Savoring the Scripture

My Joy Comes from Your Being Joyful “Surely you all know that my joy comes from your being joyful.” 2 Corinthians 2:3 NLT One mark of true friendship and love is the ability for us to rejoice in and alongside the joy of another person. When something truly remarkable happens to a friend, can I rejoice with them when they are rejoicing? Can I share in their joy and add to their joy by rejoicing with them? When Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians, he wanted to express his heart of love for them. He had previously had to express some tough love for them because of their waywardness, yet he wanted them to know that while the letter he had written had been painful for them to read, and had caused him much affliction and anguish of heart to write, he had done so in order that they would know the love he had for them (2:4). He embraced the calling to be one who works for the joy of other believers (2 Cor. 1:24), and in light of that calling, his joy became intertwined with theirs. ...

The Wilderness Will Not Be the End of You As the saints are empowered to persevere through adversity, the genuineness of their profession is authenticated, and they are shown truly to belong to God. Greg Beale What comes to mind when you hear the word “wilderness”? Natural beauty? Solitude? Quiet? Untamed vastness? Rough terrain? What about when you think about a spiritual wilderness? I think of isolation, loneliness, feeling distant from the Lord, feeling dry and weary, unclear of what to do, lacking fervency for spiritual things, and looking all around seeing the wilderness stretching out in all directions. No end in sight. It’s a time of questioning. It’s a feeling of weakness. Perhaps even a time of doubt and deep discouragement. Thankfully, on the wilderness road, I am not alone; I am sealed by God and He has me on this path to establish and strengthen my faith. This is the truth Paul used to encourage the Corinthians. Paul reminds them of God’s faithful work in them. “Now He who ...

The Joy of a Sincere Life 2 Corinthians 1:12 Sincerity makes the very least person to be of more value than the most talented hypocrite.  Charles Spurgeon     For many ages, masks have been worn in theatre performances, religious ceremonies, and parties. Masks were worn to create a persona, to emphasize a particular emotion, portray a different character, or hide one’s identity. But too often, we wear masks in our every day life, not literal masks, but we disguise our true selves behind a facade.  In 2 Corinthians, Paul demonstrates by his own example, that godly sincerity should mark the life of the believer. Would we be able to say like Paul, “in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you” (2 Corinthians 1:12)? Is our testimony one of genuineness, lacking hypocrisy? Or do we wear a mask?     Sincerity is that quality of character that doesn’t hide under a...

Comfort in Every Sorrow 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 God is in every tomorrow,  Therefore I live for today,  Certain of finding at sunrise,  Guidance and strength for the way; Power for each moment of weakness, Hope for each moment of pain,  Comfort for every sorrow, Sunshine and joy after rain. Paul was intimately acquainted with pain and suffering. Here in 2 Corinthians, we gain a clear picture of the intensity of the suffering he endured. He knew suffering that burdened him excessively, beyond his strength. Suffering that made him despair of life (1:8). He shared that he and his companions had been afflicted in every way. Perplexed. Persecuted. Struck down (4:8-9). Beaten. Imprisoned. Lied about. Thought ill of. Distressed (6:4-10). And not just outward affliction, but inner anguish as well (2:4; 6:5). Paul knew what it was to suffer. Near the end of this letter, he gives a lengthy list of the hardships he endured in the ministry of the gospel (11:23-29). But what he also ...

Workers For Your Joy 2 Corinthians I have the settled purpose of promoting your highest good and joy (Verbrugge).   I want my life to be marked with joy. I want that for you as well. Searching through the Word, we discover it has a lot to say about joy and rejoicing. As citizens of the heavenly kingdom, joy is our privilege and it is a command to obey. Thankfully, it is not a joy we must generate on our own. It is His joy in us. His Spirit residing in us produces the fruit of joy. This joy is the overflow of our heart yielded to His Word and His Spirit, trusting His providence in all things. That particular disposition enables us to then count everything as joy, including the various trials and afflictions of this life, even those that seem to overwhelm us. So joy is a privilege, a fruit of His grace at work in us, and something for which we labor together, which Paul states in 2 Corinthians.      When Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, he did so out of deep love for them an...

