Tag: joy

Posted in theology

Where is joy?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

EPrata photo

AW Pink wrote about Joy. He said in “The Scriptures and Joy“

The ungodly are ever seeking after joy, but they do not find it: they busy and weary themselves in the pursuit of it, yet all in vain. Their hearts being turned from the Lord, they look downward for joy, where it is not; rejecting the substance, they diligently run after the shadow, only to be mocked by it. It is the sovereign decree of heaven that nothing can make sinners truly happy but God in Christ; but this they will not believe, and therefore, they go from creature to creature, from one broken cistern to another, inquiring where the best joy is to be found. Each worldly thing that attracts them says, “It is found in me”; but soon it disappoints. Nevertheless, they go on seeking it afresh today in the very thing that deceived them yesterday. If after many trials they discover the emptiness of one creature comfort, then they turn to another, only to verify our Lord’s word, “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again” (John 4:13).”

I have found this to be true. I searched for lasting joy unknowingly and then later, knowingly. I had achieved all my goals, graduated from college, was married, owned a home, had the job I wanted..but I was never lastingly happy. I could not figure out why.

Temporarily, yes. I’d be happy with a professional success, a compliment, joke. Unsaved people are happy, happiness is not foreign to humans. But where was true joy? A lasting joy that went down to the bones? Not to be found.

When I was approaching the cross, a process that took about two and a half years, I was also learning the craft of bookbinding. I found it easier to put my thoughts and feelings into picture form. Unknown to me, the Holy Spirit was starting to infuse biblical allusions and metaphors into my mind that came out in my art. Later after salvation when I read the Bible, I would constantly go, “Oh, so THAT’S what that meant!’ I used the metaphors of flies, shepherds, lions, angels, walk, transform, kingdom, etc.

I wrote a little picture book about a girl who was looking for the kingdom, who was always thirsty, who was unsatisfied but had nothing visible to be unsatisfied about, who tried to find the ‘map’ leading her to the kingdom but frustratingly could not find it.

I learned at the time of my repentance, of course, that the visible will not lead me to the Kingdom. Invisible sin is the problem, which I learned when the Lord sent some saved people into my life to explain the Gospel and answer questions I had about the Bible (mostly about Creation and the earth).

but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life. (John 4:14).

Pink wrote:

It is not a carnal joy that we are here urging, by which we mean a joy that comes from carnal sources. It is useless to seek joy in earthly riches, for frequently they take to themselves wings and fly away. Some seek their joy in the family circle, but that remains entire for only a few years at most. No, if we are to “rejoice evermore,” it must be in an object that lasts for evermore.

Jesus and the word of God illuminated by the Holy Spirit is that joy.

I’ll finish with Pink-

The spring of joy is faith: “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13). There is a wondrous provision in the gospel, both by what it takes from us and what it brings to us, to give a calm and settled glow to the Christian’s heart. It takes away the load of guilt by speaking peace to the stricken conscience. It removes the dread of God and the terror of death that weighs on the soul while it is under condemnation. It gives us God Himself as the portion of our hearts, as the object of our communion. The gospel works joy because the soul is at rest in God.

Bio of Arthur W. Pink (1886-1952).

Chapel Library’s mission statement: Our purpose is to humble the pride of man, to exalt the grace of God in salvation, and to promote real holiness in heart and life, by sending Christ-centered materials from prior centuries worldwide without charge.

Posted in theology

Praise at work

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I was chatting with a lady at work. We both arrive pre-dawn. We looked at the rural night sky and marveled at the creations there; stars, planets, and we talked of how we love hearing the night birds. We praised God with birdsong and cricket chorus as the background music.

Then she inspired me with her talk of how she loves everybody, “No matter how they look or their situation, we’re called to love them, and besides we never know when we night be entertaining an angel…” and we spoke of angels for a bit.

She surely is a wonder. I asked my boss how long this lady has been working there, and she said the woman has been working there 25 years. In my 16 1/2 years at this job I have never, EVER heard her complain once. Nor gossip once. Nor be anything but thankful to have her job.

It is refreshing to speak of Jesus during the day. Don’t wait until just Sunday to praise Him. Don’t restrict your praises to your silent or whispered prayers. We get so busy during the day but in my opinion it is important to stop and chat, praise, rejoice frequently.

I encourage you to:

1.Praise Jesus during the day to yourself and to others. Even a sentence or two, it doesn’t have to be a discourse or a sermon!

