Honest Reflections

Two-minute read.

Paul mentions hope more in Romans than in any of his other letters. “God of hope” means the Creator who gives us hope through Jesus. Because of the Savior’s actions, we can look to tomorrow with anticipation of the coming glory. The Lord will accomplish all He wants to do through us, working out our problems. Trusting in the Almighty produces hope as we lean into His promises and expect them to come true in our lives. Believing in Christ gives us hope that His grace will continue to grow in our lives, with the help of the Holy Spirit, who prompts us.

When difficulties in life happen, we have a choice: we can become bitter or get better. Jesus, the Great Healer, wants us to overcome our struggles and allow Him to heal our hearts. None of us knows the battles we will face when we roll out of bed in the morning, but we do know the God who does. Before we enter a skirmish, Christ already knows how He will help us through it. In our pain, the Lord heals us. As we lay our hurts at the foot of the cross, divine comfort helps us persevere.

Often, we don’t consciously decide to become bitter; it grows from a small seed over time. When my father died, I became bitter, ruminating in self-pity. Feeling sorry for myself because I no longer had a dad, I became resentful of anyone who did. The more I thought about what I didn’t have, the more bitter I became. Returning to Jesus, He began the healing process in me, removing the bitter root and replacing it with His love.

Let Paul’s prayer sink into your spirit. Allow God to fill you with all joy and peace, believing His promises and letting the Holy Spirit’s power help hope abound.

Journal Questions:

Describe how God’s promises give you hope?

When have you had to battle bitterness in your life?

How can Jesus heal your heart today?

Joyful Application:

Pray for people in your life who need hope and that they become better, not bitter.

Two-minute read.

When Jeremiah first received a message from God, he devoured its revelatory truth. Chosen by the Lord to prophesize to the people, Jeremiah served the Lord with all his heart, mind, body, and soul. Now the prophet wants divine justice for his enemies, asking God not to wait but to take vengeance in Jeremiah’s lifetime. However, the Lord doesn’t work on our timelines; He works on His. We can find encouragement in scripture to help us persevere when the Creator doesn’t do what we want, when we want.

Everyone has enemies we think deserve justice, but we see them only from a limited perspective. When we devour God’s word, allowing it to take root in our hearts, we will begin to see things differently. Divine intervention turns people’s lives around; enemies become friends when the Lord gets involved.

“Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”

Abraham Lincoln

A man of faith, the United States’ 16^th president practiced what he preached. When elected to the highest office in the land, he appointed rivals to his cabinet, making them his political allies. Finding common ground with people who disagree with us paves the way for unity. When we agree on Christ as our Savior, we have a firm foundation for a hopeful future. Destroying our enemies by making them our friends honors Jesus, enlarges the kingdom, and allows for peace on earth.

Find delight in God’s word, let it encourage your heart, and help you turn enemies into friends. Through Christ, all things become possible.

Journal Questions:

What happened to your heart when you discovered Jesus?

In what ways does God’s word encourage you?

How can you turn enemies into friends today?

Joyful Application:

Find a way to bring joy to an enemy today with words of kindness.

Two-minute read.

Detailing the Ark of the Covenant’s return to Jerusalem, when the Lord’s presence entered the city, the transformation of Jerusalem began. Once the Ark returned home, the people experienced God anew, as Moses had predicted that the Creator would choose a place for all His tribes to dwell. Splendor and majesty reign when the Almighty rules the city, strength and joy His gifts.

Because of Jesus, the Holy Spirit resides in our hearts, the center of our city. The moment you place faith in God’s Son, He moves into the center of your soul, and transformation begins. As you encounter life changes, one day at a time, you will begin to understand divine splendor and majesty. The joy of the Lord becomes your strength as you pursue Him, producing life-giving fruit that enlarges the kingdom.

When God dwells in your heart, He fills you with His glory, honor, power, and joy. An awe-inspiring nature, developing a relationship with the Savior will introduce you to His wonders. Divine power encourages your soul, Christ’s gift to us through His Spirit.

