Glory and Joy
I have longed leaned on Paul's expressed heart inside the Word of God either written by his own pen or the pen of those he enlisted {Luke or Timothy} to encourage New Testament believers on numerous accounts.Paul was constantly stirring up our courage to have faith and believe. To be placed and firmly posted at our positions for Christ {2 Timothy 4:5}. I say that in present tense and mean it. Not much has changed in regards to the amount of courage building words we need to be reminded of day in and day out. Especially when we read the Pauline words here in 1 Thessalonians 2. The enemy is crafty and the world is cunning and wants no part in us living out our Kingdom purpose. It sounds intense, but it's the straight up truth.Dear friends, I have no idea what manner of things you are facing today. I woke up with such a zeal and affection for you. Prayed for you fervently this morning. Believe God wholeheartedly for the unique callings He alone has mantled over your lives. You are such a gorgeous tribe to love. To serve you in study online, in prayer or by faith will always be the most outlandish Grace Gift from the Father I will never be able to comprehend. To love you in Jesus is truly the largest honor.....and to know we are only getting started on the adventures of faith, study and events to come is - well, it's just ridiculously fun to think on.....BUT it isn't easy to remain in a posture of belief. It isn't easy to remain at a posture of "glory and joy"....it takes an intentional faith-filled decision to look intently towards what we cannot be if left to our limited futility - we MUST keep our gaze locked on Jesus who is the embodiment of Glory and Joy. Because the alternative is to remain dog paddling around all the waves that could hinder our growth.You could be facing excruciating loss and you feel hindered. You could be facing physical pain that no one in the world could possibly understand if they tried and you feel hindered. You could be facing the shadows of depression that make getting up on out of bed feel like swimming across icy cold waters and you feel hindered. You could have stopped talking in your marriage and feel so isolated it's caused your soul to be sore and you feel hindered. You could become aware of a whole host of individuals you thought were tracking with what God was motivating you to become and realize all at once they just aren't going to come with you spiritually and you feel hindered. You could have a house full of toddlers and wonder if you'll ever formulate grown-up words again {and you will by the way..hold fast sweet momma!} and you feel hindered.That's probably only scratching the surface of all the ways "you could feel hindered".....I say instead of all that hindered mumbo jumbo we lean hard and heavy on these words of Paul that give our spirits the Mighty Boost we need.
- Jesus is our Hope and Joy. {John 15:11 and 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20}
- YOU, dear heart, are such a Glory and Joy to not only Jesus, but to those around you and to the Kingdom purposes Heaven is scripting for you. {Philippians 4:1 and 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20}
You are seen, loved and most desperately needed across the landscape of Kingdom purposes. Love you SO! "We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in YOU believers!" {1 Thessalonians 2:12-13}
