When I think of King Solomon I think of:
1. Wisdom and knowledge - his wise ruling on the dispute between two prostitutes both claiming to be the mother of a baby (this story has come to be known as the Judgement of Solomon - recorded in 1 Kings 3:16-28). The bible described this about his wisdom:
"God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom." (1 Kings 4:29-34) He was also one of the authors of what is now known as the Wisdom Literature.
2. Humble beginning - the second son of Bathsheba (his older brother died as a consequence of King David's sin against Uriah), he was nearly killed by his brother Adonijah who declared himself to be the king instead of him.
3. Wealth - Solomon was possibly the richest man on earth at the time. This bible study described his "net worth"!
4. Many wives - according to the Bible, "King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray." (1 Kings 11:1-3) The only wife mentioned by name is Naamah, who is described as the Ammonite. She was the mother of Solomon's successor, Rehoboam.
5. Building of the temple - the construction of the temple in Jerusalem was described in great details and can be found in 1 King 6 and 2 Chronicles 2-5. It took him 7 years to complete the project (1 King 6:37-38). Of interest it took him 13 years to build his palace. (1 Kings 9:10 - you can do the math)
6. Queen of Sheba - this is a fascinating story in itself. But what the Queen said to Solomon before she returned home says it all: “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the Lord your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness.” (2 Chronicles 9:5-8) If only it was true for his entire lifetime!
7. Early devotion to God but turned to idols later in life - a real lesson for me! What are my idols??
Now comes the prayer which I read this morning. It is called "Solomon's Prayer of Dedication" which he prayed before the whole assembly of Israel after he had completed the building of the temple. (2 Chronicles 6:14-42) I have put down what I have learned as it is relevant to me today:
1. God fulfilled His promise in the past, e.g. His salvation to me (vv. 14,15)
2. Therefore I can trust Him for His many more promises to come true (vv. 16,17)
3. The temple (for us today it's the body of Christ - His church) is the physical reminder of this covenantal love (vv. 18-21)
4. At the temple God will show His justice (vv. 22,23)
5. At the temple God will bring about victories against our enemies (vv. 24-25)
6. At the temple God provides all my sustenance (vv. 26,27)
7. At the temple we find forgiveness (vv. 28-31)
8. At the temple we invite all people of this earth so they too may know Him (vv. 32,33)
9. We need God to uphold us when we are away from the temple (vv. 34,35)
10. God will bring us back even if we have fallen away but have come to repentance (vv. 36-39)
11. Now God listen to our pleas (vv. 40-42)
When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying,
“He is good;
his love endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 7:3)
Now help me remember to say this for the rest of my life!
Friday 29 May 2015
Friday 22 May 2015
Learning from David's prayers
I know King David was a person of prayers. Just look at the number of psalms he had written (74 out of 150 in the Book of Psalms alone)! But this morning I was particularly struck by the two of his prayers recorded in 1 Chronicles 16 and 17:
(1) In 1 Chronicles 16:8-36 after King David brought the ark of God back to Jerusalem and appointed priests to look after it, he commissioned Asaph (who himself also a song writer) to write the music for this prayer. Here are the words that jumped out at me (I put emphasis in a few places):
Thank God! Call out his Name!
Tell the whole world who he is and what he’s done!
Sing to him! Play songs for him!
Broadcast all his wonders!
Revel in his holy Name,
God-seekers, be jubilant! (verses 8-10 The Message translation)
They (God's chosen people - us!) wandered from country to country,
camped out in one kingdom after another;
But he didn’t let anyone push them around,
he stood up for them against bully-kings:
“Don’t you dare touch my anointed ones,
don’t lay a hand on my prophets.” (verses 20-22)
Shout Bravo ("ascribe" in the NIV translation)! to God, families of the peoples,
in awe of the Glory, in awe of the Strength: Bravo!
Shout Bravo! to his famous Name,
lift high an offering and enter his presence!
Stand resplendent in his robes of holiness! (verses 28-29)
Let Ocean, all teeming with life, bellow,
let Field and all its creatures shake the rafters;
Then the trees in the forest will add their applause
to all who are pleased and present before God
—he’s on his way to set things right! (verses 32-33)
(This last emphasis reminded me of the Lord's prayer - Thine Kingdom Come!)
