Joy Regardless of Circumstance with God - 28 Day Joy Challenge – Day 27– Purity 1083

To see today's photo, go to mt4christ.org or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning. Today's photo of a hazy sunset over Champlain Canal and the last stretch of real estate before reaching the Hudson River at the northern tip of Hudson Crossing Park in Schuylerville, New York, comes to us from yours truly as I captured the scene last evening. On my joy field trip with my wife, Tammy Lynn. The weather and air quality may not have been optimal due to the far-reaching effects of the Canadian wildfires, but I vowed to do something for the 28-day joy challenge yesterday. And sometimes you, you have to press ahead and pursue joy even when things are less than perfect. My wife and I hadn't been to Hudson Crossing Park since late November of 2022, and even though the humidity, air quality, and mosquitoes put a damper on our outing, I was glad to go all the same because Tammy Lynn was with me. We didn't have any deep meaningful conversations last night, but as we walked through, uh, walked together through humidity, heavy air, and bugs, I thought that I was blessed all the same and that there was no one else I would rather walk through life with. The heaviness of the atmospheric conditions, the bugs, and the physical exertion of our early evening stroll through Hudson Crossing Park could have been seen as a metaphor for the things we have to suffer through in life. But my focus on being with Tammy Lynn and the love I have for her showed me that we can enjoy our lives even in even less than ideal conditions. That's some times getting out there and doing something is worth going even when the conditions are less than perfect. Although there can be various opinions on whether joy is a choice, an experience, or a gift supernaturally imparted by God as a fruit of the Spirit, I would say that whatever definition we try to use to describe joy, it should include some language that states that it is not contingent on positive circumstances. We can experience joy in spite of the struggles and turmoil of life. Our friends at 4habits.org highlight the relational aspects of joy, with one working definition of joy as being the sparkle in someone's eye. And although I can see where they get that, I, I feel that the definition— I feel that definition can be misconstrued to be dependent on satisfactory human relationships. If no one is happy to see me, I can't have joy. I feel that true joy is an outflow of one's relationship with God and the experience of life that is spent in the context of our relationship with him. Without God, his perspective of love, and a redeemed relationship with him, there is a circumstantial aspect and thus a limit to our joy experience. I don't care how many people are thrilled to see me, if I don't have knowledge of God and the assurance of an eternal relationship with Him, there is no peace from which joy can come from. The abiding peace that God gives us allows us to operate in joy. Without His presence and the assurance of our security, acceptance, significance, and safety in Christ, we are pulling joy from His creation in a disconnected fashion. Trying to operate in joy without a relationship to God through faith in Jesus Christ is like trying to enjoy the amenities of and view from the Titanic as it begins to sink. Sure, we can enjoy the cruise from moment to moment, but unless we know our final destination is a good one, our efforts at building joy will be as meaningless as building a sandcastle on the beach before the tide comes in to sweep it away. However, we do have to keep things balanced, obviously, because there are many people out there that would tell you that they have the joy of the Lord but seem to have little or no joy in their lives. So we have to be sure we have both joy with the Lord and joy— and the joy of the life that he has given us. And so we must renew our minds with the truth of God's word, and who we are in Christ and practice seeing the joy set before us. We have to look beyond the negative circumstances at times, at times, and understand that joy is still there. And that brings us to our current series where we are walking through the 28-Day Joy Challenge because we are encouraging ourselves and others, you, to find peace in our lives by increasing our capacity for joy and by building our emotional resilience through simple practices of quieting and appreciation. The 28-Day Joy Challenge is based on Dr. Marcus Warner and Chris Courcy's latest book, The Four Habits of Joy-Filled People, and you can sign up to take it for free, uh, and purchase a variety of books from Warner and Courcy on the topic of joy by going to fourhabits.org. So let's jump into Day 27, which will direct us to enjoy some cake time. Okay, and this is from the, uh, uh, this is from the 28 Day Joy Challenge and poorhabits.org, and it says Day 27: Cake Time. Welcome to Day 27 of the 28 Days to Joy Challenge. Today Today's encouragement: Who doesn't like cake? As you, as you'll see from our exercise today, these joy-filled life habits you have been building will help you to have more and more cake in your life. Today's practice: Exercise 27. This, this exercise will help us notice when our joy and peace levels are high and we are acting like our best selves. How this exercise will benefit you. It's time for