There Is JOY In The Lord

I really need to get out into my yard and do some work. Mind you, I’m not one to complain, but the West Coast needs to stop sending us rain on the weekends. My weeds are getting out of control and hopefully the grass will dry out by this afternoon where I can break out the mower and get after them. If I don’t get them cut and bagged soon they’ll turn to seed and I’ll have twice the problem next winter/spring. When those clover burrs get stuck to the bottom of ones shoe and tracked into the house, later to be discovered with bare feet at two in the morning, guilt sets in real fast for not cleaning up the yard weeks before. If that isn’t bad enough, there’s this glare I get from my wife while she’s explaining to me how much it hurts when she steps on one of those burrs and asks, “Isn’t there something you can do about those silly things?” What can I say? “Sure, but I just didn’t find the time to do it a few weeks ago.” That simply doesn’t go over well.

[Philippians 2:3] “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility  consider others better than himself.” A few days ago I was visiting with a man who told me about a visit to the doctor. "He gave me some new pills and I asked him what they were for.” The doctor replied, “They’ll help you to remember.” He told the doctor, “I don’t know whether I will take them or not, there are some things I don't think I want to remember!” Are there things in your past you don’t want to remember? There were things in the life of the apostle Paul that he didn’t want to remember. He said, “Forgetting what is behind…I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13,14). Paul wanted to forget the past, but he remembered what he had done calling himself the “chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:13-15). When Paul remembered his past it was with joy for he remembered the mercy and forgiveness he obtained through Jesus our Lord. For the non-Christian, memories of the past may bring only pain. Job spoke of bitterness when remembering the iniquities of his youth (13:26) and David pleaded with God not to remember the sins of his youth (Psalm 25:7). One of the greatest struggles for humanity is the discovery of our own value and self-worth. People often feel so very empty and insignificant. The cares of life tend to batter down our self-image and leave us with a sense of meaninglessness and even self-loathing. This is part of the reason why so many people turn to so many vices, i.e. alcohol, drugs, sexuality, in an attempt to “fill the void.” The world is quick to offer solutions. The self-appointed therapists of afternoon talk shows and the mega-rich attitude coaches of late-night infomercials tell us that we need to practice “self love,” and engage in more positive “self-talk.” They tell us that we have to love ourselves first before we can ever learn to love anyone else. Yet, however quaint their advice may be, it is as far from truth as the east is from the west. The Bible tells us that positive self-image does not come through believing we are wonderful, but through the knowledge that God loves us. We don’t need better “self-esteem,” but need a better understanding of God’s estimation of us! In fact, the Bible tells us that the first step to wholeness is understanding and accepting our own wretchedness and turning in utter dependence to God’s awesome grace. The old children’s song has more practical advice on developing self-esteem than all of today’s pop-psychology: JOY: “Jesus first, yourself LAST, and others in between.” There is joy in the remembrance of forgiveness and the future is bright (Romans 5:1-11)!