more on joy

Birmingham's John Wheeler responded to my writing on  "joy," with these interesting comments.

 Joy is proof to the world that God can fully satisfy the human heart. In Your presence is fullness of joy. -- Ps 16:11

 Joy is not a luxury or a mere accessory in the Christian life. It is the sign that we are really living in God's wonderful love, and that His love satisfies us. -- Andrew Murray

 Joy is the component that, when added to a trial, provides the strength to endure it.  For the joy of the Lord is your (my) strength. -- Neh 8:10

 Joy is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of Christ. Let the heart of them rejoice who seek the Lord. -- I Chron 16:10

Thanks, John.

An "Impossible" Directive Exposed - 12

This is the last posting of theJames "Impossible" directive -  rejoice during tough times. I hope the study has been helpful to you.

To get James 1:2-5, 12 into shoe leather:

1.      Recognize God’s sovereignty – all powerful. He could have prevented the adversity.

2.      Commit your life to Him  and yield to His plan for  your life.

3.      Shift focus from the circumstances to asking Him for wisdom on what He is wanting to do in  your life. How is He wanting  you to grow?

4.      Something may need to be done about the situation – an intervention, a confrontation, a tightened budget or whatever the situation calls for. But that will not be the focus. The focal point is “How does God want to use this in my  life?”

5.      Don’t try to sqirm out of the difficulty or be too quick to ask God for a reprieve.Rather, allow Him to do a deep work within of healing and growth. That is something about which to rejoice.  There may come a time when you need to take action. Like the wife of an adulterous  husband.  You may ask him to leave if he doesn’t want to let go of the other gal. But the eviction is for him, to awaken him to reality, not for  your own comfort.

6.       Recall the promise of James 1:2-4 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. Great rejoicing material.

A very dear friend, Dr. John Vawter, suggested I include with the question: “How do I see my Parkinson’s Disease as a refiner and not as an enemy?” Hopefully a good way to end this study.   Walk with me as  I shoe leather  this example.

            PD is basically a diminution  of dopamine in the  brain. It doesn’t act the same way in any two people, nor does a singular treatment fit all. The cause of PD has not been determined. For me, the symptoms are: no energy or strength when “off”; driving complications (I have  quit driving); balance - I fall much – fractured rib, etc.; insomnia excerbated by RLS; Dyskinesia ( body movement out of control);  bradykinesia (slow body movement); stuttering worsened markedly when a stronger medication was needed; drooling; constipation; and much more. I don’t want to bore  you, so that ‘s enough. Needless to say it is very restrictive, at times very painful, and sometimes quite embarrassing.

 I’m scheduled for Deep Brain Stimulation surgery April 23. . Deep brain stimulation involves inserting very thin wire electrodes into specific targets in the brain:  The electrodes are attached to a generator implanted under the skin in the chest, much like a pacemaker, resulting in a roughly 30% diminishment of symptoms and the  possibility of taking less medication

Do I perceive this as an enemy to my well-being or as God’s loving, refining process? Got  your  shoes on? Hike with me.

I have 65 years of walking with Him, so I have a record of how He has taken care of me all this time.  I recognize God’s sovereignty – He is all powerful and He could have prevented the adversity. I’m committed to Him and whatever His plan is for my  life. Thus, I know that is important to  shift focus from the  stressful wages of Parkinson’s (and stuttering) to: “God, what are you wanting to do in my life through  this adversity? How can this be a good gift from you? (Matthew 7:11) Then, I can truthfully rejoice, because my focus is not on the hard times but on what God is wanting to do in and through me.How He wants to mature me.

 

I’d like to say I handle all the PD stress given in the above paragraph perfectly, 100% of the time. But I would be lying. After having fallen five times one day, I grew very discouraged and wept. Wept out of sorrow for all I have lost. Wept out of frustration for all the blocked doors, present and future. And once in a while I can get  a little self pity going. That’s ugly but that is where I am part of the time.

 

Shoe leather continues with: “Is there anything I should be doing about it?” Seeking medical help is most appropriate and that is where the brain surgery enters the picture. But  neither PD nor its treatment is the focus. I desire to be a man who loves God and people and I want to walk closely with Christ. That kind of growth can only come  through tough times.