Splendor and ma­jes­ty are be­fore You!
Strength and joy are in Your dwell­ing place!
Mercy and kind­ness, full of for­giv­eness!
Great are You, Lord, hon­ored and wor­thy of praise!

Splendor and Majesty; Ralph P. Merrifield and Leonard Smith

Praise the Lord for His splendor and majesty. Bask in His joy, gain God’s strength, and live in His victory. Submitting our lives to the Savior connects us to the divine gifts He offers. In Jesus, we find everything we need to win the day’s battles, lighting the world with our faith, glorifying the Almighty, and helping others discover what we have found. Worthy of all praise, Christ does for us what we can’t do for ourselves. In Him, we have eternal life.

Journal Questions:

How have you experienced God’s splendor and majesty?

How has the Lord transformed you with His Spirit?

How do you gain strength from the Lord?

Joyful Application:

Share the joy of the Lord with others by praising His splendor and majesty.

Two-minute read.

“One of our clients I invited to church finally came on Sunday, and guess what? She responded to the altar call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior! Rejoicing for her!!”

When I read my friend’s comment on our shared Bible reading plan, tears came to my eyes. Immediately, I responded:

“The angels are rejoicing!”

Every time someone places their faith in Jesus, a party happens in heaven. Leaving the darkness and walking into the light gives life new meaning. Purpose begins to unfold as they stop listening to the world and begin building a relationship with the Savior. As the past slips away, the hope of the future directs their steps. No longer do they wander in the desert, as God leads them home to the promised land.

In the previous verse, a woman loses one of her ten coins. She lights a lamp and searches high and low for the money, listening for it to clink when she finds it. In today’s world, if we lost our phone, we would search to find it, rejoicing when we finally did. Just last week, I misplaced my phone. Panic set in as I realized I might not see it again. Eventually, I found it in the oddest of places and rejoiced with enthusiasm when I did.

God and the angels rejoice more than we can even imagine when a sinner repents, submitting their life to the Savior. The Lord wants no one to perish, but He can’t force anyone to love Him, and neither can we. Without choice, one can’t love. And some people choose not to love but to hate, rejecting Christ and the grace and mercy He offers.

Pray for the lost souls in your life. Write down their names, ask God to soften their hearts, drawing them to Him, and the everlasting life He offers.

Journal Questions:

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

How would you describe the angels rejoicing in heaven?

Who needs your prayers for salvation today?

Joyful Application:

Tell someone about Jesus today and the joy He brings to your life.

Two-minute read.

Jesus kept His Father’s commands as an act of love, outwardly showing devotion through His actions. We do the same when we abide in Christ’s teachings, following His example, showing the world who we follow. The more we obey God’s commands, the more fruit we will produce, and the more joy we will experience. Having a revelatory Creator, we must practice His precepts to experience His joy. As we discover the goodness that comes from following Jesus, we can’t help but want to share it with others.

When I gave my life back to the Lord as an adult, I didn’t immediately experience His joy. Transformation began when I started to live for God rather than myself. As I began to do what the Creator says, life changed, peace descended, and joy began to thrive. On a mentor’s recommendation, I began reading my Bible daily, front to back. I found a plan and dug into scripture. But about a third of the way through the Old Testament, I stopped reading —not a conscious decision; one morning I didn’t have time, and that quickly turned into two, then three, etc. And I felt myself slipping back into the murky mud of despair.

“How’s your Bible reading going?” my mentor asked me when I shared my thoughts with her.

“Not well, I stopped.”

“Then I’d start there.”

And so I did, I began reading God’s word again, and this time I didn’t stop. Thirty-plus years later, I still read the Bible every morning, spending more time in scripture now than ever. And I haven’t felt those dark feelings again. Each morning, when I place my life before the Savior, allowing Him to search my heart, He renews my soul, comforts my pain, and gives me the strength to persevere.

When we abide in Jesus, He abides in us. Living a life of obedience produces fruit that fills our lives with everlasting joy.

Journal Questions:

What area of disobedience hinders your relationships with God?

How can you abide in Christ today?

In what ways does producing good fruit bring you joy?