2. Think about who inspires you at work and stick to them like glue!! Avoid the troublemakers, gossips, and complainers. Purposely seek out the Christians around you if there are any, and join up for a brief praise. It works to lift your spirit, to alter your perspective.

Spurgeon said Christianity is “a joyful business altogether, for the Savior is glad to save, and the sinner is glad to be saved.” 

and-

“Thou canst not tell what showers of mercy, what streams of benediction, what mountains of joy, and hills of happiness, shall be thine when Jesus comes and reigns in thy soul.” ~Charles Spurgeon

Posted in theology

In the presence of God with great joy?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy. (Jude 1:24).

How will we be presented? We shall be presented blameless.

Matthew Henry commentary, Now, our faults fill us with fears, doubts, and sorrows; but the Redeemer has undertaken for his people, that they shall be presented faultless. Where there is no sin, there will be no sorrow; where there is the perfection of holiness, there will be the perfection of joy.

We will not only experience great joy when we are finally glorified and presented to God, but also God will have great joy-

Then shall our hearts know a joy beyond what earth can afford; then shall God also rejoice over us, and the joy of our compassionate Saviour be completed. (MHenry)

We read in Hebrews 12:2a that Jesus is the “originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross”. And what is His joy? To receive a Bride to Himself given by the Father.

Isn’t it astonishing to think the God on high will be joyous over us? Not that we have any internal merit to warrant His joy, but that He redeemed us through His Son, kept us from stumbling, persevered us to the end, and now has a blameless humanity with which to present His Son. His joy is joy for His Son through us.

God promises to present His people to Himself blameless and joyful. Left to ourselves none of us is blameless. Only those who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb will be made to stand blameless on the day of judgment. Though Adam and Eve lost the joy of living in the presence of God when they sinned, Christ has taken away the guilt of our sin and removed the fear of judgment. We will rejoice in that day because we stand clothed in His righteousness and will have been fully set free from sin. Additionally, God personally rejoices to bring us to Himself in glory. The writer of Hebrews tells us that “for the joy that was set before Him” Jesus died to bring us to glory. (12:2). ~HB Charles, Jr. “Blessing and Praise: Benedictions and Doxologies in Scripture” Study Guide

“Robe of Righteousness” by Lars Justinen
Posted in theology

Sad Pastor vs. Joyful Pastor

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I can understand why doctors and counselors are saying more than ever, teens and youths are depressed. If they are on social media often, and they are, spending hours each day, then they are absorbing the tenor of that social media, which is negative.

Christians are doing the same in many cases, sad to say. Everything is bad, politics arguments, false teachers, apostasy, fights, quibbles, misunderstanding, brouhahas, then the inevitable calls to stop fighting…repeat.

Now while it is true that the world is sinking at lightning speed into darkness, violence, and evident sin, and while it is true the church in the US (and elsewhere probably) is the same, what we believers do NOT need to do is comment on it every minute.

We have the joy of the Lord despite outward circumstances. I write this because a pastor posted this on Facebook about being a pastor:

THE PRICE OF BEING A PASTOR

Being a Pastor is listed among the four most difficult professions in the United States because, a Pastor must be:

•Preacher
•Example
•Father
•Husband
•Counselor
•Conference caller
•Planner
•Minister
•Visionary
•Director
•Mentor
•Friend
•Reconciler
•Marriage counselor
•Youth Counselor
•Leader’s trainer
•Bible teacher
•Intercessor etc etc

Besides being:

•Keeper of the Temple
•Cleaning staff
Every Pastor constantly confronts

Reviews like:

The Pastor doesn’t visit me
Sermon don’t fill me up
The Services are to long
Temp is either to cold or to hot
Pastor’s children are not an example according to others.

One of the most difficult things in the life of a Pastor is to know that at some point the people they love will abandon or even betray them.

The Pastor is often the loneliest person in the congregation.

You may see a Pastor be surrounded by people, but very rarely people who are interested in their problems, needs or even in their lives. And let’s not mention the demands that congregations place on Pastors’ children.

For this I would like to give you advice: if you have a Pastor or have as friends Pastors’ children take care of them, pray for them, connect with vision that God gave them, support them, but above all love them. Remember they are human and in the same way they go through the same needs as you.

Even if you don’t believe it, many Pastors and their Families have sacrificed comforts, rest, personal plans and so many things including some of their own family’s needs to attend God’s call.

