The Gift of Joy

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As I’ve worked back through the study, Fight Back with Joy by Margaret Feinberg, I have replanted the memory verses from each week in my heart and mind. Memorizing and praying God’s word is a powerful tool that always accomplishes good in those who are trained by it.

The most difficult passage to memorize has been Habakkuk 3:17-18, but the message God has planted in my heart and mind from it is quite powerful-

Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.

The word here is that even when circumstances are difficult and there is no evidence of fruit, God’s provision of joy is present because He himself is the reason we are glad. He is the one who has saved us. He is our strength. He leads us over the heights that seem insurmountable before us! Continue reading “The Gift of Joy” →

The Gift of Peace

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Today as I asked God for help and direction to write about the second gift of Advent- PEACE, I took a few minutes to look back at a post I published on March 10, 2020- One Word is PEACE.

I read back over my words and was struck by how little changed over the course of the year-

Weather patterns brought suffering to many through an uncommon number of hurricanes and wildfires.

Even though I’ve spent more time at home, my to-do list is never complete, making rest a challenge.

Unexpected death and disease have uprooted families, leaving them with broken hearts in places they don’t recognize.

The election is over, but the country remains divided by hyper-partisan politics and strife.

A vaccine is right on the horizon, yet lockdowns and virus cases still bind people in fear and uncertainty. Everyone feels the anxiety of what a new normal will look like post-coronavirus.

Markets are up and then down- businesses and livelihoods marked and lost in ways that make restoration feel doubtful.

It seems PEACE slips further and further out of reach, especially if I add my dad’s dementia- it’s one thing the virus hasn’t slowed; he’s slipping away as days of quarantine lengthen, and if I allow my mind to dwell too long here, I become frantic and angry over this lost time we won’t get back.

What I wrote in March still rings true today- PEACE slips farther and farther out of reach if I continue to look for it in all the wrong places- circumstances, people, things, control, the absence of storm . . .

So as I did in March, I’m reminding myself of truth today- the second gift of Advent is PEACE. Jesus brought peace to this world when He came as the way for world-weary souls to be right with God.

In Jesus there is peace even in difficult circumstances.

His gift to me is peace.

So today, I will open The Gift of Peace by reminding myself of what I know is true-

He knows the way I take. (Job 23:10)
God is my help and keeper. (Psalm 121)
He keeps me in perfect peace as I keep my mind on Him. (Isaiah 26:3)
He is present, holding my hand through this day and ones to come. (Isaiah 41:10-14)
He knows what I need, and I can trust Him- He’s got this! (Matthew 6:25-33)
He has given me love, power, and a sound mind for living life in this world. (2 Timothy 1:7)
He invites me to pray about everything and to be thankful. (Philippians 4:6-7)

And today I will cultivate The Gift of Peace with some PREPLANTing for PEACE by following Paul’s instructions in Philippians 4:8-9, and I’ll put my mind on what is-

Pure
Right
Excellent
Praiseworthy
Lovely
Admirable
Noble
True

And the God of PEACE will be with me-

And you . . . because-

The One who has promised is faithful!
(Hebrews 10:23)

Today, will you join me and choose to encounter this uncertain world by trusting and rejoicing in The Gift of Peace we celebrate this Christmas- Jesus!

The Gift of Hope

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During the first week of Advent, we celebrate the gift of HOPE. The prophets foretold of the Messiah who would come as the HOPE for God’s people-

In a previous post- One Word is HOPE, I wrote-

While the word HOPE seems to rest in the realm of the unseen, when present it actually prompts activity in the realm of the seen. HOPE is the fuel that prompts waiting, enduring, and continuing until an expectation comes to pass. When applied spiritually, HOPE results in obedience during the in-between of the promise given and the promise fulfilled.

I don’t often stop to think about how much our world today mirrors the world of the Bible, but when I do, I see that so much now is as it was then. We too are a people living in darkness. This year it’s come in the form of disease, uncertainty, and sometimes violent discord among people. As the calendar approaches the celebration of the first advent of Jesus, many long for his second advent- when He will come and make all things new. Suffering and death will be no more. Every tear will be wiped away.

As people who live in-between the Advent promises, we find common ground with the ancients- we are weary and in desperate need of HOPE. While we may be tempted to misplace our hope and look to a vaccine, a leader, a plan, or a resource to restore all that’s gone wrong, we need the reminder that our only HOPE is the gift of Jesus.

Scripture teaches us-

HOPE is in the name of Jesus! (Matthew 12:18-21)
Jesus is the HOPE that saves. (Romans 8:24-25)
HOPE in Jesus will not disappoint. (Romans 5:5)
This HOPE is an anchor that keeps us secure. (Hebrews 6:19)

Scripture calls us to be filled with HOPE-

As hope-filled people, we wait, we endure, and we continue with God, and our testimonies point to the living hope we have in Jesus.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade- kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of your salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5

ThanksLiving

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2020 has been a hard and challenging year. If you’re like me, you may need an intentional reset in your mind and heart in order to know and believe that even the trouble of this year is not enough to negate the goodness and abundance of God.

I’m bringing back a PIC to refocus my mind and perspective on God’s truth-

This is good news- God’s bounty is not defined or confined by the circumstances of any given year!

I’m employing some simple strategies that I found in this beautiful passage from Psalm 92 as a guide for keeping a grateful heart and cultivating a spirit of joy-

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
Psalm 92:1-4 (ESV)

I’m calling it Instructions for ThanksLiving–

1- Spend time daily speaking praise to God; thank Him for His presence and be glad for his work (Psalm 113:2-3, Psalm 50:14-15, Psalm 91:14-16, Isaiah 46:4).
2- Begin and end the day in His presence- pray, pray, pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Ephesians 6:18).
3- Sing out loud a song of joy. (The old Thanksgiving hymns have made my heart glad, so I’m giving you a video link to help you get started- Let All Things Now Living.)

I pray you will find the practice of ThanksLiving is the best way to reset your perspective so that you believe and see the Bounty of the Lord in the land of the living as Psalm 27:13 promises-

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of living!

Happy ThanksLiving- I’m especially grateful for your presence here at Daily PICs- thanks for reading and praying along with me!
Jean

On The Way . . . With the Joy of the LORD

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I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten at Waffle House, but every year as we get closer to Christmas, I think maybe this is the year I’ll stop in for some breakfast. My curiosity was piqued when I began to hear stories of eating at Waffle House as a much loved Christmas tradition- either Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.

Being a breakfast lover, the stories of late night trips to a restaurant that’s always open intrigued me. Especially when I learned about the countless ways you can order another favorite of mine- hash browns.

Several years ago, I used my hash brown learnings to write a short devotional. Today I’m giving it a 2020 update and hoping it will encourage you as we close in on the end of what many people are describing as an unprecedented year. I’ll start with a simple question-

Has 2020 left you feeling like Waffle House hash browns? Continue reading “On The Way . . . With the Joy of the LORD” →