November 22, 2024

Joy In Song

December 19, 2014 by

gchSHadventjoygraphicJoy: a feeling of great pleasure and happiness; “tears of joy”

During this Christmas season, we are reminded of the reason for a commercial celebration. We get so caught up in buying things, baking things, making things and sending things.  But that is not what it is all about.
We all know that joy is a choice.  We can choose to be caught up in the hustle and bustle, or we can choose to be joyful.  Henry Van Dyke wrote a wonderful song that has been in my heart this season.  It is Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee.  It is the perfect way to express our love and gratitude for what God has done for us.  He has given us His Son. He knew Jesus was going to die on the Cross for us.  But God knew the only way to reach us was for His Son to become like us—to walk among us, to speak to us, to cry with us, and to die like us.   But we know how He rose again to bring hope to our dying world.
Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee
God of glory, Lord of love
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee
Opening to the sun above
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness
Drive the dark of doubt away 
Giver of immortal gladness
Fill us with the light of day

All thy works with joy surround Thee 
Earth and heaven reflect Thy rays 
Stars and angels sing around Thee
Center of unbroken praise
Field and forest, vale and mountain 
Flowery meadow, flashing sea
Chanting bird and flowing fountain
Call us to rejoice in Thee

Thou art giving and forgiving
Ever blessing, ever blest
Well-spring of the joy of living,
Ocean depth of happy rest
Thou our Father, Christ our brother
All who live in love are Thine
Teach us how to love each other
Lift us to the joy divine

Mortals, join the mighty chorus
Which the morning stars began
Love Divine is reigning o'er us
binding all within its span
Ever singing, march we onward 
Victors in the midst of strife 
Joyful music leads us sunward 
In the triumph song of life


Henry Van Dyke ~ Ludwig van Beethoven ~ Arranged by Edward Hodges
Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

JOY

December 17, 2014 by

gchSHadventjoygraphic

You know when you have a lack of joy in your life.  I would say right now is such a time for me.  I am desperately in need of some joy.  Joy gives you true motivation to sanely make it through each day.  It’s what makes it easier to get out of bed. It is closely related to hope and peace.  If you are not at peace then it is hard maintain joy and hope.

My pastor says you choose joy. I believe this is true. Which means that the lack of joy I am experiencing right now is my own doing.  However, I’m lacking the motivation to do anything about my current situation.  You could say that I am weary—I’m tired and I just want a break from life.

Romans 15:13 is my prayer.

“Maythe God of hope fill {me} with all joy and peace as {I} trust in Him,
so that {I} may overflow with hope by the power of His Holy Spirit.”

See how closely related joy, peace, and hope are?  Joy, hope and peace are all things that are only possible when we keep our eyes firmly focused on God.  And even though sometimes we may get weary of doing right and good, pushing forward through our feelings is the way to go.  The Bible clearly tells us…

“Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest
if we do not give up.”
Galatians 6:9

My pastor says, do what you do know to do when you don’t know what to do.  And above all honesty helps…honesty and friends.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Joy of Growth

December 15, 2014 by

gchSHadventjoygraphic

You love Him even though you have never seen Him.
Though you do not see Him, you trust Him;
and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy.
Your reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:8-9

My heart was filled with joy this past Sunday (December 7). Our daughter turned four just a little over a month ago. Now, at our church, they have nursery for those 4 and under during early and late services. We usually attend the early service. (Yes, I manage to get a 4-year-old and 6-year-old up early on Sunday mornings in order to make 8 am church service.) I decided to try something this past Sunday with our daughter…and I hoped that it would not backfire on me.

Now as I was saying, our daughter just turned 4. I decided to take her with us to “big” church this Sunday to see how she would do. I was nervous thinking she would be loud and wiggly like a lot of kids. However, I had faith. I also made sure to have a coloring book and pad of paper available for her to draw on to keep her busy. She surprised me, though. She tried to sing the first chorus with us, and the only major thing she did was she was a little wiggly and curious. She never did get loud. My heart really filled for joy when she put our Lottie Moon offering in the offering plate. It was the joy of being a parent and watching my child learn.

