House Church Talk - Counting the Joy

[goodwordusa at att.net]

The messages and teachings of God come to us most clearly in the Scriptures --
 especially as we apply them to every day life.  And here is a blessing given 
to us by the Lord in the New Testament:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that 
the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its 
perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  If any 
of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and 
without reproach, and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith, 
with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and 
tossed by the wind.  For let not that man suppose that he will receive 
anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.  
(James 1:2-8)

I, for one, often forget to count my difficulties as joy.  

I am often overtaken by the flash of the moment, when some small and nagging 
resistance appears in my pathway, forcing me to do this or that, when all I 
want is to go somewhere or get some work done.  For example, I tend to resent 
red lights, slow drivers, and having to clean up a mess I made because I was 
in a hurry to do something.  And I so often seem to be in a hurry to do 
something.

But God is true and faithful.  And the one constant in my life is the 
goodness and kindness of the Lord: His good Presence by the Holy Spirit, and 
His faithfulness to watch out for me while I'm busy looking the wrong way.  
If not for God's mighty hand of grace, I would not be here today to type 
these words.  The Lord is true and faithful.  

The Lord is good in all seasons.

And whatever He says is good and true.  We can and should take His words in 
Scripture to heart at all times.  And we should spend more time rejoicing in 
Him.  We should count the day as joy, and count the long night as joy -- 
because the Lord Jesus has delivered us from darkness and made us to be light 
in Him.  And the Lord Jesus has given us eternal riches that nothing at all 
can ever take away.  And the Lord Jesus has given us His very own life for 
all eternity.  In Him we live and breathe and have our being.

When I'm in a hurry, I don't often really want wisdom.  I just want results --
 right now.  

But God is patient with me, allowing me to face the same difficulties again 
and again, until I learn to pay attention to His lesson, whatever it happens 
to be.  When I face a trial or difficulty, I seldom want to know the why, the 
reasoning, or the logic behind the problem.  I just want it to go away 
immediately.  I want all obstacles to get out of my way, so that I can 
continue on unhindered, at top speed.

But much of the Lord's teaching takes place on the way: on the road, or on 
the boat ride, to this or that place.  That's how it was in the Gospel 
accounts, and that's how it is today also -- at least in my life.  God is 
teaching, revealing, changing me.  Training me, making me into something more 
like His Son.  His plan is to have a great household filled with children of 
God.  Children who have been adopted, yes, but His own no less.  And He's 
working in my life to get me ready.

The "obstacle" is very often an important lesson from my Father.  
The "difficulty" is often a new chapter in the book He's writing to my 
heart.  For in all our squeezes and pressures of life we're able (eventually) 
to see the great and mighty hand of God at work.  He is always there -- 
ALWAYS THERE -- to walk us through whatever it is.  And we learn, in time, 
that we are never, never, never alone.

And so we begin to learn patience.  We stop exploding or fleeing at the first 
signs of a moving leaf in the wind.  We stop fighting every hard turn.  We 
also learn how to dig in with both feet and stand firm -- even when standing 
firm is all in the world we can do.  Like Moses, we also learn to fall on our 
faces and call on the One who is able to help us.  Like David of old, we 
learn to get God's approval for every battle.  We learn that God is with us, 
and that He will not forsake us.  He will never forsake us.

Not even a little bit will He forsake His own.

And so I'm learning today to count it all joy.  And I'm learning to ask the 
Lord for wisdom.  And I'm learning to have faith, to simply trust the Lord in 
everything.

Paul, who knew about trouble, wrote:  
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with 
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, 
which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through 
Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:6,7)

And he also urged: 
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is 
the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  Do not quench the Spirit."  (1 
Thessalonians 5:16-19)

Little by little, by the gentle grace of God,  I'm learning.

Jim