Value the time a Pastor puts into work, the prayers he makes for everyone, the burden he voluntarily carries for ministry. You don’t know how much he’d appreciate knowing you do.

Jeremiah 3:15, And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

… For all pastors 🙏

–end of sad pastor’s comment

OK, all that is true. One thing he didn’t put on the list is that a pastor must sometimes face persecution and death, at least the ones often do who minister outside the US.

All this is scriptural and expected. I know he didn’t post it as a complaint but simply as a reminder to be fair, nice, and encouraging to one’s pastor or elder. All well and good. But where is the joy?

Well my friend Pastor James Bell posted a response. Now, the Shepherd’s Conference just concluded last week where 5000+ men from all over the world gathered to be ministered to, encouraged, and to worship together. This is a conference founded by Dr. John MacArthur at Grace Community Church in CA. He is almost 85 years old. He is this and the last century’s Spurgeon. His output continues to be like no other living man on earth. His 55 years of ministry in this one church is astounding in the days of church hopping, fame-seeking pastors who like to create brands, author books to ‘rise higher’. JMac is famous in a good way. (and I love him!)

But guess what? For every more well-known MacArthur faithfully and steadily expositing the scriptures, persevering amid trials, betrayals, splits, and pressures from government, and dire health issues, there are 50 more who are not known. Who anonymously preach, love, discipline, repeat- week after week.

One of these I happen to know is James Bell. He is in TN. He is very soon to be 80 years old. He ascended his pulpit just 6 years after MacArthur did and has remained for 49 years. Get that. Forty-nine years. He has preached longer than that but his length of time at one pulpit being faithful to the Lord is something to be noted and praised for the Spirit leading him there and sustaining him all these decades.

Well anyway, on to the response Pastor Bell posted to the sad pastor listed above:

Pastor James Bell of Southside Baptist Church, Gallatin TN, source Bell’s FB profile

Having been a full-time pastor for 55 years, (one congregation for 6 years, the next for almost 49) … yes, I’ve had a ‘few’ experiences AND tough times … Amazingly, I have survived several church wars … etc… etc… HOWEVER, although there is SOME truth in the long list under ‘The Price of being a Pastor’ and some truth in similar POSTS placed on FB from time to time– I, for one, DO NOT LIKE such presentations.

WHY? Such lists do not have a proper BALANCE; they have the wrong FOCUS; they easily degenerate into feeding a PITY PARTY.

1. Every Christian in a local congregation faces many TOUGH, difficult situations… there will be differences in each one’s list; BUT ALL FACE DIFFICULTY…

2. The Bible gives clear instructions as to how we are to treat one another… and some special ones, as to relating to Elders/pastors.

3. As a pastor/elder, MY FOCUS is not to seek sympathy from the congregation– BUT TO MODEL AMAZING GRACE in the midst of whatever trial I may be facing; to be focused on THE HIGH CALLING… the privilege to have the opportunity to function as the LORD’S servant.

4. My real tests, trials, troubles, etc… ARE MY OPPORTUNITY to MODEL CHRIST in the midst of the congregation and before a watching world. LET US NOT CALL ATTENTION TO OURSELVES… nor to seek pity… but let us REJOICE and be FOUND FAITHFUL in our high calling.

5. IN A WORLD OF growing self focus among pastors– let us forget ourselves and deny ourselves, and take up our cross daily, and be those in whom and through whom others will SEE CHRIST!

Now. THAT is wisdom! THAT is joy! That is a clear view of the pastorate, the congregation, the church life, and a good scriptural perspective.

For me, the key word in Pastor Bell’s post was “balance”. I write discernment essays and cry out against false teachers. That’s a ‘negative’ work if you want to look at it that way. But there are also posts about grace, joy, song, praise, spring’s renewal, triumphs, and more. Each and every ministry should have balance. Each and every Christian should have balance and display that balance to the world.

Social media is increasingly used by our Adversary for ill, and part of that ill is an ever quickening slide into darkness, negativity, anger, gossip, screed, and so on. Social media reflects the world. We Christians are not of the world. We are in the world, but we have a peace and joy that surpasses understanding. Sometimes, you’d never know it if all you do is view us on social media, (as pagans and teenagers do).

