Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy, down in my heart...

In college, I would often ponder the difference between happiness and joy. I've always felt that the distinction between the two is critical... and I have often thought that God promises the one, but not the other.

In the wake of hard times, I sometimes hear people (myself included) saying, "You deserve to be happy..." but do we? Somehow living in this culture we end up developing this sense of entitlement, that we deserve everything we want, that we deserve to be happy. Sadly, sometimes we interact with God that way too. We pray for the things we want because we know that's what will make us happy only to be disappointed when God doesn't answer our prayers the way we expect.

Have you ever considered the irony of the word spoiled? We're talking about spoiling in the sense of getting everything you want, but in getting everything that you want you're being spoiled, as in what happens as fruit goes bad. In other words, there's real truth to the phrase "spoiled rotten." If we were given everything we wanted and no desire was unfulfilled, where would God fit into our lives? There wouldn't be room for Him, because we wouldn't feel the need.

I would argue that standing in line for days to get the newest iPhone or spending your entire allowance on a pair of boots that you can't even wear in inclement weather (then what's the point!!) or whatever other ways we might fall into the trap of materialism, is pursuing happiness. And happiness, is fleeting. It lasts only as long as the latest fad. Joy on the other hand, transcends the momentary trials of life. True joy is a deep peace within your soul that can't be tarnished no matter what horrors the world tries to inflict on you. True joy comes from God. It is surrendering to the knowledge that you don't need to worry because He will be with you in all things and He will provide.This is part of the grace that He is constantly pouring into us; part of what brings us to overflowing, and compels us to worship Him. We can be joyful despite the circumstances of our lives because we know and trust that God will sustain us. If we know that He will always be there and our needs will always be taken care of... how can we still "not feel like it" when it comes time to worship Him? Worship grows out of that joy... and if you're not feeling particularly joyful lately, perhaps you need to take a good, hard look at why that is.

"I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." -Jesus Christ

Oh dear, where are my manners?

To sum up the last post, worship grows out of the realization that God has poured so much love and mercy into us that we are overflowing... We literally cannot contain it. But so often we don't worship with the reckless abandon that we should. Even more often, we don't worship at all.

If worship is glorifying God and singing to Him to thank Him for what he's done... how can we NOT worship? Set aside the HUGE and OBVIOUS gift of salvation that God has offered us in sacrificing His son on the cross, for a moment... what are the somewhat less obvious blessings God has given you?

For me, having my daughter was a huge turning point in my faith. For those of you not familiar with the story of how she came to be, let me give you the cliff notes version to bring you up to speed. I found out half way through the pregnancy that I was indeed pregnant; I went to the doctor thinking I would need to get my appendix removed or something because of all sorts of crazy things going on. I was 22 at the time and after finding out that in less than four short months, I had to grow up enough to be responsible and raise another human being, to say I was terrified would be an extreme understatement. Not to mention I hadn't done any of the things pregnant women should do. I hadn't had regular doctor visits or taken pre-natal vitamins and not to mention broken like every rule about the foods I should eat and the beverages I could consume. I had never prayed or cried so much in my life. And yet... on October 22, 2010 (yes, exactly 3 years ago from today), the beautiful and amazing Phoenix Isabella Jansen was born. At 7lbs, 7.7oz., she was perfect (ironic, given the use of the #7 in the Bible often to symbolize fullness or completeness or perfection.) I have never laughed so much in my life as I have since that day and it brings tears to my eyes as I think about all the joy that that little terrifying surprise has brought into my life. And this is only ONE example on an endless list of wonderful things God has done in my life... But what about you?

Perhaps for you, it's not something so dramatic. Perhaps, you're blessed with a family that loves you, a girlfriend or boyfriend that you have a lot of fun with, a home to keep you warm as the weather grows colder, clothes to wear, food in your stomach, the freedom to practice your religion without fearing for your life or the lives of those you love... Next time you're standing in church and notice your arms are crossed or pulled tightly to your sides, consider these things. Consider the small day to day blessings that we so often take for granted. Then consider what the One who gave you all those blessings did so you could have a relationship with Him... Look at the cross. Do you know how horribly agonizing that must have been? Yet, he willingly took it FOR YOU. So don't think of worship as standing around singing some songs, think of it as saying thank you. This week, as we go into a time of worship on Sunday, think about the words you're singing. Think about their truth and consider this in the context of ALL that God has done for YOU.

Don't you think you ought to say thank you?

