Tag: joy

Psalm 16:11

Original post 8/31/2016

Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

There are three very precious promises in this one verse!

1. He makes known to us the path of life. 

In life, we are constantly making decisions. Some we can make without even thinking…like coffee or tea, cake or pie…these are simple because we know what we like and we know what we want. Then, we have the life-changing, path-altering decisions that require prayer and hearing His voice clearly. We don’t necessarily want or desire to make these decisions, but we must. This promise lets us know that He will make the correct path known. I think this takes a lot of the stress out of it. He will speak and make it clear to us so that we know that we are in the right place. So, having trouble figuring out what to do? Lean in and listen. He will make your path known!

2. There is fullness of joy in His presence.

Fullness of joy! Not happiness, joy. Happiness is an external feeling, but joy is what we can have in the midst of trials. Joy that is full! I have people tell me all the time, “You’re too happy in the morning. Are you always this upbeat?” I am high-energy and upbeat, but my joy is anchored in His presence. Now, are you struggling to find your joy? My advice? Spend time in His presence and allow Him to fill you up! 

3. At His right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Wow! Pleasures forevermore! God gave us such pleasures to enjoy…our families, silly kid grins, laughter, animals, coffee, cake…so many pleasures. However, the greatest pleasure that He gave us is Jesus. You know, Jesus sits at the Father’s right hand, and in Jesus, we have the joy of being forgiven, salvation, health, redemption, adoption, and belonging! What beautiful pleasures we can enjoy! 

Father, bless those who read this today. Make known the path that You have for each of them and each member of their family. As they spend time in Your presence, fill them with a joy that overflows into all they do. Allow waves of joy to break over each of them, drowning them in your love and laughter. Remind us that in Jesus, we have such beautiful pleasures already paid for through His death and resurrection. Jesus, thank You for freely giving all! Holy Spirit, thank You for leading us in all we do this week. Thank You for making our lives joyful because of all You do and who You are. In Jesus name, Amen!

7 Days to God

Original post-December 22, 2012

Wendy and I have always loved the outdoors and over the years as our kids were growing up, we took them on many camping and hiking trips. They always loved getting near the top, getting to that point in the trail where there was barely a trail, the point where it was more like hand-over-hand climbing than hiking. For one thing, it was fun but they also knew that just beyond was a spectacular view, that the tough climb at the end was all worth it.

As I stand here this morning, with a mere 7 days to go before we leave for South Africa, I pause for just a moment on this trail to catch my breath. I look back at how far we’ve come, thinking about the rough and rocky terrain we’ve covered in the last nine months, the “scraped knees” and the “cuts and scratches” from the “thorns” and “brush” we’ve come through, the unexpected obstacles we’ve had to cross. To this point, we have gone mile by mile.

I look around at where we are, with all that needs to be done, think about how I had it all planned out and how we’ve had to give up our plan and give in to God’s plan…to trust Him completely and more deeply than we’ve ever had to before.

I take a moment to look ahead at the next 7 days. The path is barely visible. It is so steep and rocky, so thick with vines and thorns. We are tired, our muscles ache, and we have the toughest part of the climb right in front of us…hand-over-hand, foot by foot, only able to see one step in front of us.

BUT, at this point, there IS NO turning back, we have come TOO FAR, sacrificed TOO MUCH, and worked TOO HARD, to give up now. All the adversity we have faced has done nothing but strengthen our resolve that we are on the right path and make us all the more determined to reach the top! I KNOW that just ahead, just beyond, the path will suddenly open up and we will behold the most spectacular view of God’s Glory and the destiny He has for us.