Truth and Joy

Psalm 1

This is my life passage. It’s where I got the title of this blog and you’ll recognize the quote at the top of the page. My name, Phyllis, means green leaf in Greek, so I have naturally clung to verse 3. I want to be a tree that never withers, that bears fruit. I want to prosper in all l do. To do that, I have to follow verse 2. I have to delight in God’s law and meditate on it all the time.

So it’s fitting that when a friend told me she picks one word to focus on each year, I immediately knew that my word for this year is truth. God’s law. God’s Word.

There’s only one problem. Even though the year is barely begun, the truth of my sinfulness has become very apparent to me. I’m more like the worthless chaff than I am like the fruitful tree.

Instead of relying on God’s Word for direction, I sometimes look to secular sources. I take the advice of the wicked.

When it comes to hot cultural issues, too often my attitude lines up people who aren’t concerned with what God thinks about things. I stand around with sinners.

And here’s the worst. I often speak without thinking and end up hurting people with my words. I join in with mockers.

These are truths about me that grieve me because they grieve my Lord. They are not pleasing to Him and they rob me of the joy He wants to give me. I’ve spent the last few days grieving over a specific circumstance in which I acted like a sinner. I’ve repented and done what I could to make amends, but the joy is still missing.

So what can I do?

Delight in the law of the Lord. Spend more time reading it. Pray using the words of the scripture. Claim the promises. And ask God to use His words to transform me into His image.

I’m only godly because of Jesus, but I can rest in that assurance. And because of that I know that He  watches over my path. So I can walk forward this year with His eye on me. And I know that as I meditate on His Word, my leaves will turn green and I’ll bear fruit.

And my joy will return.

Give Your Father Joy

Proverbs 23:22-25

I’m blessed that my father is still in this world. I don’t get to see him often, but it’s such a comfort to know he’s here loving and praying for me and available when I need his wisdom. But sometimes I forget that I’m here to love him as well. Children are a blessing from God. That’s me, God’s blessing to my father.

So naturally, I should do whatever I can to bring him joy. The wisdom of Proverbs tells me how to do that.

Listen to him. 

Daddy has lived a long life of serving God and he has great stories about his experiences and about the people he’s known. I like his stories, but like many older people, he tends to repeat them. That shouldn’t matter. It brings him joy to share his walk with God. It brings me pleasure to hear about it. 

Get the truth and never sell it.

I learned God’s truth from my parents, but as I began to grow up I encountered different interpretations of the Bible and I explored new ideas. Because I was grounded in the truth I didn’t stray and I have realized that the more I read the Word, the more my father’s understanding of it is confirmed. When Daddy and I talk about the Bible, I can tell this brings him joy.

Get wisdom.

My father is a wise man. I’ve come to him for advice many times and I’m always impressed with his knowledge of scripture and his ability to apply it to my circumstances. I love that I’m the one who’s blessed when I listen to him.

Get discipline.

I remember coming into the dining room when I was a very young child. The breakfast dishes hadn’t been cleared yet but the room was empty. I got caught licking the jam off a piece of leftover toast. My punishment was not being allowed another treat with the rest of my siblings because I had already had mine. I’d like to say I learned from the experience, but I’m afraid I’m sometimes still that little girl indulging herself when no one is looking. But God is at work transforming me through discipline and I know that Daddy is pleased when he sees the evidence.

Get good judgment.

Daddy drives all his kids crazy when he has to make a decision like buying a car. He researches all the options and then talks them over with each one of us many times, telling us what everyone else thinks. His decision making can be agonizing, but in the end he makes good decisions. I’ve learned to slow down and think through my own decisions because of his example.

Be godly.

After walking with God for 75 years, my father is as close to being a godly man as anyone I know. It makes me proud to be his daughter and I hope that he can take joy in watching me grow towards godliness as he has. 

I love Daddy and I hope that these things in me make him happy. As I bring my earthly father joy, I know that my Heavenly Father is also pleased.

The End of Darkness

Matthew6:22-23, John 12:35

About six years ago, I developed cataracts in both my eyes. I first noticed it when I started seeing halos around lights. When I drove at night, the headlights of the cars coming toward me spread so far, I couldn’t see the cars. I had to stop driving at night, because I couldn’t see the road.

That is what Jesus is warning about in these passages. When your eyesight is bad, you’re in darkness. And when you’re in darkness, you can’t see where you’re going.

People who are in darkness may not necessarily know it. They think they have light, but it’s actually darkness. Most people think they know some sort of truth. They have a sense of right and wrong, a code of sorts, and they try to live by it. It’s probably based on their experiences, their desires and some sort of teaching they’ve received. They find a cause and throw themselves into it – environmentalism, tolerance, social causes, politics. Or they live by a philosophy like, “Respect me and I’ll respect you.” But because their vision isn’t based on the of light of God’s truth, their philosophies fail. Like the halos that I see at night, the light they see actually blinds them and makes the darkness worse.

Because they are in the dark, they don’t know where they’re going. They may have a goal in mind, and they try to get there, but even if they know the way, they can’t stay on the road. They can’t see it.

People living in darkness need a light to show them the way. People living in darkness do evil things and don’t even know they are evil. People living in darkness need a light to see the truth. People living in darkness are lost.

I know and love a lot of people who are living in darkness and don’t know it. Thanks to God’s love and goodness, I have a message of hope for them. A light has come to dispel the darkness. His name is Jesus and He was born on Christmas. (John12:46)

Christmas is a celebration of the end of the darkness.

