JOY

Philippians 1:3-11

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

When reading this, my first thought is, "I know what you mean, Paul." I have joy when I think of and pray for my dear sisters and brothers in Christ, who walk this journey with me as pilgrims now, and citizens of Heaven for all eternity. We have a special bond as hearts knit together, who share in this work of our King and Savior. My joy is only present when I am thinking correctly, however. I cannot hold too tightly to the temporal, earthly things. When I allow the sin of unbelief to cause me to fear, I don't have joy. When my limited understanding of God's immeasurable grace and my forgetfulness of God's faithfulness allow me to despair, I lose my joy. There is so much that encourages me in this passage: the reminder that God is faithful to complete the work He started in me, that joy is a gift and fruit of the Spirit that extends beyond the circumstances we face (Paul was writing this from prison, facing the possibility of execution), the reminder of the fellowship and bond I share with all believers. When I take time to renew my mind with the word of God, I can think correctly and face my trials with joy. I have to keep battling my wrong thinking, though, so if you think about it, pray for me! :)

It's been a busy December!

Hello, dear friends! I realize I can't just skip ahead to today, without mentioning what we've been up to these last few weeks. The kids participated in an advent club, in preparation for celebrating the birth of our savior. They had so much fun singing Christmas songs, and making crafts and listening to the Christmas story with their friends Ayla, Holly, and Liam. We celebrated Christmas with my father, sister and brother, here. Then, Monday, headed down south to San Diego to visit with Ron's family. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip, but what a blessing it was! Ron's grandparents were so thankful we came. They met Emily for the first time! His grandma couldn't get enough of our littlest one. She didn't want to let her go! Ron's Auntie Lita enjoyed all of the children, but especially loved getting to know Braden. She said he's just like Ron at that age, but perhaps a little more energetic. Braden is the same age as the children she teaches in her Kindergarten readiness classes, and he is a delight! He's full of giggles and smiles and boundless energy! We took a trip to the beach with Ron's cousin's boys. Despite the fact that it's the middle of winter, and it's COLD, Melanie and William spent most of the day in the ocean, while Zachary, Leilani, Jonathan, and Braden made castles in the sand. Emily enjoyed the beach as long as she was being held. She did not like standing in the sand! We all had a wonderful time enjoying our Lord's creation and the blessings of one another! We returned home late on New Year's Eve. We were all tired. Melanie fell asleep. Emily and Braden were next. Only Leilani stayed up to welcome the new year with us, and then we all went promptly to bed. The next day we went to my sister's house for brunch and stayed the day visiting and playing. We also met little Silas for the first time, Shea's brother's six-week-old baby. What a little cutie! After a weekend of chores, it was back to school and work for us on Monday. But first came Sunday. Our Pastor preached a sermon He entitled, "Taste and See that the Lord is good." This passage is one that the Lord keeps bringing back to me each day in one way or another, so I'm including it in this blog post. Monday, Melanie had Psalm 34:1 as a memory verse, and then today she was asking me about the Seeds song from psalm 34:11-14, and of course Sunday, Psalm 34:8 was an exhortation from our pastor. I think I will take the hint and keep reading it and memorizing it, meditating on it, throughout the month. I've started a reading plan, but not a memory verse plan, so this seems as good place to start as any! I can't read this passage without praising God because of His faithfulness. He is our strength and our deliverer, and he is on our side! I think of the analogy of Christ and the church as a Bride and Bridegroom. He is the Bridegroom defending, protecting, and tenderly caring for His bride!

Psalm 34

Taste and See That the Lord Is Good

34:1 I will bless the Lord at all times;

his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

11 Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
21 Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Footnotes

[1] 34:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet