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You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. Psalm 4:7
Every year it’s the same thing. People all over the world will gather together to cheer in another year of great, new hopes and expectations. They talk about the new opportunities before them, about how great everything will be, and, for a few moments anyway, forget the pain, the agony and the turmoil that surrounds all of us.
The unfortunate reality is that January 2 or shortly afterwards, reality returns. The credit card bills come in from the Christmas overspending, the health concerns worsen, relationships fail us and the political and economic turmoil goes on. Wouldn’t it be nice if ‘Happy New Year’ were a statement of promise and absolute truth and not a flippant statement of hope in the midst of despair?
Each one of us can have a Happy New Year. That may seem like a bold statement but happiness isn’t about what goes on around us. Happiness is based on what we put our hope on. If we put our hope in material things, or relationships, or religion or even physical health we are destined for disappointment and failure. Anything that is earthly based will fail to bring us true happiness because by its nature it is destined to deteriorate.
The Psalmist compares his happiness to the happiness of those around them. During the time this Psalm was written ‘grain and new wine abounding’ represented everything one could possible ask for in the physical realm. It was a statement that represented the most successful and prosperous things that could happen in the world.
True happiness finds its source on the inside of each of us, not in the fickle, external circumstances that surround us. As Christ-followers we can have peace in the midst of turmoil, wealth in the midst of financial despair, freedom in the midst of addictions because our peace, wealth and freedom come from our faith in Jesus Christ.
Think about it for a moment. As a Christ-follower what is the absolute worst thing that can happen to you? The person without Christ may say relational or financial or physical disaster or even death. But for the Christ-follower none of that really has a lasting impact. The ‘worst that can happen’ for most people (death) is the best that can happen for us because in the death of our physical bodies we get to be united with Jesus in heaven.
The guarantee of a ‘Happy New Year’ comes only when we put our complete faith in Jesus Christ and resolve to grow in relationship to Him. Everything we see, everything will fail, change or go away. Jesus never will. Have a Happy New Year in Jesus!
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I thank you for the promise you have given me that you are with me in every situation. I confess that in my humanness I seek happiness measure success by what I can hold in my hand or see with my eyes. Empower me by your Holy Spirit to base my happiness on you alone and not people, religion or things. I praise you for your love and power to bring true inner happiness to me through your forgiveness and your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 1 Peter 3:8
I love rock and roll even though many people from my generation are somewhat skeptical or even antagonistic towards it. I enjoy the ‘new’ music styles that have infiltrated our churches as well. Our music tells us a lot about our life philosophy and we do ourselves an injustice if we get so closed in that we only like one type of music.
It’s much like deciding that we will only like carrots. So all of our lives we only eat carrots; breakfast, lunch & dinner—carrots! Pretty dull life and not even healthy.
Imagine if all the flowers were green, the grass was green, the sky was green, even the milk you pour on your breakfast cereal was green. Even if you like green you’d have to admit that we’d be tired of green and long for a few other colors.
Life lived to its fullest means that it’s full of a variety of experiences, feelings, gifts, talents abilities, likes and dislikes. Just as there are no two snowflakes that are alike, there are no two people alike. Yet when the snowflakes join together they paint the landscape with beauty and purity.
Peter calls each of us as Christ-followers to be like minded. When I think of what like-minded means I think of harmony in music, especially in a quartet. We don’t hear much harmony in our music these days but if were to listen to a really good quartet or small group in perfect harmony you’d hear some great lessons for life.
Perfect harmony means that it’s hard to distinguish who is singing which part. Each person has their own notes to sing, their own personalities, and their own tone. But the differences blend so well that it sounds like one voice. If one person is off key by only a little, the harmony is completely destroyed.
Perfect harmony means relationship. In music we call it practice or rehearsal but it’s really the same thing. The performers must build a team spirit among themselves to know when to change key or speed or even how and when to sing the words. If one person sings a word wrong, or the wrong word, or comes in too early or two late, the harmony is ruined. Practice, learning about each other, accepting each others own unique gifts and working within the framework of the music builds perfect harmony in both music and life.
Perfect harmony allows for solos and variations, or side trips. When done in harmony a solo, even though it focuses on one individual, is accentuated by the rest of the group. The soloist is much more effective in a small group when the group is supporting him/her.
Perfect harmony means that each performer is happy with their own part and not jealous of the other voices in the group. They know who they are and are content with that.
Perfect harmony is dependent on the realization that variety is a requirement and not an option. Just as in life, you may not fit into a particular group. That doesn’t mean you are less important or that the group you do find is better or worse than the other. It just means you fit in better there so that you can make beautiful harmony.
Perfect harmony allows for differences without judgment. Sing your life-notes in praise to the one who created the notes! God’s gift to you is music. Your gift to others is to sing!
PRAYER: Father, I praise you for the awesome variety of colors, smells, personalities and around me. My senses proclaim the wonder of your creation and I’m in awe of you. I ask that you would empower me by your spirit to ‘sing my notes’ the best I can. Keep me from feeling inadequate or desiring other people’s notes. May I, with your help, live in harmony with those around me. In Jesus name, Amen.
Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:10
It’s the difference between religion and relationship. It’s the difference between peaceful living and stress. It’s the difference between holiness and sinfulness. It’s the difference between abuse and encouragement. It’s the difference between prison and freedom. It’s the difference between fear and courage. It’s the difference between defeat and confidence. It’s love.
Love excites us, brings peace into our lives, cures us of the addiction to sin, encourages us, frees us to be ourselves, gives us courage to survive attack and confidence to use the gifts we have to better the world around us.
In the Old Testament God gave his people all sorts of rules and regulations to show them how to live lives free of all the bad stuff life throws our way. Never forget, when He created Adam and Eve in the garden, He never intended that they be separated from Him. Their sin in the garden destroyed everything. God created us in His image to enjoy life, to enjoy love, to enjoy each other.
The Bible says Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed. That wasn’t just physical nakedness; it was emotional and spiritual nakedness as well. The underlying power of their lives was love, the love of the creator-God to them and their love for Him in return.
Then ‘sin’ got in the way. Sin is really just another way of saying ‘getting what I want in my way’. When sin entered, our relationship with God, ourselves and others was forever changed. There was only one thing that could rescue us from the emptiness and pain of life: LOVE.
True love, Godly love never ever hurts. Period. There are so many things that get in our way, that keep love from showing itself. People get in the way by abusing us for their own selfish purposes. Our past keeps us from enjoying the forgiveness that only Jesus offers. Religion keeps us from enjoying the freedom of enjoying all that God has given us. None of these things are powered by love.
Jesus didn’t come into the world to condemn us or to accuse us or to remind us of all our faults. That job is reserved for religion. Jesus came to love us, just as we are, where we are, regardless of our propensity to rebel against Him.
Don’t try to truly love your neighbor or your enemy until you have learned how to love God and yourself. It won’t happen. Only when we are completely enveloped by a love for God and ourselves will love flow to those around us. When that happens, when we learn to love God and ourselves, love for the other people in our lives, even those who hate us and hurt us, will be a natural result, not a forced action.
PRAYER: Father. I thank you today for your unconditional, unending and undeserved love. I confess to you that the love I’ve learned in life hasn’t been all that great. It’s brought pain, shame, guilt and remorse. I need to learn to love you and myself so I can be free to love others. I’ve hurt so many people in my life and now I resolve to love them your way through the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 