CAKE. CAKE, C-A-K-E, is a, an acrostic for what happens when our brain's joy switch, the relational circuit, is on and working. We are C, curious. We remember A, appreciation, times of joy, and we want to be K, kind towards others, and we look into people's eyes when we interact. E is for eye contact. Uh, becoming more aware of these things is incredibly helpful in learning to live in a more relational way. Exercise steps: When, uh, where in your day and week have you seen someone demonstrate these CAKE qualities? Curiosity, Appreciation, Kindness, and Eye Contact. Share your thoughts with a friend. Have fun with this exercise. We pick up tomorrow with more joy practice. For today's practice, it probably won't surprise you, I thought of my beloved Tammy Lynn. Now, even though she encourages me to make good choices in regards to sweets, she gives me plenty of cake. Um, Tammy Lynn is a wonderful listener because she is curious. She asks questions and provides feedback when we talk with one another to show she really cares about what I have to say. She demonstrates she is curious about what I am thinking and feeling, and I feel loved and cared for because of it. Tammy Lynn and my conversations are also filled with appreciation. We constantly praise and thank one another for the things we do for one another and the place we hold in one another's lives. We show our appreciation for one another through all 5 love languages to varying degrees. Through words of affirmation, telling each other how much we mean to one another, giving verbal praise and thanks. Through physical touch, hugs and holding hands. Um, through giving gifts, um, giving things to one another. Spending quality time and just being together. And acts of service. Doing things for one another. Tammy Lynn utilizes all these languages and her patience and understanding to convey kindness to me. Kindness is defined as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate, and that is Tammy Lynn's overall disposition, and I experience it continuously. And finally, Tammy Lynn and I delight in looking in one another's eyes. Eye contact is another way that Tammy Lynn conveys that I am being seen. And thus loved, accepted, and understood. Tammy Lynn doesn't have a monopoly on cake, and I am happy to say that I have been blessed with a multitude of family and friends that give me cake too. So, what about you? Who in your life is giving you cake? Experiencing others' relational closeness through their curiosity, appreciation, kindness, and eye contact is truly a blessing. So, as part of today's practice, make sure you not only reflect on and experience the joy of getting cake, Make sure you reach out and let those cake givers know that you appreciate what they are serving you in your relationships. Today's Bible verses come to us from the Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Cruis. This morning's meditation verses come from the section on adultery, and we, and we highlight, uh, Proverbs 4:29, uh, 19 1 through 27. And the Word of God says, the way of the wicked is like deep darkness. They do not know over what they stumble. My son, be attentive to my words, incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight, keep them within your heart, for they are life to those who find them and healing to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from your crooked— put away from you crooked speech and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or the left. Turn your foot away from evil. Today's verses are used by our resource to point out that adultery can be avoided. In fact, our resource gives us more than today's offering towards that end, and we will share all the Bible verses they list on this point in the, in, in the days ahead. I think there's, uh, one more day maybe. Anyway, um, today we share the second portion of Proverbs 4 that our resource lists under the point of adultery can be avoided. Full confession, um, yesterday I shared a portion of Proverbs 4, and I didn't realize that, um, I should have presented verse 19 yesterday, but I was in a rush and thought that verse 18 closed the train of thought that I presented yesterday nicely, but I didn't realize that verse 19 was its contrasting couplet. As a reminder, Proverbs 4:18 told us, but the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which bright— shines brighter and brighter until the full day. And so verse 19's way of the wicked is like deep dark darkness presents the opposite of that, of the path of righteousness. The path of righteousness is brightness. Duh. Thus, I am guilty of not following my own advice to pay attention to the context of Scripture. But God has my back today as verse 19's darkness, quote-unquote darkness, bookends verse 27's turn your foot away from evil quite nicely all the same. Anyway, this section of Scripture is another discourse on what we should do. Pay attention to biblical wisdom's instructions and to follow their righteous ways with the way we live our life, which contrasts with the warning to put away our crooked speech and devious talk and steer clear of the way of evil. Verse 23 deserves special mention because our resource lists it separately. That verse says, keep your heart with all vigilance. Vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. I have to believe the author of our resource, John Cruis, provides this