Give thanks to God—he is good
and his love never quits. (verse 34)
Read also "What does it mean that love never fails? (1 Corinthians 13:8)"
(2) God had revealed His promise to David through a dream to the prophet Nathan. In this promise God reminded David of his humble beginning (he started out basically a shepherd boy). Now that God has made him a king and a ruler over all his enemies, He assured him that His promise for the future will come true. After hearing that, David "went in and sat before the Lord" and said this prayer (O how sweet is that?!) :
Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men. (1 Chronicles 17:16-17)
This prayer really spoke to me. It reminded me of a few of my other favorites:
What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:4-5)
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:2-5)
I often quoted Psalm 103 when I shared my personal testimony. In fact, every time I shared this Psalm I couldn't keep my tears welling up in my eyes - tears of joy and gratitude. Now what I need to learn to do is be Jubilant, and Shout Bravo!
(1) In 1 Chronicles 16:8-36 after King David brought the ark of God back to Jerusalem and appointed priests to look after it, he commissioned Asaph (who himself also a song writer) to write the music for this prayer. Here are the words that jumped out at me (I put emphasis in a few places):
Thank God! Call out his Name!
Tell the whole world who he is and what he’s done!
Sing to him! Play songs for him!
Broadcast all his wonders!
Revel in his holy Name,
God-seekers, be jubilant! (verses 8-10 The Message translation)
They (God's chosen people - us!) wandered from country to country,
camped out in one kingdom after another;
But he didn’t let anyone push them around,
he stood up for them against bully-kings:
“Don’t you dare touch my anointed ones,
don’t lay a hand on my prophets.” (verses 20-22)
Shout Bravo ("ascribe" in the NIV translation)! to God, families of the peoples,
in awe of the Glory, in awe of the Strength: Bravo!
Shout Bravo! to his famous Name,
lift high an offering and enter his presence!
Stand resplendent in his robes of holiness! (verses 28-29)
Let Ocean, all teeming with life, bellow,
let Field and all its creatures shake the rafters;
Then the trees in the forest will add their applause
to all who are pleased and present before God
—he’s on his way to set things right! (verses 32-33)
(This last emphasis reminded me of the Lord's prayer - Thine Kingdom Come!)
Give thanks to God—he is good
and his love never quits. (verse 34)
Read also "What does it mean that love never fails? (1 Corinthians 13:8)"
(2) God had revealed His promise to David through a dream to the prophet Nathan. In this promise God reminded David of his humble beginning (he started out basically a shepherd boy). Now that God has made him a king and a ruler over all his enemies, He assured him that His promise for the future will come true. After hearing that, David "went in and sat before the Lord" and said this prayer (O how sweet is that?!) :
Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men. (1 Chronicles 17:16-17)
This prayer really spoke to me. It reminded me of a few of my other favorites:
What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:4-5)
Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:2-5)
I often quoted Psalm 103 when I shared my personal testimony. In fact, every time I shared this Psalm I couldn't keep my tears welling up in my eyes - tears of joy and gratitude. Now what I need to learn to do is be Jubilant, and Shout Bravo!
Sunday 17 May 2015
Faith = Faithfulness
I heard this great sermon this morning and thought that I should write down some of the precious things I learned. The sermon was on faithfulness - one of the items of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). I had always considered myself as a faithful person. What I meant was that I valued being faithful to my promises as an important virtue for my identity. I even considered being faithful as a true mark of a Christian. My family just celebrated my 64th birthday yesterday and I felt good about myself having been faithful to my wife and my three children all these years. I hoped that they too felt that I had been a faithful husband and father.
The first thing I learned was that the words faith and faithfulness were the same word in the original language: aman in Hebrew and pistis in Greek. Using the Mounce interlinear translation I began to discover that these familiar passages all showed the various English translations of the same Greek word!
Galatians 5:22
Ephesians 2:8
James 2:18
The best definition of faithfulness is this: "Faithfulness is the repeated choice to continue in the direction of faith." "The word “faith,” as used in Scripture, is used both as a noun (pistis) and as a verb (pisteo). What is of interest here is that mere belief as denoted by the noun is not sufficient to tap into God’s grace, as the devil also believes in God. What is imperative is that our faith-action follows our belief in God! This action requires courage and tenacity, particularly when times get tough." (taken from Radical Christianity - page 52) So there will be days when I have doubts about my Christian faith. So I choose to continue to walk in faith - i.e. believing that Jesus was a historical figure and that He really died on the cross for my sins, and that The Holy Spirit is active in my inner life.
