Joy and Lament

May 2, 2023 at 1:56 pm | Posted in Biblical joy | 1 Comment
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When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

Psalm 126:1

Psalm 126 was written at the fulfillment of the post-exilic return from Babylon, which Isaiah and Jeremiah had prophesied would happen after 70 years of captivity. In 537 B.C. King Cyrus suddenly and without warning issued the decree that the exiles could go home. They began to leave in 538 B.C. It happened so suddenly and unexpectedly that it was like they were dreaming. It didn’t seem real (despite the prophecy). Then the dreamlike unreality shifted to joy.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.

Psalm 126:2

There are dirges in the Bible (sad songs), but most singing in the Bible is a sign of great joy. This psalm is a community lament psalm, but it is also a psalm of ascent. The “thens” in Verse 2 indicate steps upward. The gentiles in Canaan weren’t happy that Judah was being allowed to return, but they were forced to confess that the God of the Jewish people had done something great for them.

The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

Psalm 126:3

This was their song, but the lament has to do with the rain that would be needed if they were to successfully survive in a ravaged land.

Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south.

Psalm 126:4

God’s salvation initiates hard work, not vice versa.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

Psalm 126:5

Tearful sowing results in joyful reaping, both literally and evangelistically.

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 126:6

The Joy of Maturity

January 12, 2022 at 3:52 pm | Posted in Biblical joy, I Thessalonians | 4 Comments
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It appears from I Thessalonians Chapter 2 that some people verbally attacked Paul after he left Thessalonica, so he addressed some of the things they had been saying by reminding the church members of the integrity of his message and his methods. It is interesting to see the maturing process of these Thessalonian Christians – how they were growing up in the faith.

But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

I Thessalonians 2:7-8

There are comparisons between the way children need parents to care for them, and the ways Christians need a church and spiritual leaders in that church to care for them. First, parents sacrifice for their children.

But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.

I Thessalonians 2:2

Second, parents are patient with their children.

But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:

I Thessalonians 2:7

Third, parents provide nourishment for their children.

So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

I Thessalonians 2:8

Fourth, parents provide protection for their children.

For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness: Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.

I Thessalonians 2:5-6

As Christians, the Gospel and its ministry have been entrusted to us. If you have been faithful for very long, there is a likelihood that someone is looking up to you spiritually. If we think of ourselves as spiritual parents, we will remember that there are parental characteristics we need to practice.

1.  Parents need to be persistent.

For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.

I Thessalonians 2:9

2. Parents need to be consistent.

Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:

I Thessalonians 2:10

3.  Parents need to be insistent.

As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,

I Thessalonians 2:11

4.  Parents need to be resistant.

That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.

I Thessalonians 2:12

Knowing that those over whom God has given us spiritual care are first and foremost HIS children, we can expect the best out of them. Growing up can be painful, but it can also be joyful.

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

I Thessalonians 2:13

There is joy in receiving the Word – in learning new things about God – and there is joy in Christian socialization.

For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:

I Thessalonians 2:14

It is important for Christians to be around other Christians. Growing Christians, like growing children, need to be socialized. I often see people claiming to be mature in the Word, but refusing to go to church. I have my doubts, though, about their effectiveness in living out the Word.

There is a joy in pleasing those who have authority over you.

For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy.

I Thessalonians 2:19-20

There is joy in pleasing God and seeing Him receive glory. There is joy in learning new things and living new things. There is pain, but also joy, in investing yourself in the life of others and spending time with others. There is joy in trying to please those whom God has placed over us. There is joy in trying to give glory to God. There is joy in growing up.

The Joy of Rescuing Lost Sheep

October 14, 2019 at 2:47 pm | Posted in Biblical joy, Luke | 8 Comments
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Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. He came to this world on a mission, and He has commanded us to be part of this mission, although Jesus is really the one who does the seeking and the saving, and He only seeks and saves that which is “lost.” People need to realize they’re lost in order to realize they need to be found.

Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

Luke 15:1-2

“Sinners and publicans” are classified differently from “Pharisees and scribes” not because they are different in substance, but because they are different in attitude. One group recognizes its condition: lost. The other does not think of itself as lost. Those of us who frequently listen to orthodox Christian sermons and Bible lessons are used to hearing that Jesus is willing to save even the most notorious sinners, but sometimes we forget this wonderful truth: Jesus rejoices when He finds and saves what was lost!

And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

Luke 15:3-6

As human beings we are more like sheep than we at first might want to admit. We are helpless, lacking wisdom, prone to wander, prone to separate from others, prone to get into trouble. In Bible times a faithful shepherd would leave a flock of sheep to search for one lost sheep because it cost the shepherd to lose one AND because he loved his sheep. Jesus has paid a high price for His sheep, but He loves them also.

I hope you know the joy of what it means to be saved, but have you ever thought about the joy that Jesus experiences when He saves a lost sinner?

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Luke 15:7

There may be a party in Heaven when ONE lost sinner is found by his or her Savior.

The Joy of Service, Salvation, and Sovereignty

December 19, 2018 at 3:10 pm | Posted in Biblical joy, Luke | 11 Comments
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Christians are ambassadors for Christ. We represent Him. This is a great privilege, but it also is a dangerous calling.

Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

Luke 10:3

Some of the reasons for going forth with a partner, or as part of a team, as ambassadors for Christ are accountability, encouragement, guarding reputation, practicality, the possibility of meeting someone with a special ministry need, and safety or protection. That last one applies not just to physical danger, but to spiritual danger as well. We are lambs among wolves. Wolves do not charge into the middle of the flock and try to take down the ram right next to the Shepherd. They are looking for lone lambs out on the fringe, people out of church, out of Christian fellowship, maybe only tangentially related to the Body of Christ anymore.

One form of ambassadorship in the local churches of which I’ve been a part is called “visitation.” “Visitation” is not really about “just visiting.” We have a mission to accomplish and a message to deliver. We are laborers , not spectators. We are not like the internet-surfers, TV-watchers, or window-shoppers – activities which primarily involve “just looking.”

When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee. And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it: And when the LORD thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.

Deuteronomy 20:10-14

As ambassadors we declare “peace,” but if peace is rejected we announce judgment. Now, this sounds like heavy lifting, and being an ambassador is hard work. Does it sound like drudgery? Well, it’s not. It’s joyous work.

And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.

Luke 10:17

1. There is joy in service.

Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Luke 10:20

2. There is joy in salvation.

Every time I tell someone else how they can go to Heaven I am reminded that I am going there myself. Every time I talk to someone about Jesus I am reminded how marvelous He is. Jesus is not our “product;” He is the Rescuer of our souls and the Changer of our lives. Most people speak with respect about their company or their product or their boss, but they speak with JOY about their loved ones. How much more do we express joy over the One Who loved us enough to save us!

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Luke 10:21-24

3. There is joy in the sovereignty of God.

The idea that God is in charge of salvation – of revealing Truth and of Holy Spirit-conviction – is ENcouraging rather than DIScouraging.

God’s Will concerning Your Joy

October 5, 2015 at 11:36 am | Posted in Biblical joy, Where There's a Way There's a Will | 9 Comments
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Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.

Colossians 2:23

The heresy in the church in Colossae was an early example of what would later become called Manichaeism. Manichaeism was started by an Iranian false prophet named Mani. It taught that the “spirit of the world” must be denied to the point where misery was a necessary ingredient of Christian service. Originally, its ideas competed with Christianity, but its principles appealed to some Christians, and the Gnostics attempted to sort of “adopt it into” Christianity, although it was quickly denounced as a heresy.

The truth is that God’s will for your life is not that He simply wants you to be miserable. However, in an attempt to counteract the false teachings of Manichaeism, it may be that the pendulum has swung too far the other way. The crisis in the modern Church is that we have a tendency to associate God’s will only with our temporal happiness. We fail to take into account the eternal weight of glory (Romans 8:18) which might be built, and we devalue perseverance and discipline as means of sanctification.

God does not get a kick out of you being unhappy in your marriage or on your job or from any physical or financial limitations you might have, but neither does He give carte blanche to be guided by your feelings. God is God of the decretive and He’s God of the absconditus, but He’s also God of the circumstances and the details.

