Category: Encouragement

Christian, Inspiration, Encouragement

The Lord is With You

Highlighting Hope

I love how the Word of God never grows old or how it never fails to teach and reveal something new. I love how God’s word continues to supply His people with unwavering hope and how it faithfully steadies our hearts and minds in an increasingly unsteady world. After several years of teaching my 4th grade students about the life of Joseph, I am truly amazed at the rich truths God continues to reveal every time I dive into this story with my students.

The life of Joseph is one that I would say that many of us are familiar with- He’s the guy with the colorful tunic, the one who is known to be his father’s favorite son, the one who is betrayed by his brothers when they throw him in a pit, and then out of the kindness of his brothers’ hearts, they decided to sell him off as a slave instead of killing and then portray him as dead to their father. When you think of Joseph, you probably think of a life full of trials, deep hurts, and a man longing for freedom.

But as we read about the life Joseph and all of the many trials he faced, the pivotal question for us to ask and answer is “what do we see and learn about God?”

In the middle of so many trials and tribulations, we see a sovereign and faithful God! Four times in Genesis chapter 39, we read the phrase “theLord was with Joseph.” The interesting thing about this phrase is when we first see it recorded. This phrase doesn’t show up in the text until the trial begins. It is first seen in Genesis 39:2, right after Joseph had been sold to Potipher. 

As we progress through that chapter so do Joseph’s hardships- Joseph was falsely accused by Potipher’s wife and as a result of this false accusation- we now see Joseph move from being a slave to now being a slave in prison.Alongside these progressive hardships we continue to see the phrase “the Lord was with him.”

I imagine that God was with Joseph prior to these major trials taking place, but one thing is undeniably clear, that God wanted us to know that when the hardships came- the Lord was Joseph’s ever-present help in his time of need.And in addition to God being with him, we also learn that God was also causing him to prosper. And when was God causing him to prosper? God was causing him to prosper him while he was still a slave and while he was still in a jail cell.

Thankfully, we serve a God who does not change! This account of Joseph’s life is thousands of years old but the truths contained in it still remain true. When the trials of life hit, we can rest confidently in knowing that “the Lord is also with us” We can trust that God is continuing to actively work in our lives, and that He will continue to prosper us even in the murkiest of circumstances because we know that God always works all things, even the hard things, for good and ultimately for His glory.

Christian, Encouragement, Inspiration

Choose Joy!

Highlighting Hope

Dear Fellow Believer, do you find yourself presently struggling with a particular sin? Are you tired of having skinned knees from your continuous falling? Walk in God’s grace today and allow Him to help you stand! The joy of the Lord is your strength! Let Him cleanse your wounds and bandage them so that you may be healed!

Nehemiah 8:10 says, “And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah was speaking words of comfort to God’s people, who had just heard the Law (the 10 Commandments) being read to them and it left them feeling grieved.  The people were faced with God’s perfect standard for living, and as each line of this law that they were to keep and live by was being read aloud them, the heaviness steadily increased. I imagine those hearing the law being read must have been repeatedly thinking to themselves “broken, broken, broken” and their final thought being, “I’m guilty.”

The hearers of the Law knew they all stood condemned before God.  The Law, God’s standard, revealed this to their hearts and, therefore, they were grieved. In a moment of understandable hopeless, they are then met with words of comfort and an answer! The people were told, “but do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” God told them, despite your condition, your guilt, you can be supplied with joy, but this joy will come from the LORD, YHWH, and it will be your strength.  A despairing moment is now beaming brightly with an unwavering hope that comes from of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In John 1:17 it says, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus.” This is why we do not have to give way to despair! Friends, the joy of the LORD, Jesus Christ, is our strength!

What is this joy and how does this joy of the LORD become our strength? Joy is not contingent on our circumstances, but rather, it is the constant supplying of a spiritual peace that is completely dependent on the LORD, Jesus Christ and it is a happiness that we can have in Him. The truth is, we experience physical death because of sin, as Romans 6: 23 reminds us, “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If we were left with the Law being our only means of justification, it would cause us to be distraught, heavy and living without hope. But praise God, this is not where the story ends! Paul tells us in Romans 3:21, “BUT NOW the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and Prophets bear witness to it- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for ALL who believe.”  

In Romans 3:20 Paul says, “for no one will be justified in His sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.” God’s law only reveals to us our sin and how we are separated from Him because of our sin. If we read through God’s law this very day, this very hour, we would find ourselves to be much like the people standing before Nehemiah as he read the law to them. In our minds, we too would be saying “broken, broken, broken.” And after hearing every law read, we too would come to the conclusion of “I stand guilty.” However, this very day, we are met with the very same words of comfort and an answer to our problem. Whatever you are wrestling with today in your striving for holiness, let God fight for you! God longs to look at us as well and say, “and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

Have you recently experienced the joy of the Lord being your strength? If so, share in the comment section below!

Christian, Encouragement, Inspiration

Choose Joy!