The second thing I learned (I knew this before but there was a fresh understanding): "God is faithful, so I can trust him". God is God and He could very well do anything He chooses. But He has demonstrated through history that He had chosen to first make promises and then He would fulfill them - to show human that we can trust Him. This is huge! That means whenever I have doubts I can look back to how God fulfilled all His promises - the promised Jesus the Savior and the promised coming of the Holy Spirit. Now I can look forward to the establishment of God's kingdom on earth and Jesus second coming! He has promised to be with me along this journey on earth, no matter what challenges that will face me. God's faithfulness is described by the Hebrew word "HESED" which can mean all these things: "love as loyalty, faithfulness, stick-to-it-iveness; the love of promises kept; the love of covenant; love that won't let go". (see also Discover the Word: The Old Testament word “hesed,” and the profound meaning it has for us today)
"Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love [AHAVA] mercy [HESED]
and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:7-8)
With HESED these verses take on fresh meaning:
"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
So whatever I am proud of myself as being faithful, I am able to do it because God is the faithful One who is enabling me to do it. PRAISE GOD!
The first thing I learned was that the words faith and faithfulness were the same word in the original language: aman in Hebrew and pistis in Greek. Using the Mounce interlinear translation I began to discover that these familiar passages all showed the various English translations of the same Greek word!
Galatians 5:22
The second thing I learned (I knew this before but there was a fresh understanding): "God is faithful, so I can trust him". God is God and He could very well do anything He chooses. But He has demonstrated through history that He had chosen to first make promises and then He would fulfill them - to show human that we can trust Him. This is huge! That means whenever I have doubts I can look back to how God fulfilled all His promises - the promised Jesus the Savior and the promised coming of the Holy Spirit. Now I can look forward to the establishment of God's kingdom on earth and Jesus second coming! He has promised to be with me along this journey on earth, no matter what challenges that will face me. God's faithfulness is described by the Hebrew word "HESED" which can mean all these things: "love as loyalty, faithfulness, stick-to-it-iveness; the love of promises kept; the love of covenant; love that won't let go". (see also Discover the Word: The Old Testament word “hesed,” and the profound meaning it has for us today)
"Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love [AHAVA] mercy [HESED]
and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:7-8)
With HESED these verses take on fresh meaning:
"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
So whatever I am proud of myself as being faithful, I am able to do it because God is the faithful One who is enabling me to do it. PRAISE GOD!
Friday 15 May 2015
Learning from King Josiah
When my children were small we used to love the Donut Man music. Whenever I read about King Josiah (as in this morning's reading 2 King 22-23) I was reminded of this song by the Donut Man (pick no 6 from the song list here). It reminded me a few important things about this king:
"Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12)
But there is more to Josiah! In 2 King 23:25 the bible describes him as:
"Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did--with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses."
Wait a minute, when you read this description of a king you would think of King David, or even King Solomon. But this honor is reserved for King Josiah. So what exactly set him apart from the rest of kings in history?
When I read this text more closely, it says three things about him:
He also followed the Law of Moses which gave him this commandment: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:5)
Also in following the Law of Moses he kept these other commandments, testimonies, and statues:
- He was only 8 years old when he became king of Judah.
- He was known for his zeal to clear out the idols among the people of his kingdom.
"Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12)
But there is more to Josiah! In 2 King 23:25 the bible describes him as:
"Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did--with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses."
Wait a minute, when you read this description of a king you would think of King David, or even King Solomon. But this honor is reserved for King Josiah. So what exactly set him apart from the rest of kings in history?
When I read this text more closely, it says three things about him:
- He turned to the Lord.
- With all his heart, soul and strength.
- In accordance with all the Law of Moses.
He also followed the Law of Moses which gave him this commandment: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:5)
Also in following the Law of Moses he kept these other commandments, testimonies, and statues:
- He removed all the idols from his kingdom. (2 King 23:4-22)
- He celebrated the Passover for the first time after almost 400 years! "For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or of the kings of Judah. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was kept to the Lord in Jerusalem."(2 King 23:22-23)
- Listen and learn from God's faithful people. Josiah had the high priest Hilkiah. I have my church community.