As Christians, we are soldiers, so we have to train (unpleasant but necessary); we have to go to battle (excruciating but necessary); and we will eventually get to enjoy the spoils of victory (have a feast and ride in a parade), which is joyful while still being God-glorifying.

So, you may get the joy of helping people on a job you hate, and you may experience the ecstasy of “making up” (or the virtues of patience and contentment) after enduring mistreatment by your spouse. Either way, God’s will for your life is sanctification and joy in Him. Don’t get too caught up trying to demonstrate your “free will.” We are terrible judges of our own summum bonum. We are “settlors” when God wants us to be “overcomers.”

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

This reference to the spirit of “the world” includes Manichaeism (let’s hurt ourselves to prove our own will power) and Libertinism (let’s eat and drink for tomorrow we die).

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Romans 8:35-37 (emphasis added)

Danger + Weakness = Joyful Praise

April 25, 2012 at 11:08 am | Posted in Biblical Danger, Biblical joy, Selected Psalms | 5 Comments
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Psalm 9 is a Psalm of praise. Praise makes us joyful.

[To the chief Musician upon Muthlabben, A Psalm of David.] I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.

Psalm 9:1-2

Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.

Psalm 9:11

That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.

Psalm 9:14

God is a King and He is THE King. The King has a throne, and His throne represents His government.

For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right.

Psalm 9:4

The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

Psalm 9:9

God’s government is bigger than any earthly government, and we can praise the King of Kings even when we can’t praise our earthly “king” or president or governor or mayor.

Have you praised God for the same things that David praised God for in these Verses?

When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence. For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right. Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever. O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.

Psalm 9:3-6

Has the Lord turned back your enemy? Has He blotted out your enemies? Only God’s Kingdom will last forever. One of the reasons there is such joy in praise is because we find a shelter from trouble in praise.

The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

Psalm 9:9-10

We are sheltered in times of leanness because the Lord never forsakes us. People will forsake you when you are in a lean place. An earthly government may be helping you or your family right now, but how long do you think a government will help you when the government leaders start to need help themselves? God will shelter His children, and He will never need to take away His provision and use it on Himself.

When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble. Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:

Psalm 9:12-13

The Lord will shelter His children when they are attacked, even though the blood of our own crimes is on our hands, on our houses, and on our heads. God is the “Avenger of Blood,” but He is also the “City of Refuge.”

For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight. Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.

Psalm 9:18-20

The Lord shelters His children in times of weakness. We are vessels of clay, so all our times are times of weakness.

Oswald Chambers Says You Can S.W.I.M. with Joy

June 12, 2010 at 9:45 am | Posted in Biblical joy, II Corinthians, Quotes | 7 Comments
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The surf that distresses the ordinary swimmer produces in the surf-rider the super-joy of going clean through it. Apply that to your own circumstances – these very things – tribulation, distress, persecution, produce in us the super-joy; they are not things to fight. We are more than conquerors through Him in all these things, not in spite of them, but in the midst of them. The saint never knows the joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but because of it…

Osawald Chambers, “March 7, Undaunted Radiance,” My Utmost for His Highest

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Romans 8:37

Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

II Corinthians 7:4, emphasis added

Real Joy Vs. Fake Joy

May 10, 2010 at 1:55 pm | Posted in Biblical joy, Romans, Uncategorized | 11 Comments
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The worldly person who has no real relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is, by necessity, dependent upon external things for proper behavior, peace, and joy. When circumstances happen to bring about his comfort, he feels magnanimous and wants to be nice to others. He feels temporarily at peace, and even experiences a counterfeit joy.

However, those who intimately know Christ Jesus and reign with Him in life know righteousness, peace, and joy that surpass physical and external circumstances.

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Romans 14:17

When true Christians get together, regardless of their level of spiritual maturity, there should be an atmosphere of peace and love, similar to that which should exist among a loving family, which is made up, not only of grown parents, but also of young children. Children grow physically because they are fed and exercised. They grow emotionally and spiritually because they are trained in love.

Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Romans 14:19


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