Highlighting Hope

Dear Fellow Believer, do you find yourself presently struggling with a particular sin? Are you tired of having skinned knees from your continuous falling? Walk in God’s grace today and allow Him to help you stand! The joy of the Lord is your strength! Let Him cleanse your wounds and bandage them so that you may be healed!

Nehemiah 8:10 says, “And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah was speaking words of comfort to God’s people, who had just heard the Law (the 10 Commandments) being read to them and it left them feeling grieved.  The people were faced with God’s perfect standard for living, and as each line of this law that they were to keep and live by was being read aloud them, the heaviness steadily increased. I imagine those hearing the law being read must have been repeatedly thinking to themselves “broken, broken, broken” and their final thought being, “I’m guilty.”

The hearers of the Law knew they all stood condemned before God.  The Law, God’s standard, revealed this to their hearts and, therefore, they were grieved. In a moment of understandable hopeless, they are then met with words of comfort and an answer! The people were told, “but do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” God told them, despite your condition, your guilt, you can be supplied with joy, but this joy will come from the LORD, YEWH, and it will be your strength.  A despairing moment is now beaming brightly with an unwavering hope that comes from of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In John 1:17 it says, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus.” This is why we do not have to give way to despair! Friends, the joy of the LORD, Jesus Christ, is our strength!

What is this joy and how does this joy of the LORD become our strength? Joy is not contingent on our circumstances, but rather, it is the constant supplying of a spiritual peace that is completely dependent on the LORD, Jesus Christ and it is a happiness that we can have in Him. The truth is, we experience physical death because of sin, as Romans 6: 23 reminds us, “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If we were left here to gather as the Law being our only means of justification, it would cause us to gather today distraught, heavy and without hope. But praise God, this is not where the story ends! Paul tells us in Romans 3:21, “BUT NOW the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and Prophets bear witness to it- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for ALL who believe.”  

In Romans 3:20 Paul says, “for no one will be justified in His sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.” God’s law only reveals to us our sin and how we are separated from Him because of our sin. If we read through God’s law this very day, this very hour, we would find ourselves to be much like the people standing before Nehemiah as he read the law to them. In our minds, we too would be saying “broken, broken, broken.” And after hearing every law read, we too would come to the conclusion of “I stand guilty.” However, this very day, we are met with the very same words of comfort and an answer to our problem. Whatever you are wrestling with today in your striving for holiness, let God fight for you! God longs to look at us as well and say, “and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!”

Have you recently experienced the joy of the Lord being your strength? If so, share in the comment section below!

Christian, Encouragement, Inspiration

“You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”

Highlighting Hope

“You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” This was a question that Jesus asked his disciples who were filled with fear when they found themselves in a shaky circumstance. Jesus frequently spoke to crowds of people, often times to critics, and to people who probably had little to no faith in Him at all, but he saved this question for his followers.

This question is still applicable to believers today. As I pondered this question asked by our Lord, three things came to mind:  Worship, Correction, and Love.

When we are faced with the question “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” it causes us to acknowledge who Jesus is and give Him all the worship He is due. We are caused to recognize that He is sovereign over all of our life circumstances and, that however great the circumstance that we face may be, Jesus is infinitely greater. We are faced with remembering that the presence of our circumstance is temporary, but Jesus’ presence in our lives is continuous. “Never will He leave you; never will He forsake you.” This promise is declared in Deuteronomy 31:6 to the Israelites as they were about to enter the Promised Land that God would give to them, and Moses knew that they would face circumstances that would cause them to fear. Therefore, Moses tells them, yes, it’s going to get scary for a bit, you’ll be tempted to give way to fear, but remember God is with you continuously. Paul references this same verse in Hebrews 13:6 to remind believers of God’s constant presence in our lives. Praise God that He is ever-present!

the presence of our circumstance is temporary, but Jesus’ presence in our lives is continuous.

As I read this question asked by Jesus, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” it immediately corrects my thinking about my circumstances. When I give way to fear, I begin to give more credit to my circumstance than to my Savior. When I begin to give way to fear, I am believing that my circumstance is greater than Jesus, and that my circumstance has the final say. When fear begins to arise within our hearts, we must rush to God’s word so that we can then be changed by the renewing of our minds with truth! (Romans 12:2) By taking in truth, we will find peace because our thoughts  are now fixed on Jesus who is the author and perfector of our faith. (Heb. 12:2)

And finally, as I read this question asked by Jesus, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” I am drawn to the love of our Savior. Jesus acknowledges that in our flesh, we will be tempted to succumb to fear, and then He offers Himself to be our solution. Jesus desires that we not live a life of fear but of power, of love and sound mind.  (2 Tim 1:7)

In the book Conversion by Michael Lawrence, he says“Faith is trust, and it’s only as good as the object of its trust. So the question isn’t “Did you believe? as Fanny Crosby implied. It’s ‘Who did you believe in?’”

So, “you of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Remember in whom we are placing our trust! The Lord, Jesus Christ is with you in every single moment of every single day as you walk through any and every circumstances, and He is ready and able to supply you with everything you need! Fear not!