Good Morning Friends,
Sometimes we seek revenge and destruction. And at other times peace. But ultimately, we have to choose how we will deal with the stress of the world, the challenge of mission and the love of God if indeed we are going to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Unfortunately, sometimes our motives are not always the best and we have to rethink, with the Bible in hand, what it is that we truly want out of our life. And so, I wonder, Would The Joy Of Revival Make Us Satisfied?
Scripture: Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me! Why do you, like God, pursue me, never satisfied with my flesh? “O that my words were written down! O that they were inscribed in a book! O that with an iron pen and with lead they were engraved on a rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!
Job 19:21-27 (NRSV)
After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.
Luke 10:1-12 (NRSV)
Message: We are creatures that seek comfort and hardwired to claim it, but life does not always work out that way. Even a life of moderation and balance does not suffice. We need an all-in commitment to grow and so to for the Kingdom of God. In scripture time and time again Jesus points to our flawed priorities of choosing money over relationships and the dead over the living…captivity instead of true freedom and love. It begins with believing in a living God. That is why I do so hope you live your life believing that your Redeemer is alive as Job did. This is so important in sharing the Gospel. And friends, it is not only critical but in reality, is the only thing in life that brings satisfaction out of life. You see, relationships are the most import thing in life and a relationship with God is what we need more than anything else. And we need Jesus alive in our life to experience this Good News. Interestingly Job presents some good news too about his belief in the resurrection of the body much like the Good News Jesus asks the disciples to share about the Kingdom to come. Friends, Job’s trying experiences…our own trying experiences can serve to deepen our faith in God. This is what happened to Job and so too for the disciples in their work of evangelism. Job pictured the end in his mind that included God’s rule. So, as we prepare our hearts and minds for World Communion Sunday, consider the rule of God and our redemption, and the redemption of others in your mind as Job did. Picture a world with greater love because Christ lives in us. This thinking and feeling can be pretty awesome and inspiring stuff. That it is was expressed in the book of Job, one of if not the first book written in the Bible, should move us to not just be a fan but a true follower of Jesus. Friends, Jesus had crowds of people that surrounded him, but most were doing it out of a desire for comfort and convenience more so than commitment. We need to be all in if we are to share the Gospel effectively. We need to be all in if we are to be satisfied with life and the hope of revival not just survival.
And So, we are to discover joy in our recovery, whatever we are recovering from. And to others who are watching, our response to God is to serve as their invitation for recovery and revival as well. It is really a bit cruel to tell a person suffering to smile and be happy, but it is entirely appropriate to help them connect to the joy of God’s presence and provision. And friends, it is to be joyful from the inside out even in the face of tragedy. Now you may know the shortest verse in the Bible as Jesus wept and it is in the English but in the Greek the shortest verse is “Rejoice always.” Happiness may evaporate in times of suffering, but joy frequently intensifies in times of suffering. In the middle of Lamentations is the joy of God’s faithfulness. In the life of weeping prophets and the sorrow of life is the joy of the Lord. Joy is like character. It is from the inside. Whereas happiness registers our condition, joy regulates it. True happiness is rooted in joy. Joy is the proof that what we have is real and is satisfying. And get this, it is attractive and necessary for evangelism to succeed and for revival to take place. Friends, when the 70 assigned messengers in today’s scripture from Luke returned from their mission of responding to the Great Commission, they were joyous and excited. We too must experience this joy to be successful in our assigned missions.
Pray we be just as confident and certain as was Job about the reign of God. Pray this experience brings us a satisfaction that prompts us to share the Good News. Pray we are more than an enthusiastic admirer of God’s work in the world. Pray we do not confuse knowing about Jesus with knowing Jesus in a relationship linking to the goal of evangelism. Pray we have the heart for mission in service to the King. Pray we shared the love we have received with others. Pray we find satisfaction in service as the world grows in the love of Christ. Pray we have the joy of knowing Jesus and in sharing the joy. Pray we understand the joy comes from the inside out. Pray we understand that joy is eternal, and that happiness is fleeting. Pray we get the connection between joy and revival. Pray we realize that worship of God can occur anywhere. Pray we rejoice in a cleansed life confident of God’s provision. Pray we rejoice in the Lord forever and always. Pray we understand the role of joy in people accepting Christ as their savior. Pray that in our communion and call we have a joy that brings revival.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 