas/

[3] https://northernwilds.com/the-story-of-merry-christmas/

[4] https://time.com/6240140/why-we-say-merry-christmas-traditions/

[5] https://www.countryliving.com/life/a37128/origin-of-merry-christmas/

Two-minute read.

Christmas Eve, the day before Christ’s birthday, comes with anticipation like no other day. Families gather, churches hold special services, and life has a crispness not found on different days. Attending candlelight service remains my favorite one of the year, standing shoulder to shoulder with God’s family, singing Silent Night, always encourages my soul. Believing that God created the day and rejoicing over it doesn’t take much effort.

However, a month later, on January 24th, when the cold of winter has set in, the daylight coming earlier as the jubilant emotions of the holidays fade doesn’t quite seem as joyful. The Lord makes every day, the good and the bad. Rejoicing in our daily lives takes more effort and requires us to keep the Son in our eyes.

Back in the 2000s, the landline phone system had an alarm feature. Similar to cell phones today, you could program the system to wake you up with whatever message you wanted. For years, when I answered the phone, I would hear this verse, and it would instantly remind me of the Lord’s presence in the day ahead. No matter what came my way, I knew God traveled with me; He made the day and all that came with it.

Start your day with Jesus, however that works for you. Find a way to remind yourself of His presence in the day ahead. Live boldly knowing God made the day, and He will help you through it. Nothing surprises the Savior, even in our darkest moments; He lights the way. In Christ, we have all we need to persevere through challenges and rejoice in victories. The Lord made today, and every day, live in His presence and carry the wonders of Christmas with you all through the year.

Journal Questions:

How does Christmas Eve bring joy to your heart?

In what way does knowing God made the day comfort you?

How can you rejoice in the Lord daily, 365 days a year?

Joyful Application:

Meditate on the joy of Christ’s birth and let it invigorate your soul.

Two-minute read.

In high school, I had a crush on a boy who didn’t even know my name. A baseball player, I kept score for the team so I could spend time with him. Of course, a shy, introverted girl, I never spoke to him. But one time, during the season, he asked me a question.

“What time is it?”

Oh, how my heart soared when he spoke to me. Four words spurred me and my vivid imagination on for months. I can still remember the feeling of elation at his nonchalant attention. Falling in love with Jesus doesn’t even begin to compare to the heartbeat of a schoolgirl’s crush. Realizing the depth of the Savior’s love for us, confessing our sins, and receiving His grace fills us with an unspeakable joy. But over time, we may forget the elation of salvation as life happens.

Over time, I got to know the object of my crush and realized he didn’t live up to the image I had concocted in my head. Becoming friends, I realized we had nothing in common, and the narrative I had created fell short of reality. However, the more I get to know Jesus, the deeper I fall in love with Him. The Savior doesn’t disappoint, perfect in every way; He lives up to His promises.

Loving the Savior grows daily when you pursue a relationship with Him. When we turn to the Lord, He receives us with open arms. Ready to rejoice with us when we rejoice and weep with us when we weep. Even though we can’t understand everything God does, we can trust that He has our best interests at heart. Take time to remember what the Almighty has done for you. Make a list of His works in your life and fall in love with Him all over again.

Journal Questions:

How did you feel when you first gave your life to Christ?

How does pursuing the Lord daily deepen your relationship with Him?

In what ways have you fallen deeper in love with Jesus?

Joyful Application:

Recall the joyful feelings you had for Jesus when you first trusted Him.

Two-minute read.

Rejoicing with people often seems harder than weeping with them. Envy over another’s good fortune can make celebrating their blessing difficult. However, when someone suffers a loss or deep heartache, sitting with them in their sadness to alleviate the loneliness that comes with pain doesn’t take as much effort. Suffering people tug at our heartstrings, evoking empathy and a desire to lessen their pain.

During my single years, I hated going to weddings. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, the ceremony emphasized my loneliness and made rejoicing difficult. Bitterness would take root, and I would have to battle not to let it grow and flourish. Desiring a mate myself, I struggled with loneliness. Sitting alone in church, Sunday after Sunday, watching couples sit side by side, nothing made me feel lonelier than the service.

However, comforting a friend going through a breakup didn’t challenge me as much because I could relate to the pain of loneliness and rejection. Fast forward to the present day, and I’ve learned a lot about relationships. Now I know, some of the most miserable people live in loveless marriages, and some of the happiest live single lives. We never truly understand the inner workings of another’s life because we don’t walk in their shoes.

Now, when someone has something to rejoice over, I do it gladly. Suffering takes a toll on everyone, each of us dealing with unseen struggles. Whoever you meet today has a hidden battle. No one has a carefree life. The Lord told us we would have trouble in this world, but take heart: He overcame them for us (John 16:33). So, rejoicing when we have opportunities to rejoice taps into the hope of the Savior. In Him, we have all we need to rejoice when people rejoice and weep when they weep.

Journal Questions:

When have you had trouble rejoicing with someone?

In what ways does weeping with someone seem more manageable?

Who has exemplified rejoicing and weeping with others well in your life?

Joyful Application:

Find someone to rejoice with today and share in their joy.