Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

In a word, slowly. Nothing in nature grows instantly or overnight.  No flower blooms in a day.  There is no kind of fruit that reaches ripeness in one second.  And an acorn takes many years before it becomes the mighty oak. So when we don't see miraculous, overnight results in our spiritual growth, we should not be surprised one bit.  Growth of any kind takes time. Now these may seem obvious statements that I make, but how many of us want to grow up and mature in our faith more quickly?  How impatient are we with ourselves in this area? The pace of our modern age has ruined us in some ways.  We've come to expect instant this and instant that. Instant success.  Instant income.  Instant fame.  The younger generations know how to "grow a brand" in a matter of weeks, or even days.  They can release a new app and see overnight results in its sales or downloads.  And we call this progress.  We call these "advances" good.  But why? How is anything that causes more

When you belong to Christ, there is much waiting involved. We are officially part of a culture who doesn't have to wait for anything if they don't want to.  Everything is literally at our fingertips through an app. But has all this convenience done more harm than good? The very thing it is trying to do - "help" us - in the long run destroys us.  Oh sure.  Who doesn't like conveniences?   But without our knowing it, it is "training" us in impatience! But when you follow Jesus, it is a lifestyle of waiting, really. We wait on Him to enter His Presence.  We wait for Him to answer prayers that only He can answer, because if we take matters into our own hands, we eventually fail and reap flesh instead of spirit. We wait for His all-wise direction.  We wait for Him to reveal the next step.  We wait for His word in a situation.  And instead of acting on impulse willy nilly, we come to lean on His understanding instead of our own limited understanding. Does this

How do you know God is calling you?  Are you waiting for a sign?  An audible voice?   You will most likely get neither. God can be as direct or subtle as He pleases.  But His foremost desire and purpose for us is that we know Him.  So if we're looking to do  something - even for Him - then we are putting the proverbial cart before the horse. First we are .  Then we do. So who are we?  Are we committed to Christ?  Do we trust Him fully?  Because if we don't have those two qualities, then He is not going to tell us what to do.   If you're itching to act but God is not through with your season of waiting yet, then you will have to learn how to live with that itch!   God's call is unique and specific.  It entails everything we've ever experienced, seen, heard, and lived.  He uses all of it and wastes nothing.  The good, the bad, the ugly - all of it.  Being the Master Designer, He knows exactly how all of the pieces fit together.   Your waiting, suffering, rejection, an

Why is this such a popular saying?  And how do we get good timing?  Is it an inborn quality?  Can it be learned? When we follow the Lord, we are in a prime position for great timing.  Why?  Because His timing is absolute perfection, down to the millisecond. Though His timing can seem "late" in our way of thinking, it never is.  Not even once. What are you waiting on the Lord for?  A desired outcome?  A promotion?  Release from a difficult situation where He has told you to stay put a while longer? Whatever it is you are waiting for - even after you have done everything you possibly could to "make it happen" but it still eludes you - trust that the Lord knows exactly what He is doing. He alone knows how to "make things happen" for you: - in the best way - at the best possible time - when it blesses you the most - when the time is right! Waiting is a fine art these days.  In past generations, waiting was a natural part of life much more so than nowadays.   A