The Source of Joy

“Even the youth shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. But they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:

            What do you wait for? A spouse? Honor? Heaven? Vacation? Relationships? Strength? Our desires often run so deep we feel our lives are insufficient without their fulfillment.   We think that not having what we wish for is what is making us unhappy-but it isn’t. Our sins are the ultimate cause of our unhappiness.

            The answer to our problem is not getting what we want but understanding the source of true joy. Only those that wait on the Lord comprehend true happiness. As youths we tend to be confident in our own strength. We think, “If only I try harder I will be content.” Yet, no matter how hard we try, we cannot find contentment. Only by waiting on the Lord-putting our entire trust in him-can we revive our strength.                

            Have you ever been tired of the battle? How often does it seem the enemy’s unrelenting attack will never end? Are you tired of trying to be good, tired of attempting to reach the standards put before you? Come to the Fountain of Life and He shall revive your strength.

            Imagine being able to fly the height of an eagle. You could see the world for what it is-a mere speck in a vast universe. No longer would the journey of life be drudgery. Instead, you would be free to fly within the bounds of your Creator.  Even more, you could see the Kingdom of God grow in far more places than your little community.

            Through Christ we can fly. Not physically, of course, but spiritually. Instead of seeing the law as a chain bound around us by a cruel master, we can see that flying only happens by means of the freeing bounds of the commands of God. The psalmist explains this well in Psalm 119:103-104. “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth. I gain understanding form your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.”

-Jewel

Dieum declectare, Dieu laudes decorare

From my Reading Notebook...

               Recently I discovered the idea of keeping a notebook for writing thoughts, quotes, or ideas I discover while I’m reading. I found a 9” by 6” binder with pockets so I can keep letters, pens, etc. If you glance through my notebook you will find everything from notes on hunting elk, to table settings for a formal meal, to books I would like to read. Here are some of the notes I’ve taken on recent books.

                 “One day, as he (John Adams) and Benjamin Rush sat together in congress, Rush asked Adams in a whisper if he thought America would succeed in the struggle (against Britain). “Yes,” Adams replied, “if we fear God and repent our sins.” (John Adams-David McCullough, pg. 160)

                “I believe nature has assigned each sex its particular duties and sphere of action, and to act well your part.”-Abigail Adams (John Adams-David McCullough, pg. 171) Imagine saying that today! People think the founding fathers (and mothers) agreed with their egalitarian ideas!

                “(These are) times that tried women’s souls as well as men’s…”-John Adams, after the birth of their stillborn daughter. (John Adams, David McCullough, pg. 172) Sometimes we think that the “old days” were somehow better than today. “If only we lived in the time of the American War for Independence!” It’s hard to realize that all of time has been blotted by the malevolent effects of sin.

                 “Improve your understanding, for acquiring useful knowledge and virtue such as will render you an ornament to society, an honor to your country, and a blessing to your parents…and remember you are accountable to your Maker for all your words or actions.”-Abigail Adams to John Quincy before his departure for Europe. (John Adams, David McCullough, pg. 177)

                 “Popularity was never my mistress, nor was I ever, or shall I ever be a popular man.”-John Adams to the Warren family (John Adams, David McCullough)

                 “As non-theists, we begin with humans, not God, nature, not deity…While there is much that we do not know, humans are responsible for what we are or will become. No deity will save us, we must save ourselves.” (The Humanist Manifesto, quote from The American Covenant, Marshall Foster and Mary-Elaine Swanson) Sometimes we need to know the antithesis!

                “To wield music well in the fight for joy we should be filled with the Word of God, so that the minds are shaped by biblical truth. If our mind and heart have been molded by the contours of God’s character and humbled by the grace of the gospel, we will discern better what sounds reveal and correspond to the varied glories of God. And since this depends so much on cultural contexts and personal backgrounds, we will need not only a grasp of musical richness, but also a deep theological grounding in God-centered truth, and cultural sensitivity, and an awareness of the dynamics of the heart, and a profound love for people of all kinds. We must make it our aim that the joy awakened by music be a joy in God. Not all pleasures of music are pleasures in God. Then the efforts to delight in God through music will involve a prior shaping of the mind by the Word, so that the structures of sound that do not conform to God’s character are not pleasing in the first place. Then, the efforts to delight in God through music will involve a thoughtful testing after the music has already awakened joy. Is this joy, we ask, rooted in something good about God? Is it shaping my emotions into a Christ-exalting configuration? Is it stirring desires to know Christ better and love him more, and show him to others at the cost of my own comfort? So before and after music has its immediate effect, we pursue the goal that music make us more glad in the glory of God.”-John Piper, When I Don’t Desire God, ­pg. 194

-Jewel

Diem declectare, Dieu laudes decorare