My desire (most of the time) is to deeply integrate that fifth shoe leather principle: “Don’t try to sqirm out of the difficulty or be too quick to ask God for a reprieve.Rather, allow Him to do a deep work within of healing and growth. That is something about which to rejoice.” 

 

 We are applying James 1:2-4 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. Great rejoicing material.

 

As I make that most difficult decision to bring my thoughts into captivity, from the pain of adversity to the James chapter one principle, I reap the blessing described in verse 12 of that first chapter. ¹² God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

If you would like a 13 page email copy of this series, let me know at rburwick@mindspring.com

An "Impossible" Directive - 11

We are winding down the study of James 1:2-8,12. There will be one more  posting after this one.

BOTTOM LINE

God, through James, challenges  us to be open to grow in our desire to be more and more Christ-like as demonstrated in the above elements of perfection. And this kind of growth can  happen only through some kind of  difficulty. That is   the reason we can be joyful during a tough time. Not so much thankful for the situation but for what God will do through the situation if we cooperate.

To cooperate requires a willingness to shift focus from the troublesome situation to a willlingness to see what area of character growth is being exposed because of the adversity. The end result:growth to a mature and complete Christian life. It sounds great, but it is not easy to do. Much prayer is usually needed for God to soften our heart  to  yield to God’s plan for  our life.

For example. Marriage has a great potential for adversity. It is an effective revealer of what  needs growth and change. So many divorces occur because  each  person keeps pointing the finger at the other and refuses to face “the log in their own eye.” And that log is usually some form of selfishness.

You are living with a husband who is having an affair. In your eyes he is the culprit. He is a culprit, but unless you were a perfect wife you played a part. That is no excuse for what he has done. But if what he has done is your focus, you are cheating yourself out of some personal growth  yourself. Your prayer can be, “God, this really hurts and makes me furious.” Those feelings get processed with God. Then the spotlight is on self. “God what do you want me to learn from this. How do  you want me to grow because of this pain?”  If there isn’t a ready answer, James 1:5 says pray for wisdom from God and He will give it.

An "Impossible" Directive - 10

In our pursuit of understanding James 1:2-8, 12 there are key words.

Key word #4: Endurance

”…for when your endurance is fully developed…

Endurance defined:

·        ability to bear prolonged  hardship

·        the staying power of life (James Moffatt)

The Asbury Bible describes it this way: “It may be in the home (sickness), in the workplace (competition), or even in the Christian community (jealousy). They (hardships) come in many sizes and shapes, often irritating, always unplanned (Adamson, 54), and always demanding a response. We prefer not to have to contend with them, hoping to be spared the strain and stress.”

Living in reality, everyone must face the challenges of adversity. No one is immune to hardship. In  this passage James is encouraging us not  only  to face the harsh times but to intentionally meet them head-on, taking a positive stance with an attitude of joy! It  has been said,“Welcome the challenge! This testing of our faith will begin to generate endurance, which serves as a basic ingredient in the development of Christian character.” …for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Key word #5: Perfect

James challenges the readers to be open to the ultimate effect of endurance—a mature and complete Christian life. The word perfect is defined by Vine’s Dictionary: having reached its end, finished , complete, conveying  the idea of goodness, a process leading to consummation. It comes by making trials work to the advantage of the believer. It sounds great. It is, but it is not easy to do. Each situation requires perception, evaluation, and an intentional  informed response. Who has that kind of resourcefulness? It is within reach through prayer. What does  perfection look like?

Essential elements of “perfection“:

·             benevolence – Mat.19:21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” This said to a young man who wanted to follow Christ but  loved his money more. Is there a part of ourselves that God is saying “Give that up. It is too important to  you..Benevolence – a pocket book yielded to God.

·             Love Col 3:14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. Even making eye contact with people is an act of love. Look with me at one example.

 MONDAY, Jan. 30 (HealthDay News) -- The need for a connection to other people is so powerful that being ignored by a stranger can make someone feel left out, according to a new study.

People need to feel they are part of a group or connected to others in order to be happy, the researchers explained. This sense of belonging can come from joining a club, a friendly neighbor or -- as this study reveals --

In even eye contact from a stranger.conducting the study, researchers randomly chose people walking on the Purdue University campus in West Lafayette, Ind. A research assistant either looked them in the eye, looked them in the eye and smiled or looked in their general direction but not directly at them. Once they passed the research assistant, the study subjects were asked how connected they felt to others.

