2022-09-09
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The Holy Spirit directs me to continue providing and discussing Scripture the Lord gives us about joy. Joy is the second gift the Holy Spirit gives us mentioned in GA 5: 22-23, with the first gift, which is love. Since context is so important when studying Scriptures, there had been an experiment in communal living amongst the Lord’s people in Jerusalem that didn’t succeed. The result was a lack of necessary funds for the people to continue thriving there. Paul and his entourage were visiting Macedonia, where things were going considerably better. Paul writes, in RO 15: 30-32, “I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, so that I may come to you with joy by God’s will, and in your company, I may be refreshed.” Paul’s words here demonstrate some important truths. When we serve God, we can stay on top of problems the people of the Lord have and cheerfully give to help fill their need. By doing so, the Lord gives us inner joy that can’t be had from another source. We can also see that the grateful Macedonians had enough joy that they were willing to share their material wealth with others. God does fill our needs. Paul was thus able to share his joy in the Gospel with the people in both Macedonia and Jerusalem.
Paul also had “joy which knows no bounds” at the church’s repentance, in 2 COR 7: 4. The Lord’s people in the busy economic center of Corinth were keeping the Lord’s teaching in their lives. Paul had previously said, “We have wronged no one, corrupted no one, and exploited no one. You have a place in our hearts, and I have spoken with great frankness and pride in you. We are encouraged, despite all our troubles.” [For discussion of Paul’s hardships, see 2 COR 5: 3-5 and 2 COR 11: 22-33]. Paul takes up the subject of sin, using the metaphor of yeast to symbolize sin and dough to represent the Lord’s people, in 2 COR 7: 6, “A little yeast ruins the whole batch of dough.” Paul tells the people, in verses 8-13, to “keep the festival not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Paul further urges the Lord’s people not to associate with the “people of this world, who are greedy and immoral, etc. but claim to be a brother or sister,” but really aren’t. Paul tells them it isn’t his place to judge them, but the Lord’s people should expel the wicked among them.
Paul reveals, in PHIL 1 23-24, the conflict within that is his cross to bear is that he desires to go home to be with the Lord, but that “it is better and more necessary for you [the Lord’s people of his time], that I remain in the body. In verses 25-26, Paul rededicates his life to serving God’s people, “for your progress and joy in the faith, so that my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.”
It was very important to Paul that the Lord’s people have resilience in their faith, as he knew it would be tested. PHIL 4: 1, “Therefor, my brothers and sisters, you who I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear Friends!” What I find amazing is that all this wisdom was in the form of letters Paul wrote from his house-bound prison in Rome. The common catalyst for all these verses is the joy that Paul had from the Lord’s people in their lives in Christ.
PRAYER: O Lord, how rich are Your words in the Bible about what really matters in our earthly lives, things that will put us on that “ hard path through the narrow gate” [that leads to eternal life with You [MT 7: 13-14]. Our hearts are open to Your Spirit and shut to those worldly things that lead to being lost and forgotten forever. We are blessed by opportunities You provide from our fellow believers and potential believers that build faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Friendships that are permanent abound among such people. ECCL 4: 9-10, “Twp are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help him up.” We offer You thanks and praise for giving us a life filled with faith in Jesus and the grace to us that You extend. We pledge our faith, loyalty, honor, thanks and praise to You , as our hearts are filled with love for You and each other. It is our joy we express in this prayer dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ and in His holy name. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: Paul was known as the greatest apostle who ever lived and had a tremendously effective relationship with the Lord and the people of the early church. No discussion of joy would be complete without seeing the Source of his relationships and the joy he felt. This amazing person, Paul, went through more trials than we would ever have in our lifetimes. And yet he was able to do his work for the Lord better than any other individual other than Christ Himself. Next week, as the Holy Spirit commands me, I will present some Scriptures that allow us to see better the joy that Paul received from the Lord.
I make no effort to compare myself with either Paul or the Lord Jesus. However, I would like to share some of the joy the Lord has given me. To my own great surprise and without my knowing He was doing this, the Lord carried me through a very unhappy childhood in which I had no knowledge of His existence. Each time I was on a very bad path, the Lord influenced others around me to pull me off of that path. Once I reached the age of 25, the Lord made His presence in my life known to me and began changing it from being earthbound to a life lived for the sake of gaining eternal life with Him. This was done gradually, so much so, that I was shocked only by looking backward with typical human hindsight and no foresight. While raised in a conservative Jewish household and culture, the Lord Jesus was calling me to faith in Him. Once I acknowledged His presence and my growing faith, He steadily became more important to me. While never walking away from the Jewish culture, I was called at the age of 39to be a “completed” Jew, one who knew Who the Messiah is, to serve my Lord Jesus Christ full time for the rest of my life. He has made it possible for me to do so and has given me great joy and inner peace. I will be forever grateful. Let me refer you to PS 40: 1-3. Now I’m 78 and still take great joy in serving the Lord, blessed be His name!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson, 2022. All Right Reserved.
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