- When I hear God's word spoken - respond! (Hebrews 3:15)
- Clear out the idols of my life - is it my career, fame and money, even my own family? Do I only want good jobs for my children? Their marriages? "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God..." (Matthew 6:33)
- Celebrate Passover - remembering his salvation on a regular basis. God has set me free from the bondage of sin through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God - His Son! (Biblestudy.org has a good explanation of the Passover for the new testament Christians)
Thursday 7 May 2015
Peace and Patience and the Wrath of God
Today is my birthday! I had the most glorious time walking around the streets of Vancouver West Side looking at flowers in full bloom and the perfect spring air filling my lungs! What a perfect birthday gift! Here I am sitting outside a Starbucks enjoying a grande latte and writing my blog a day earlier because tomorrow will be a busy day at the conference. I was listening to the scripture read to me via my phone while I was walking. A recurrent theme both from the Old Testament reading and the New Testament reading was about God's way of punishing people. It brought to my attention something I heard from the sermon this past Sunday. The sermon continued on the theme of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), focusing this time on the two aspects of the life of a Christian who has the indwelling Spirit: peace and patience. Concerning peace - someone asked at the end of the sermon whether Jesus' driving out the traders at the temple (John 2:13-17, Luke 19:45-46, Mark:11:15-17, Matthews 21:12-13) demonstrated that there was such thing as "righteous anger". The pastor gave this reply which I summarize here: "Love is a bigger motivator for justice. Anger is on the sin list (Galatians 5:19-21) but not on the fruit list (Galatians 5:22-23). The example of Jesus clearing the temple was to demonstrate the wrath of God."
So the wrath of God and righteous anger was on my mind this whole week. The story I read this morning concerned the Lord's judgement on King Ahaziah in 2 Kings 1. It can be seen as a picture of God's righteous judgement on a King who despite a long history of God's redemption of the people of Israel, looked to an idol god (Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron) for direction and support. The New Testament passage concerning the wrath of God came from John 3:31-36:
"The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them."
"The one who comes from above" referred to Jesus. Here John the Baptist was telling his disciples that God's redemptive plan was finally fulfilled in the person of Jesus, who was from God and spoke the words of God. As wonderful as God's great promise of John 3:16 (For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.) there is also judgement awaiting for those who would reject Him. The wrath of God is the natural end for those whose sin (the acts of the flesh - Galatians 5:19-21) would prevent them to inherit the kingdom of God. But praise be to God, for He promised: "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." (Galatians 5:24-26)
There is no room for pride. Salvation comes from God and by His Spirit we live in peace with all men and are patient (long-suffering) to wait for the final redemption when God will be the judge.
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:9-21)
So the wrath of God and righteous anger was on my mind this whole week. The story I read this morning concerned the Lord's judgement on King Ahaziah in 2 Kings 1. It can be seen as a picture of God's righteous judgement on a King who despite a long history of God's redemption of the people of Israel, looked to an idol god (Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron) for direction and support. The New Testament passage concerning the wrath of God came from John 3:31-36:
"The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them."
"The one who comes from above" referred to Jesus. Here John the Baptist was telling his disciples that God's redemptive plan was finally fulfilled in the person of Jesus, who was from God and spoke the words of God. As wonderful as God's great promise of John 3:16 (For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.) there is also judgement awaiting for those who would reject Him. The wrath of God is the natural end for those whose sin (the acts of the flesh - Galatians 5:19-21) would prevent them to inherit the kingdom of God. But praise be to God, for He promised: "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." (Galatians 5:24-26)
There is no room for pride. Salvation comes from God and by His Spirit we live in peace with all men and are patient (long-suffering) to wait for the final redemption when God will be the judge.
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:9-21)
Friday 1 May 2015
Logos - the Reason for Life
I was looking for a topic to write this morning. I thought I would continue with the theme of the church's current sermon series (The Look of Love), which is based on the Fruit of the (Holy) Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and in particular, the aspect of Joy as an expression of Love. What does Joy look like? Does it look differently when I am in Love? Who am I in love with?