Joyful Application:

Show God’s love to the world by obeying His commandments which will produce good fruit and bring you divine joy.

Two-minute read.

Penning Psalm 94, the unknown author felt despair from the multitude of thoughts within him, but trusted God’s comfort. Seeking the Lord will lead to finding comfort, but we must first turn to Him. Many a time I have felt sorrow, from losing loved ones, broken relationships, unexpected job loss, and getting knocked off my feet in various ways. But God always comforted me, and in the most unexpected ways.

Sometimes, scripture comforts me. Going through a recent disappointment, I wanted to quit. Everything seemed pointless; the prayers I prayed went unanswered. The seeds I planted didn’t appear to take root. But then I read one verse, and it changed everything for me.

“But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town.”

Acts 14:20

Referring to Paul, the crowds stoned him, dragging his body out of town, thinking they had killed him. With believers surrounding him, probably praying for Paul, he got up and returned to the city. My mind imagined the apostle standing up, determined to share Christ’s love with those who had just tried to murder him. With a confident stride, he went back to work, knowing they needed Jesus in their lives. The more I meditated on Paul’s total devotion to the mission and the persecution he endured, the more I realized my troubles paled in comparison. Sixteen words comforted my heart and cheered my soul.

Miracles happen every day, but we don’t always notice. One way or another, God cheers our souls in intimate and personal ways. In our suffering, Jesus suffers with us. He walked in the fire with Daniel, sailed through the storms with the disciples, and endured the cross for our salvation. Christ comforts us in our pain and cheers our souls with His presence.

Journal Questions:

How has God comforted you in your pain?

In what ways do you seek the Lord during difficult times?

How does Paul’s example help you keep going?

Joyful Application:

Find a way to share joy with someone going through a difficult time.

Two-minute read.

Jesus gives us unspeakable joy, filling us with His glory. When we experience the peace that surpasses all understanding from our faith in the Savior, it overwhelms us. Nothing compares to the love and grace we find in Christ, who we can’t see, but wholeheartedly believe in Him. Putting Jesus’s teachings into practice draws us into a relationship with God’s Son, one that gives us life like nothing else.

For the past few days, a friend I haven’t spoken to in some time kept coming to mind. Driving home from an appointment, she popped into my head again, and I knew I needed to call her. When she didn’t answer, I found her voicemail full and began praying for her. A few minutes later, she called back, and I found out why I felt burdened to pray for her. After our conversation, which ended with plans for a get-together, I felt the Lord’s joy.

Not only did I know how to pray for my friend, but the feeling that comes from obeying the Spirit’s promptings fills me with God’s pleasure. Knowing I did what the Creator wanted me to do encourages me, and allows me to experience His glory. Loving God and others comes with instant rewards: knowing your actions please the Maker and that He blesses your efforts. Restoring and maintaining relationships honors and glorifies God.

We don’t have to see Jesus to believe in Him; we can connect our lives to His with a spiritual bond. Loving the unseen Lord comes through a relationship. As we pursue the Almighty’s ways, we tie ourselves increasingly to Him, discovering inexpressible joy.

Journal Questions:

How would you define inexpressible joy?

Who do you know that exemplifies joyful living in Christ?

How have you experienced inexpressible joy from the Lord?

Joyful Application:

Phone a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while and reconnect.

Two-minute read.

Spiritual motivations matter more than external diets. God does care what we put in our bodies, but He cares more about how we live out our faith. Meeting Jesus, learning about the scriptures, and becoming a person of faith requires action. To live right before the Lord, we must put His commands into practice. As we venture into God’s will for our lives, we discover His peace that surpasses all understanding, which brings us unspeakable joy that strengthens us. No food we eat or liquid we drink will bring us the joy of the Holy Spirit; we can only experience the divine when living it out in our lives.

Writing daily devotions helps me experience the divine. Learning the context behind the words, getting to know the authors through their writing, and discovering Jesus in the parables changes me. In the past five years, I’ve learned grace, mercy, and love in a new way. The reality of Christ’s love for me has grown deeper. Gaining the ability to look at the ugly parts of myself and give them to Jesus enables me to love myself and others better than ever before. Each day, I transform a little more.