verse as a standalone verse for adultery can be avoided because adultery is often clouded— is a cloud of emotions— is— let's see, I sort of wrote that screwy— adultery is cloud of emotions, deceptions, and lust. And if one would keep their heart with all vigilance to love God and his instruction, adultery would be avoided. So yeah, as for the springs of life, what we put our heart into is what defines our lives on the terra firma. If you love money, you will pursue it. If you love relationships or family that will be your focus. If you love sin, you will be a slave to it. If you love God, you will repent and seek His wisdom and will for your life. So put your heart on and follow, and follow the Lord. Now put your heart on the Lord and follow the Lord and forsake the way of wickedness, and you will see that adultery and other sins can be avoided. Put your heart on God. Yeah, anyway, uh, so we move along. Sorry about that. Um, we move along with our study. Uh, actually we don't, we're concluding our thoughts, but I'm doing a quick edit in terms of the vlog, save for forgive me. As always, we invite you all to go to mtforchrist.org where we always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink's The Holy Spirit as we continue in chapter 11, the— with the Spirit quickening, and today's section is on the Characteristics of Quickening. So if you want to know what the characteristics are of quickening, the pending, uh, according to A.W. Pink, go to mtforchrist.org and you'll see that resource at the end of today's blog post. As always, we encourage a life of Christian discipleship, a life that's spent in the context and relationship with God, seeking His presence and living according to His word. Experiencing your freedom in Christ. If you don't know what that means, we recommend our discipleship series of classes that are based on Victory Over the Darkness, The Bondage Breaker, and Freedom in Christ, which are all books by Dr. Neil Anderson that are based on the Word of God. And they lead you through— well, they give you understanding of who you are in Christ, the spiritual forces of darkness, and they would lead you to take the Steps to Freedom in Christ to resolve any personal or spiritual conflicts you might have. I've confessed before that the Steps to Freedom in Christ were a significant event in my life to increase my freedom in Christ, and thus I became trained to minister them to others, and through Freedom in Christ Ministries as a Community Freedom Ministry Associate and I highly recommend those materials for study and application to your luwak of faith. But that's not all we recommend. We also recommend a lifestyle of daily spiritual practice that includes Bible study and prayer and just seeking the Lord's will and wisdom for your life and finding your purpose in Christ. You know, it's not— we, we want to do away with the ideas of a relationship with the Lord as just some sort of weekly observance at a worship service, um, and that it is continual seeking and living in his kingdom, um, through the way we, way we live our lives, what we think about, and what we put our hearts on. Um, so we encourage that because it and gave us the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. The abundant peace, love, joy, goodness, kindness, gentleness, patience, and self-control that we've experienced through following the Lord is, uh, it's why we do what we do and why we encourage people to follow the Lord in spirit and in truth, um, to break out of the system of what the world says religion is and what the world says God is. He is alive and well, and he will guide you through your life when you seek him. So seek him, put your faith in Jesus, and follow, follow where he leads you. Well, today is Saturday. I have no idea what we're doing today. The weather is— looks a little overcast this morning, that hazy stuff from Canada. Putting a real damper on things, uh, this summer. Uh, since this is its second appearance, um, that we've had after we thought it was all gone. Um, but, uh, just shows we're all interconnected and that, uh, we have to be aware of what's happening in the world. Even though I live quite isolated from it at times, um, you can try to hide, you can run, but you can't hide. And sometimes, you know, the outside world's going to come in. So you have to, uh, be prepared to deal with negative circumstances and stand on, you know, stand in the peace of who you are in Christ, um, and every season of life. So, uh, we, uh, let's pray. Um, I don't have much more to say, and I think that's enough. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, we thank you so much for the life you've given us, um, and for showing us the truth of who Jesus is and saving us and making us new creations in Christ. Um, Lord, we pray for anyone who's listening today, that they'd be encouraged and that you'd come alongside them and their prayer requests, Lord, and help them with their walk, uh, because, Lord, we all need your help, um, even on a Saturday. Um, so we just pray for you to open our eyes to the things you want us to see today and and move our steps in the things you would have us do, because all we want to do is represent you in your kingdom, Lord, and show other people the way to you. And, uh, so Lord, we thank you, we praise you, and we love you. We pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.