But then I checked my Facebook this morning and a preacher friend posted a sermon by Tim Keller - one of my favorite preachers (who says Facebook is a waste of time?). The title of this sermon is "A Reason for Living". Tim Keller as usual argued brilliantly that life is not meaningless. He quoted a number of brilliant philosophers who concluded that if our aim in life was to have total freedom, then we must conclude that life was meaningless. He contrasted this view with that of the apostle John, whose opening statement in his gospel (with the original Greek in brackets):
"In the beginning was the Word (logos), and the Word (logos) was with God (theos), and the Word (logos) was God (theos)." (John 1:1)
Tim Keller explained that the meaning of the word Logos was derived from the root word for "logic", which should really be translated as "the reason for life". During the time of John, the Jews were under Roman rule. The religious leaders taught the people that their life had no purpose until the Messiah came. John was to announce that "the reason for life" has arrived!
So I use what I learned this morning to look at what I learned from the sermon again and came up with these practical ideas for my life ahead:
(1) Joy flows from our relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. I am glad this is the first point on the sermon. I should learn to focus (with the help of the Holy Spirit) on giving praise to God for His Son Jesus Christ, through good times and bad:
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. (Psalm 16:7)
I should follow Jesus' example:
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. (Luke 10:21)
And practice and practice:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)
(2) Joy is bigger, better, and more beautiful than happiness. This should govern many of the choices I make. Is it for more comfort and temporary happiness? Does it invest in the eternal? I should practice making more other-centered decisions. In times of difficulties all the more I should learn from Jesus:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
(3) As an expression of love, joy is good for you, and good for others around you. YES!
In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. (2 Corinthians 8:2)
(4) Joy is cultivated through gratitude. So practice giving thanks always, continually, and in all circumstances!
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
(5) Gratitude (which leads to joy) is cultivated through an intentional focus. Beware of negative thoughts and re-focus quickly. Practice positive thoughts, like this verse admonishes us to do:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)
Say this to myself everyday:
Jesus is my reason for living! Love Him and obey Him. In doing so I will find meaning and purpose for the rest of this life and the life to come. And JOY will invariably come.
I learned this in my early days as a Christian. It came from the study of the Book of Philippians at a conference. The secret to JOY is this:
Jesus
Others, then
You
But then I checked my Facebook this morning and a preacher friend posted a sermon by Tim Keller - one of my favorite preachers (who says Facebook is a waste of time?). The title of this sermon is "A Reason for Living". Tim Keller as usual argued brilliantly that life is not meaningless. He quoted a number of brilliant philosophers who concluded that if our aim in life was to have total freedom, then we must conclude that life was meaningless. He contrasted this view with that of the apostle John, whose opening statement in his gospel (with the original Greek in brackets):
"In the beginning was the Word (logos), and the Word (logos) was with God (theos), and the Word (logos) was God (theos)." (John 1:1)
Tim Keller explained that the meaning of the word Logos was derived from the root word for "logic", which should really be translated as "the reason for life". During the time of John, the Jews were under Roman rule. The religious leaders taught the people that their life had no purpose until the Messiah came. John was to announce that "the reason for life" has arrived!
So I use what I learned this morning to look at what I learned from the sermon again and came up with these practical ideas for my life ahead:
(1) Joy flows from our relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. I am glad this is the first point on the sermon. I should learn to focus (with the help of the Holy Spirit) on giving praise to God for His Son Jesus Christ, through good times and bad:
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. (Psalm 16:7)
I should follow Jesus' example:
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. (Luke 10:21)
And practice and practice:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)
(2) Joy is bigger, better, and more beautiful than happiness. This should govern many of the choices I make. Is it for more comfort and temporary happiness? Does it invest in the eternal? I should practice making more other-centered decisions. In times of difficulties all the more I should learn from Jesus:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
(3) As an expression of love, joy is good for you, and good for others around you. YES!
In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. (2 Corinthians 8:2)
(4) Joy is cultivated through gratitude. So practice giving thanks always, continually, and in all circumstances!
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
(5) Gratitude (which leads to joy) is cultivated through an intentional focus. Beware of negative thoughts and re-focus quickly. Practice positive thoughts, like this verse admonishes us to do:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)
Say this to myself everyday:
Jesus is my reason for living! Love Him and obey Him. In doing so I will find meaning and purpose for the rest of this life and the life to come. And JOY will invariably come.
I learned this in my early days as a Christian. It came from the study of the Book of Philippians at a conference. The secret to JOY is this:
Jesus
Others, then
You
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