God never said we would have an easy life. He promised us struggles, and the Lord didn’t lie. But the Creator also showed us how to find victory over our battles by obeying His commands, experiencing His peace, and letting divine joy strengthen us. Fuel yourself with God’s word, let it absorb into your being. Allow scripture to transform you from within your soul, and live your faith outwardly, one act at a time.

Righteousness, peace, and joy, life with Christ allows you to experience the divine. From Him, all blessings flow.

Journal Questions:

How do you define righteousness?

Describe what it feels like to experience God’s peace.

How does divine joy strengthen you?

Joyful Application:

Pick one of God’s commandments and put it into practice today.

Two-minute read.

Through Christ, we gain responsible freedom. As the Lord’s Spirit takes up residence in our hearts, we must share the good news of the gospel with others so they, too, can experience the freedom Jesus gives us. The Savior responded to the world counter-culturally. Where the people crucified Jesus, He forgave them. Exemplifying love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, Christ gave us a new way to live and the boldness to do it.

As a human being, I don’t impulsively respond like Jesus. To become more like Christ, I must let His Spirit guide my actions. Only with the help of the Lord can I produce good fruit. Asking God to search my heart shows me the areas I must submit to Him and allow Him to transform me. The more aware I become of my faults, the more I can turn them into strengths.

For instance, I struggle with pride. Easily offended, I’m learning techniques to stop becoming defensive, and instead, not take it personally. Understanding that hurting people hurt others helps me take the focus off myself and look for their pain. One simple change of thought can help me produce better fruit as I trust God for guidance. Pausing for 5-10 seconds before responding helps me think logically. People can look for an argument, but I don’t have to engage with it. Pausing and asking the Lord for help allows me to respond with the fruit of the Spirit. The more I practice my responses, the better I become.

Living intentionally for Jesus means letting His Spirit have His way with you. Transformation only occurs when we submit. Becoming more like Christ starts with accepting responsibility in the freedom He gives us, and using it to pursue a holier lifestyle. Sharing the Spirit’s fruit has no laws against it, only love to share.

Journal Questions:

How have you experienced the fruit of the Spirit in your life?

Which fruit do you need the most help to share?

In what ways does Jesus’ example encourage you?

Joyful Application:

Find ways to give away the fruit of the Spirit today.

Two-minute read.

Maintaining a spirit of joy in the Lord during the busy Christmas season schedule seems like an impossible task. But thankfully, we have a Savior who leads us on the path of abundant living, no matter the time of year. As we begin another December together, we can learn to live joyfully as we center our lives around Jesus. Balanced lives don’t exist, but centered ones do. When we keep the Son in our eyes, we will live joyfully in Him.

From the historical data available to us, Paul most likely wrote the letter to the Philippians while under house arrest in Rome. Living in a rented and cramped apartment called an insula, chained to a guard, the apostle could receive visitors, preach freely, and write letters. I always wonder about the guard and what he thought witnessing Paul’s devotion to the Savior. In such dire circumstances, the missionary wrote letters of encouragement to the churches, instructing them to maintain their joy in the Lord.

Eyes centered on Jesus have hope for an eternal life spent in glory with the Savior. Knowing that our reward awaits us in heaven gives us the joy of the Lord and allows us to live a joyful life. Paul didn’t focus his eyes on his dire circumstances; the apostle kept his gaze on Christ and lived in His promises.

Paul understood how to live joyfully. Understanding we live for Jesus, and a glory we can’t comprehend from this side of heaven awaits us, gives us hope, which produces joy. Today’s troubles won’t last, but eternity with the Savior will. Living joyfully for God shines the light of Christ into a dark world, sharing His hope, and introducing them to the One who gives us joy. Shine brightly today as you live a life filled with the joy of the Lord.

Journal Question:

How do you define the joy of the Lord?

In what ways can you share God’s joy with others today?

Who exemplifies joy in your life?

Joyful Application:

Share JOY today by prioritizing your relationships: Jesus, Others, Yourself