Is it Joy, Fun, or Both?

Scripture References;

Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.  Psalm 51:8

Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.  Nehemiah 8:10 KJV

Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and give me a willing spirit.  Psalm 51:12 HCSB

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,  so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 15:13 HCSB


I think we have to be careful about comparing ourselves to others, especially authors. We only know what they say about themselves. For all we know they might seem a lot different if we were a fly on the wall in their homes.  Another thought is that joy can look different in different people. Some people might have high energy, and their joy might look different than one who has a quiet joy.

You know, I think joy and fun are two different things. I think fun can be planned, but not joy. I think joy is a gift, and it can be lost, but it also can be restored, if we ask the Lord to do so. I don’t think we can give joy to our families, but we can point them to the One who can give it to them.

Below is one of my favorite hymns that I sing at the kitchen sink a lot. It is called “Come, Thou Fount”. It addresses this whole issue. In fact, I can be quite down, but not long after I start singing hymns my whole mood is often completely changed.

“Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount I’m fixed upon it! Mount of thy redeeming love.

Here I’ll raise my Ebenezer, Hither by thy help I’ll come;
And I hope, by thy good pleasure Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.”

That is one song I can sing without ever doubting my sincerity. So much is about prayer and what I call reckoning. We just have to claim his promise that we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us. We will still fall, but not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth us with his hand (Psalm 37: 23-24).

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord?  Please click on “Very Important Words” on the left margin of this page and make sure.

Do you have a Bible? If you don’t have one, you need not worry. Just go to http://www.biblegateway.com. They have many versions and translations of the Bible that you can read. Some of the best things in life are free!

Our Unchanging God

Scripture Reference;

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.  James 1:17 KJV

Change… With people it is sometimes good and sometimes not good, but God is perfect, and His word is sure; it’s meaning never changes, because He never changes, and for that I am so grateful. Some truths are short but sweet.

I enjoy singing hymns. The one below expresses the wonderful truth that I just explained. Would you like to sing along?  Here is a link:  http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/19

  1. “Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father,
    There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
    Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
    As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

    • “Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!”
      Morning by morning new mercies I see;
      All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
      “Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!
  2. Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
    Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
    Join with all nature in manifold witness
    To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
  3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
    Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
    Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
    Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord?  Please click on “Very Important Words” on the left margin of this page and make sure.

Do you have a Bible? If you don’t have one, you need not worry. Just go to http://www.biblegateway.com. They have many versions and translations of the Bible that you can read. Some of the best things in life are free!

The Lord’s Timely Words

Scripture References;


I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6 KJV

At dawn He went to the temple complex again, and all the people were coming to Him.  He sat down and began to teach them.

Then the scribes and the Pharisees  brought a woman caught in adultery,  making her stand in the center.  “Teacher,” they said to Him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery.  In the law Moses  commanded us to stone such women.  So what do You say?”  They asked this to trap Him,  in order that they might have evidence to accuse Him.

Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with His finger.  When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, “The one without sin  among you  should be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Then He stooped down again and continued writing on the ground.  When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He was left, with the woman in the center.  When Jesus stood up, He said to her, ” Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, Lord,”  she answered.

“Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”  John 8:2-11 HCSB


I am thinking about the Lord’s words. He said “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

I am also thinking  that in spite of that fact, Jesus did not always speak. There were times when he was spoken to and questioned, but he did not reply. His timing was always perfect.
I wish my timing was perfect like His. Sometimes we can say and do the right thing at the wrong time, but that is because we are human and prone to err, but the Lord understands. David said that the Lord was acquainted with all of his ways in Psalm 139.  David was also a man who had lusted, committed adultery, and even arranged the murder of a loyal man who had done him no wrong.  Yet the Lord loved and forgave him.
I love PSALM 139. Here are verses 1-6:

1O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.

2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

3Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways

4For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Yes, such knowledge is too wonderful; His children are enabled to know it, but only in part. But one day we will see Him as He is.

Then again there are times when we act or speak in a certain way, and others will respond negatively. Others might disagree, and you might even suffer as a result, but that doesn’t mean you were wrong. The Lord was crucified, and many of his followers were persecuted or even killed. The Lord told them ahead of time that it would be like that.

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord?  Please click on “Very Important Words” on the left margin of this page and make sure.

Do you have a Bible? If you don’t have one, you need not worry. Just go to http://www.biblegateway.com. They have many versions and translations of the Bible that you can read. Some of the best things in life are free!

Love-What it Really is, and Why We Should be Glad

Scripture reference;


Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.  1Corinthians 13:4-13  NIV


Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  1John 4:8 NIV


1Corinthians 13 is a favorite passage of scripture for many.  In that passage one will find the most accurate description of true love that has ever been penned.  On a number of occasions I have used this passage to measure the quality of my own love for both God and people, only to find that my love always fell short. This was discouraging.  Well, one day while pondering this dilemma I suddenly remembered another verse, 1John 4:8…” He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”  Then I pondered “God is Love, so maybe I should substitute ‘God’ for the word ‘Love’ or ‘Charity’.”   Then there is the first part of 1 John 4:8…OUCH! We can love, but we don’t love perfectly… but Jesus does!

So the NIV version of 1 Corinthians 13:4-13 would go like this:
“God is patient, God is kind. He is not proud. He is not rude, He is not self-seeking, He is not easily angered, He keeps no record of wrongs. He does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
God never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.  Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and God. But the greatest of these is God.

Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord?  Please click on “Very Important Words” on the left margin of this page and make sure.

Do you have a Bible? If you don’t have one, you need not worry. Just go to http://www.biblegateway.com. They have many versions and translations of the Bible that you can read. Some of the best things in life are free!

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