Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

I have stayed on in unbearable circumstances out of obedience to Christ.  But in all honesty, I am not always 100% sure if He wants me to stay or not when I am in those situations.  You see, I see all of life, as a Christian, as Jesus forming me into His image.  And it is never the happy times that do such a thing, but always the hard times, the trials.   This is more than mere "character-building."  This is Christ forming His very nature in me. If you don't think this forming is hard work, think again!  Yes, we are to rest and abide in Him while He does the work in us.  But we must cooperate.  We are to obey.  That is where the rubber meets the road in our lives as Christians. Most will simply walk away from an unpleasant situation before the Lord has fully done the work He wants to do in them there, in the muck and the mire. Especially these days where "boundaries" and "rights" are all the rage.   But many times, our most fruitful and productive time

Continuing my study of Nehemiah, we learned that he finished the physical labor of building the wall around Jerusalem.  But wait, there's more! Once his work was done, there was the work of maintaining what he had built. Isn't that just like our lives?  We think we have "arrived" in some area, finished a task, only to find that it isn't really over.  And though the building process is difficult and wrought with challenges, maintenance brings its own set of issues. We cannot rest on our laurels, as tempting as it may be.  There is always  some more work to do.   In chapter 8, we read that Ezra read God's Word to God's people.  There was much rejoicing and worshiping.  However, there was also weeping and grieving. It does not say why the Jews were weeping, just that they did so while hearing God's Word read aloud to them. "For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law." Nehemiah 8:9 My guess is that they were conv

https://youtu.be/xjw1t0ENpEg?si=b8CTqo6_wmat_Dzo Words have power.  We think words.  We read words.  We hear words. But the written word can be the most powerful of all.  Whether you think you are expressive/creative or not, we all have creative outlets that help in life.   I write.  I journal, I write this blog, I write devotionals, and I also write songs.  All of these are not only ways to express my thoughts, they can be very cathartic and bring release in areas that need to be set free. Which leads me to the topic of this blog.  Fears. We've all got them.  No matter how bold or courageous you may be or think you are, you will be attacked with fears - especially if you belong to Christ.  The enemy of our souls uses fear as one of his most powerful weapons.   But there is nothing more powerful than God and His Word! So I encourage you to bring all of your fears into the light.  Whether or not you are a writer or keep a journal, change your personality just for this exercise!  You

Jesus was the most intelligent being to ever walk this earth.  Yet He never spoke using complicated words.  When He taught, He often spoke in parables, stories that His listeners could relate to and picture in their minds.  He knew that a picture was worth a thousand words and that these images would stick with them, easy to remember. Jesus wasn't "dumbing down" for His listeners.  He brilliantly realized that by giving them visuals, stories that included metaphors, that they could comprehend and retain more than if He spoke to them in more intellectual terms. Jesus also spoke plainly about His identity, what was to come, and about how we are now related to Him through His Holy Spirit.  (see John 14, Matthew 24, and Luke 21) God is omniscient, which means that He knows all.  Jesus is God.  Ergo, Jesus is omniscient.  His omniscience did not stop when He became human.  He could tap into that awesome power at any time as God's Son. I bring this up because I have noticed

I thought you all would like to download this love song that I wrote in case you’re looking for a lovely Valentine’s Day gift. Download it for your special someone. Or download it for yourself and imagine Jesus singing it to you.  https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/en/product/i-ll-love-you-22002163.html "The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Jesus wasn't nice.  Jesus was kind. The difference? One is a politeness that may or may not be genuine.  When we “play nice,” it may be a total act. Or we may be obeying societal norms, or acting the way we think we “should.” Maybe we don’t want to make waves. But kindness is a totally different animal. Kindness runs deeper. Kindness shows compassion. Kindness requires genuine humility. I believe kindness puts itself in the other person’s shoes, empathizing with others. Jesus was real. This simply means He never put on a show or acted in ways that culture expected. We see this over and over in the gospels in how Jesus interacts with the Pharisees - far from "nice!" Jesus did not have a mean bone in His body. Yet He always spoke the truth. He never watered down the truth and He never feared man. It’s not always “nice” to speak the truth.  In our easily offended culture, some have kowtowed to the popular opinion. Jesus never once kowtowed to anyone and yet He was the most h

We learn in chapter 5 of Nehemiah that the government was overtaxing the Jews.  Nehemiah's response to this had various stages. First, he was angry.  Then he thought about it. Let's pause here.  How many of us give in to anger over injustice only to "live" there instead of regrouping and giving it thought?  Do we tend to let our emotions get the best of us?  Or do we move on into rational thought instead?  It's hard to do sometimes, but very possible! Nehemiah's response after he gave it some thought was to confront the powers that be over their misdeeds.  He told them flat out that they were taking advantage of his people.  He said directly, "The thing that you are doing is not good." (v 9)  That took guts! Then, Nehemiah told the governor to fear God and restore to the Jews everything they had stolen from them. It's like they needed to be told, like children, right from wrong, and how to rectify their wrongdoing.  And they listened and did what