(Warning this video is comprised of scenes from the passion movie. It is quite gruesome, though likely quite accurate.)

Oooh, His love is like the ocean, Oooh, forever overflowing

This past Sunday at the Youth Rally I saw God's presence moving through the crowd like wildfire. People with their arms stretched out, hands lifted high, dancing to the music as they wholeheartedly worshiped. But when we worship, most of us cross our arms, and stare blankly ahead, unaffected by what is happening around us. Why? How can we just stand there and not be moved by it all? Do we even know what worship is really about?

A wise man once defined worship using this passage of scripture:
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (Psalm 23:4,5)

The act of worship happens when our cup overflows; when God has poured so much into us that it cannot be contained.  Even when we are at our worst and the world seems to press in all around us, God blesses us  with more than we will ever need.  Even when it feels like we have nothing, even when we feel empty, the fullness of God overflows in our lives.

Consider what God has done in the single act of sending His son to die on the cross for us. This alone should be enough to fill us to overflowing and yet, we are unaffected (even though He has done so much more beyond just this.) We stand before Him unmoved, because we're not in the mood, or we don't feel like it, or it's not our thing, or we're bored. But it's not about any of these things. It's not about US; it is about who God is and what He has done for us. Worship is a decision. We must choose to recognize that God is constantly pouring His love into us and in turn, respond by calling out to Him to say thank you. It's not about the music, or some crazy light display, or what instruments are being used, or how good looking the worship leader is. It is about letting God's love wash over us and flow through us, as we thank Him for what He's done. When we worship, we're surrendering ourselves to God out of gratitude. It's in this place, in this state of surrender, that we encounter God, this is where you feel God.

And it is something worth being excited about.

I like my yokes over easy...

The following words appear in Matthew (16:24), Mark (8:34), and Luke (9:23)... "Whoever wants to be my disciple, must deny themselves, and take up their cross daily and follow me." 

  In literature, repetition is often used to indicate significance. Meaning, if something is said more than once, it is worth repeating, i.e. it is important. This is no less true with the Bible. Jesus is reported as saying this in three separate gospels. All three author's of these books deemed it important enough to include in their account of Jesus. Why? Because here, Jesus himself is telling us what it takes to be his disciple. We must think of others above ourselves and "take up [our] cross daily." In my mind, I imagine Jesus lumbering up the hill of Calvary with the horizontal cross beam on his back and he calls us, "Get your's too. And come on, follow me." What I hear is Do as I do. In a country of Religious freedom, not many of us will be challenged to die for our faith, at least not literally. So what could this mean to us today? What I see Christ doing in taking the cross upon his back, is picking up the burden of all of us. It made me think of another verse.
  In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says, "Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." A yoke is the beam that goes across the oxen's back for them to pull an old fashioned plow. In this passage, Jesus is calling us to go to work for him, to take up this large, heavy beam and work... yet at the same time tells us he will give us rest for our souls...? Did I miss something? How is working easy?
  Both this yoke and the cross we are called to take up are heavy and burdensome, but not in the way the world burdens us. For both, we will have to make sacrifices. And I suspect this is why Jesus says, "Take up your cross" and only after this, adds follow me. He's asking us to commit to making sacrifices, before we try to walk with him. If we try to follow him and think we'll still be able to enjoy all that the world has to offer, we're dead wrong.
  A lot of what the world promises us is the exact opposite of what God wants for us. Our need for immediate gratification through any one of a number of sources (drugs, alcohol, porn, ex.) has created a culture where we are only satisfied with immediate results and the less we have to work for it, the better. The problem is many of these things do not ultimately satisfy and we're left with an ever-widening desire for more that only continues to worsen over time, until we cram anything we can into the giant chasms we have made in our souls for a few piddly moments of peace. This is the burden the world thrusts on our shoulders. Jesus calls us out from under this weight and says, "Come with me, rest here awhile. Why are you doing this to yourself? What I have for you is easy compared to the meaningless, empty torture you are putting yourself through. Let me fulfill you."
  In doing His work, we have the guarantee that He will not only continually renew us, but He will also go with us, empowering us to do the work He created us to do. We can do all things through Christ who strengthened us, right? But if we go a different way, we take a path that God has not laid out for us, then we're attempting to go it alone and continuing down that road will only draw us further into the muck and mire of the world until we're so empty and so lost that we finally cry out to God and desperately search for Him in the darkness.

Which sounds like the greater burden to you?