My First Love

Revelation 2:1-7

I’ve always sort of dismissed verse 4 because I was five when I was saved. Although I remember the event clearly, I don’t remember a passionate excitement about it. I’ve always loved God so I can’t look back and point to a “first” love. But recently Pastor Tim preached from this passage, encouraging us to return to our first love. At the same time, I’ve been spending a lot of time listening to lectures and reading books about doctrine. I love it and it’s intellectually satisfying, but I’ve felt a little something missing.

So I’ve looked back to see what I loved about God when I was young. As a child, I loved the Bible stories. David and Goliath, Daniel and the lions den, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace, Jonah and the whale . . . So my very first love was the story of God’s interactions with His people.

When I was in high school I made a commitment to read the Bible every day. I had already read it all the way through once (unfortunately so I could boast about it), but now I read a chapter a day and tried to learn from it. It was during this time that I fell in love with the words. As a kid I had memorized all the well known passages: the beatitudes, Psalm 23, the Lord’s prayer, the love chapter, the fruit of the Spirit. So the rhythms and poetry of the words were familiar and comforting. I discovered more passages to love: Psalm 1, Romans 8, Romans 12, Philippians 4, all of I John.

I started reading these passages for comfort and inspiration, but I also picked up my Bible when I had free time and read them for the sheer pleasure the words brought. In college I got a Harper Study Bible in the Revised Standard Version. I went through my old King James to find my favorite passages and underlined them in my new Bible. And as I read it, I used the cross references to find more amazing passages. I really was in love.

So I do have a first love to return to. I still love the Bible and study it every day, but I want to go back to the days when I just read it for pleasure, for joy.

Today I’m reading in the King James version – and you are too if you’re following my links - because those were the words I fell in love with. Here is one of those beloved passages from Psalm 19.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise

the simple.

8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

Love Comes First

1 Timothy 1:4, 6-7, 1 Timothy 6:4-5, 20, 2 Timothy 2:14

Continuing the topic of my last post, these verses point out the purpose of spiritual discussions. God wants all believers to: 

be filled with love that comes from a pure heart 

have a clear conscience

have genuine faith

Meaningless discussions about spiritual matters are not just meaningless, they’re harmful. They are a waste of time and they don’t help anyone grow in faith.

I like theological discussions. I get passionate about some aspects of the truth. But I need to pause to consider why I’m in the discussion and stop if it is pointless. To defend the truth is good. To argue because I like to argue or to try to convince someone who won’t hear is harmful.

Paul wrote his first letter to Timothy to caution him about false teachers who just love to quibble over the meaning of words. There were specific issues that Paul addressed in the letter, but the principle about argument transcends those issues. Paul has some pretty scathing things to say about the false teachers. They talk with authority about things they don’t understand.

I like Paul’s approach, because it comes naturally to me. I tend to figuratively point my finger and yell, “Wrong!” But Paul’s objection is that these teachers try to sound like they know all about God’s ways but aren’t concerned about the people they’re pulling into their discussions. Instead of encouraging love, conscience and faith, they cause arguments, jealousy, division, slander, and suspicion among believers.

I need the reminder that the purpose of discussing the truth is to encourage and build up the others I’m talking with. It’s not to show that I’m right.

Or that I know about the Bible

Or that I’ve read a lot of books

Or that I have incredible insight

Yes, Paul tells Timothy to guard the truth God has entrusted to him. But he also tells him to avoid pointless discussions with argumentative people and their so-called knowledge. The whole point of talking about the truth is to help people live a life of faith in God and be filled with love.

Love comes first.

NOT a Prophecy from the Lord

Jeremiah 23:34-38

I want to make it crystal clear that this blog is NOT a prophecy from the Lord. I’m writing my thoughts about the scriptures I read after praying over them and meditating on them. I may be wrong in my interpretations. If I am, I rely on my friends and readers to make me aware of it.

This issue is on my mind lately because I’ve had some disagreements in doctrine and interpretation of scripture with some people I love a lot and agree with in other ways. I’ve become very conscious that I might be the one who is wrong.  

In Jeremiah’s time the prophets and priests were claiming to know God’s truth. They used the phrase “prophecy from the Lord” to give their ideas authority. God rejected that authority and told them to ask each other what His answer was. 

I wonder what I use to give authority to my ideas. Do I claim that they come from God? In my last post I made some definitive statements about why it’s essential to believe in the inerrancy of scripture. I almost left that paragraph out of the post because I knew it was written with authority, as if I know God’s mind. While I believe what I wrote is true, those were my words, not God’s. 

So what authority can I claim? God told His people to ask “What is the Lord saying?” I have a friend who often refers to scripture during discussions. She uses the phrase “scripture says.” I admire her knowledge of scripture and have sometimes used her phrase as well. But I know I need to be cautious about it. Unless I can quote the verse or find the reference, I shouldn’t assert that an idea or thought comes from scripture. And even when I can, I need to make sure I’m interpreting it correctly. Because when I use it, I’m telling others what God is saying. That’s a scary responsibility.

Claiming my ideas are from God doesn’t make Him happy. In fact, He told the prophets that if they didn’t stop He would forget them completely. 

I can’t begin to express the horror of that idea. 

So I pledge to always be careful not to claim the authority of my words comes from God. I will always go to scripture to learn what God is saying. If my blog inspires you or gives you something to think about, praise God. But read the Bible to find out what God has to say.