The study, published in Psychological Science, found those who had gotten eye contact from the research assistant felt less disconnected than those who were ignored -- even when they didn't get a smile.

"These are people that you don't know, just walking by you, but them looking at you or giving you the air gaze -- looking through you -- seemed to have at least momentary effect," said study co-author Eric Wesselmann of Purdue University in a school news release. "What we find so interesting about this is that now we can further speak to the power of human social connection. It seems to be a very strong phenomenon." 

Science is catching up with Scripture. Continuing on essential elements of “perfection.”

·             Performance(Good Works) James 2: 22 NKJV  Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

·             Tongue control James 3:2  Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

·             Obedience ! John 2:5 NKJV But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

Perfection is rendered “Maturity” by some and that does sound more reachable. Question: Using these elements as a guide, how are we doing in our growth of perfection?

An "Impossible" Directive - 9

Key word #3: Testing.
“When your faith is tested.” The adversity  is to become a testing. “The whole point of testing is that it is sent not  to make us fall but to make us soar. Adversities are sent not to defeat us but that we may defeat them. Not sent to make us weaker but are sent to make us stronger. Therefore  we cannot bemoan them. We must exult in them and rejoice in them.” (Barclay).

Like the athlete whose coach is pushing him/her hard by adding extra weight to the bar or more windsprints to increase endurance. In a sense the athlete is being tested to see the extent of their motivation. How badly do they want success. The champion athlete doesn’t look forward to the added workout but  accepts it because they know the result will be added strength to accomplish the goal of victory.  So also with the Christian.whose adversity heat is being turned up.It reveals the depth and genuineness of that person's faith. This is why, for the one who wants to live by faith, the trial can be a time for rejoicing, because  God will use the trial to develop some characteristic that is lacking. James says, "Rejoice in that prospect!"

Bottom line: how do  you and I respond to tough times?
Resist?
Relinquish?
 Rejoice?

Probably the most healthy way would be to go through each phase.  As with King David as recorded in the Psalms, express the natural feeling response to a  tough time. “Hey, God. Why do I have to  …? A resistance. If occupying this space very long, bitterness toward God is inevitable. Resistance can be a chronic life-long mind set or it can be brought under control and often a relinquishment stage follows. ” I don’t like what I am experiencing but I’ll put up with it. Tough times are just a part of life.”

For the person desiring a close walk with God, James’ exhortation to be joyful in the adversity becomes  the response, because of the knowledge that a result can be growth in character, “that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.”
Wow! “Lord, work this concept into the very core of my being…but don’t make the cost too high.”J

An "Impossible" Directive - 8

 Continuing  the study of James 1.

Key word #3: Testing.
“When your faith is tested.” The adversity  is to become a testing. “ the whole point of it is  that it is sent not  to make us fall but to make us soar. Adversities are sent not to defeat us but that we may defeat them. Not sent to make us weaker but are sent to make us stronger. Therefore  we cannot bemoan them. We must exult in them and rejoice in them.” (Barclay).

Like the athlete whose coach is pushing him hard by adding extra weight to the bar or more windsprints to increase his endurance. In a sense he is being tested to see the extent of his motivation. How badly does he want success. The champion athlete doesn’t look forward to the added workout but he accepts it because he knows the result will be added strength to accomplish his goal of victory.  So also with the Christian.whose adversity heat is being turned up.It reveals the depth and genuineness of that person's faith. This is why, for the one who wants to live by faith, the trial can be a time for rejoicing, because  God will use the trial to develop some characteristic that is lacking. James says, "Rejoice in that prospect!"

Bottom line: how do  you and I respond to tough times?
 Resist?
Relinquish?
 Rejoice?

Probably the most healthy way would be to go through each phase.  As with King David as recorded in the Psalms, express the natural feeling response to a  tough time. “Hey God. Why do I have to  …? A resistance. If occupying this space very long, bitterness toward God is inevitable. Resistance can be a chronic life-long mind set or it can be brought under control and often a relinquishment stage follows. ” I don’t like what I am experiencing but I’ll put up with it. Tough times are just a part of life.”

For the person desiring a close walk with God, James’ exhortation to be joyful in the adversity becomes  the response, because of the knowledge that a result can be growth in character, “that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.”
Wow! “Lord, work this concept into the very core of my being…but don’t make the cost too high.”J