Joy - where is yours coming from?

So I'm kind of happy right now. I mean I am just absolutely content and at peace, right now, in this moment. I just breathed a sigh of relief. What a truly amazing feeling.

Actually, 'happy' might be poor word choice. Reason being is 'happy' has to do with circumstance. Joy - that's it. So let me rephrase... So I'm kind of full of joy right now. See, joy has little to do with circumstance and everything to do with the goodness and trust of God. A more descriptive way to express this would be to say that I have a deep Joy welled up in my soul, and the reason for this is directly related to the goodness of God. Again, I am not referrring to goodness reflected by my current life circumcstances, though I certainly have nothing to complain about! I am, however, referring to the goodness of knowing that regardless of what may happen in my life, God is sovereign and always has my best interests at the forefront of His plan for me. And I can truly say I have full trust and confidence in that, in giving the control to Him, having Him be the ONE who sits on the throne of my life. Amen. And believe it or not that evokes an incredible feeling of freedom and abundance that only life in Jesus can bring.

A significant part of this deep joy has to do with what I have been recently reading in the Bible. The Word of God speaks and gives Life and Faith if the reader is willing and open. This is a biblical truth in itself, "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). Furthermore, I am learning daily another biblical truth, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). This is seriously how much we need the Bible if we are to pursue Christ with all our hearts.

So my last blog was about Judges. After that I read Nehemiah, and now I'm in the middle of Numbers. Considering what I just shared in the above paragraph, I'm going to share some of the testimonies that I have found to be the most compelling as of late. First, Nehemiah... After Nehemiah asked King Artaxerxes for permission to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem (2:1-6), he did not expose this vision to those living in Jerusalem until the appropriate time. From the text we can tell that this was at period of at least 3.5 days (2:11-18). The situation warranted that Nehemiah harbor this vision, as he had to inspect the current situation in the city once he got there to consider how he could best accomplish this seemingly monumental task. 2:17-18 show that when he finally did cast this vision to the Israelites, after waiting the appropriate time, they responded in unison, "Let us start rebuilding" (v.18). Moral of the story, be aware/conscious of the appropriate time and place to cast your vision. Furthermore, when you do finally cast it, see it through to the end and realize where your help comes from. For example, when Nehemiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem face opposition to rebuidling the wall, Nehemiah prays a simple, humble, yet heartfelt and fervent prayer to Almighty God, "Now strengthen my hands" (6:9). What a significant lesson on approach to leadership in the face of adversity. By the way, if you've never read the story the wall gets completely rebuilt (6:16) because God is awesome. Way to go Nehemiah and God.

Now, Numbers... The testimony that captured me in the most significant way was from the 13th chapter, when the Israelites go explore the Promised Land. Ten of the twelve men who went to spy-out the land said the people there were too powerful, the cities too large and fortified to be able to take possession of it (13:27-29). But Caleb, who speaks on behalf of Joshua as well, says, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it" (v.30). These two men, in Faith, see beyond the current circumstances. They see with the perspective of the promise of God, that He has said this is the land He would give to the Israelites. So regardless of who owns/inhabits it now, God will surely give it to them! They have vision seasoned with that invaluable Faith perspective, which has full trust and confidence in the promises that God makes to His people - and rightfully so! These men who were willing to go out on a limb and voice a risky and unpopular position are the only two from this bunch God lets into the promised land (14:30). Amen to that. Not that this faith journey is about getting rewards because we seek God, but surely God DOES gives rewards to those who believe in Him so strongly, in the face of opposition or unopularity. Sidenote - if I get to have a son some day I want to name them one of these names, Caleb or Joshua. That is motivating.

I am about to get on a boat and go to South Korea. That is also motivating.

Living the Dream.