I can only imagine the amount of joy that Mary felt that first Christmas night. Her firstborn Son was born, but also her Savior was born. She was overjoyed that she had been chosen to be His mother. She would have the joy of watching Him grow and mature into adulthood. She already knew the pain and anguish that would come with being His mother, but she trusted God. Mary put her whole faith in God. By putting her faith in God, Mary knew that she was given a most glorious gift.

Just as Mary had faith in God, we should have faith as well. Our faith in Jesus can bring us joy all year long—not just during this time of the year. Our reward for trusting in Him and believing that He died on the Cross for us is the saving of our souls when Jesus returns. We will go to Heaven with Him and celebrate in great joy and peace.

*    ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the birth of Your Son. Without Him we would be nothing. Thank You for the joy of watching our own children grow and for the chance to lead them in them in the right direction—to You. Watching them and guiding them brings its own joy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Joy To The World

December 15, 2014 by

phssChristmasgraphic2014

 

Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heav’n and nature sing
And heav’n and nature sing
And heav’n, and heav’n, and nature sing

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy

No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found
Far as the curse is found
Far as, far as, the curse is found

He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love
And wonders of His love
And wonders, wonders, of His love

Written by Isaac Watts; Arrangement by Lowell Mason

*    ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

Sing a new song to the Lord, for He has done wonderful deeds.
His right hand has won a mighty victory; His holy arm has shown His saving power!
The Lord has announced His victory and has revealed His righteousness to every nation!
He has remembered His promise to love and be faithful to Israel.
The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy!
Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song, with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn.
Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!
Let the sea and everything in it shout His praise!
Let the earth and all living things join in.
Let the rivers clap their hands in glee!
Let the hills sing out their songs of joy before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with fairness.
Psalm 98 NLT

As I was researching this song I came across the following excerpt on its history:

“The text of Joy to the World was originally titled “The Messiah’s Coming and Kingdom” when it first appeared in Watt’s Psalms of David Imitated of 1719. It was his interpretation of Psalm 98 which read in the King James Bible, “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.” Watts connected the joy found in the Psalm to the worship and praise of the coming Messiah. The song was conceived by Watts as a poem celebrating the second and final coming of Jesus but as we know, it has become a precious Christmas carol for the churches. It would not get set in its current musical form until a Jersey born son named Lowell Mason put his musical arrangements to the hymn in 1836.”

I find it interesting that this was written about Christ’s second Coming but has become a beloved carol celebrating His first Coming.  Yet it all ties together neatly, for without the first Coming there would be no second Coming.

As I was reading all of this, God prodded me with a question,

“Have you prepared room in your heart?”

My first response was “Of course!”  I accepted Christ as my Savior as a child.  But God made it clear He wasn’t talking about that.  He wanted to know if I had made room in my busyness for Him.  Ouch!  Why is it we become so consumed with the shopping, the gifts, the preparations, and the celebrations we forget the joy?  Joy is found in what Christ has done for us not in what we do to celebrate His birth.  It is a gladness, an exultation that leads us to rejoice.  Look at Psalm 92:4 NLT…

You thrill me, Lord, with all You have done for me!
I sing for joy because of what You have done.

That’s what Christmas should be about.  We should be so thrilled at the reminder of all He has done that we cannot contain our joy!   We have to sing.  Our excitement as we recall the wonders of His love is to be shared.

The light in the eyes [of him whose heart is joyful] rejoices the hearts of others…
Proverbs 15:30a AMP

Have you made room in your heart for Him?
Is the light in your eyes bringing joy to someone else?

*    ♥  ~  ✝  ~  ★    *

Lord, we thank You for this wondrous time of year.  Remind me to check my heart and make sure there is plenty of room for You instead of getting caught up in my own busyness.  Bring to mind the wonderful things You have done for me.  May I reflect the joy of what You have done.  In Christ’s name, I pray – Amen, it is so!

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,