A Prayer for Endurance with Joy Psalm 98 Saints bear up under every discouragement, believing that all things work together for their good, and that out of apparent evils a real blessing shall ultimately spring-that their God will either work a deliverance for them speedily, or most assuredly support them in the trouble, as long as He is pleased to keep them in it. Charles Spurgeon As a parent, it is a delight to see our children grow from infancy to mature adults. At first, our children rely on us for everything: diaper changes, milk, protection, love, and every other thing needed to survive. But as they mature, they become smarter, wiser, more independent. They still need us but in different ways, and we receive great joy when we see them making good decisions, working hard, functioning as competent adults, and following Christ.  The Lord Himself desires for His children to grow in spiritual maturity. We never grow in a sense of independence from our Lord, but rather our maturity...

A Prayer for Joy Psalm 90 Why should not one be filled with constant joy who has the hope of dwelling in a world of glory forever? Barnes The Psalms are divided into five books. Psalm 90 marks the beginning of book four. The five book form was compiled in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. These men lived in the time of Israel’s history when the people were still in exile. Some were being allowed to return to their homeland, but there was no king, no temple, no walls around their great city, and Jerusalem was still in ruins. Men like Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel were tasked by the Lord for the rebuilding of the temple, city, and walls and to instruct the people in the ways of the Lord. They were living in a time where they needed to live by faith that God would fulfill His promise of a Messianic King, even though at the moment it appeared as though it may never happen.  Book four of the Psalms, consisting of Psalms 90-106, has a heavy emphasis on the theme that God is still King and ...

God, My Exceeding Joy Psalm 43 My God will clear the furrows from my brow, and the tear marks from my cheek; therefore will I lift up my head and smile in the face of the storm. C.H. Spurgeon Is God your exceeding joy? Is He mine? In today’s psalm, the psalmist declares, “You are the God in whom I take refuge.” The Lord our God is a refuge, strength, stronghold, and fortress for His people. But how many times do we miss out on the sense of security that we could have because we do not actually go to Him? How often, in our difficult situations, do we remain in turmoil because, instead of fleeing to Him, we try and manage on our own? When we are desperate for a clear path, how often does it remain hidden because we have not sought His wisdom and leading? How many times do we remain downcast because we focus our attention on our circumstances instead of hoping in God and confident in His deliverance?  I admit this is not easy. At times, we may feel we are in the thick of battle and ar...

Psalm 30 Victory In the Battle In God’s act of condescension to the psalmist’s need, He realized afresh God’s love for him. VanGemeren Is there anything looming on the horizon for you this morning? Is there a task that must be completed, a conversation that must be had, a doctor’s appointment that you must attend, a season of uncertainty you must forbear? Is there sin you must confess, forgiveness to extend, patience to exercise? We may feel powerless to even step one foot in the direction we need to go, but as God’s children, we can cry, “Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD be my helper!”(Psalm 30:10) and God is able to exchange your anxiety for His peace, your hurt for His healing, your anger for His forgiveness, and your mourning for His gladness. His faithfulness is trustworthy, and by faith we can look to Him to supply all we need for the next step of faith, no matter how small. I Cried to You 30:1-5 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my fo...

Psalm 21  Joy Inexpressible and Full of Glory Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4 For the believer, our joy is independent of our circumstances. Joy seems to me to encompass a host of emotions or attitudes: quietness, rest, confidence, anticipation, tranquility, and gladness.  However, sometimes we too feel the impact our difficulties seem to have on our joy. But our joy in the Lord is worth fighting for. And our joy can be unshakeable, when truly based on the Lord and our eternal inheritance. At times we will need to carefully and persistently remind ourselves of the basis of our joy and rest in His provision and supply of that joy. But I want my life to be marked by joy and for that joy to be evidence that I serve a trustworthy, amazing Father. Joy in His Presence and Power 21:1-6 O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults! You have given him his heart's desire and have not withheld the request of hi...