My encouragement to you (and me also) is to recollect your recent conversations, review your recent posts, check your recent texts. Are they skewed to one side, the dark, angry, or negative? Joy is a fruit of the Spirit says Galatians 5:22. Let’s bear fruit for the Name of Jesus.

A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)

Posted in do not worry, end time, prophecy

On being joyful

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Someone told me the other day that she enjoyed my bright smile. I replied that though I did have my issues and my problems, I choose joy. I do not focus on my problems. She was surprised, saying that one would never know by looking at me that I felt sad or down. I said that my problems will pass away but the light of Jesus will never pass away. I want people to see His Light, not my problems.

To that end, I work at refocusing my attitude each day. Some days I need to refocus it hour by hour, and some days moment by moment. It is work to choose to rely on joy and not wallow in personal problems. I know sometimes I look glum, I try not to. But I don’t want to be a hypocrite either, faking that I have NO problems. But some people’s problems are so massive, mine in comparison are actually quite small. It’s all about perspective.

What do you want people to see? Your problems written on your face, body, and posture? Jesus warned the disciples not to purposely draw attention to one’s face when fasting or praying. In that case it was so people would ask the Pharisee ‘What’s the matter?’ so they could answer in a humblebrag about their lengthy fasting.

Can people see His light in you despite your problems? If we rely on Him, then really rely on Him. Don’t worry about the medical report, you will get a glorified body. Don’t worry about the scarce cupboard, He will provide. Don’t worry about the job, He will send one. Don’t worry about anything. It’s hard, I know, but worry doesn’t increase your life one second more. Worry is actually a distrust of God’s providential care and work in our life.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

He says:

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.” (Proverbs 12:25).

“I inquired of Yahweh, and He answered me, And delivered me from all that I dread.” (Psalm 34:4).

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7).

He says all that and more. Let people see your light, for He that is within us is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Your problems will pass away, but He will never pass away, so He should be the focus. Choose joy.

Posted in theology

“Don’t worry, be happy”

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

In 1988 Bobby McFerrin released his soon-to-be hit song Don’t Worry, Be Happy. I remember the fervor back then around that song. Legitimately, it was a good song. It was the first a cappella song to get to a number one position on the top 40 singles on the Billboard chart. Don’t Worry Be Happy stayed there for 2 weeks, bumping out Guns N Roses’ Sweet Child O’ Mine.

People were also amazed that McFerrin did all the vocals himself. The “instruments” in the a cappella song are all overdubbed voice parts and other mouth sounds made by McFerrin, using no instruments at all; says Wikipedia. Pretty neat.

I was cooking the other day and turned on my Pandora to my Paul Simon channel. McFerrin’s song came on. It’s amazing how being in Christ gives you a totally different perspective. I was 28 years old when Don’t Worry Be Happy came out. I would not come to Christ for another 15 years. And I’ve gone on for almost 20 more years beyond that. I can’t detect how my sanctification is going in the short term, day after day, but looking back over the long term I can see progress.

The song begins this way,

Here’s a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don’t worry, be happy
In every life we have some trouble
But when you worry you make it double

This is a truism. Worrying never solved anything. But when you are outside of Christ, worry is your idol. They worry because they have nothing else to hold on to. They do not know the future, they have no context in which to place the worrisome situation. So they worry, they can’t help it. I used to worry greatly. I was a recently divorced young teacher trying to hold on to my house on a skim salary, working three jobs, and wondering if this was all there was to life. I worried.

The song continues,

Ain’t got no place to lay your head
Somebody came and took your bed
Don’t worry, be happy

If I was outside of Christ I SURE would be worried if I did not have a place to lay my head! It would be THE consuming issue of my day. I can’t NOT worry about it, just because Bobby McFerrin says not to. Making the mortgage each month was a victory. I desperately wanted to keep the place where I lay my head.

McFerrin goes on with another problem or two that is common to people, and offers the same advice, don’t worry and be happy.

It is a good idea to nurture and practice a positive mindset, that is true. Actress and comedian Betty White also practiced a positive mindset, all her long life. She didn’t worry. She was happy.

Then she died.

And went to hell (probably). She is no longer happy.

The mindset that Jesus gives us is an eternal one. Now that I’m on this side of the cross, I understand worry is a sin and joy is our permanent status quo. With that context, life’s daily problems seem small. He provides for us and always will. Knowing that removes the worry. He gave us forgiveness of sins, and offers us daily grace. This gives us joy. It is easier to be joyful when we have a perfect Father to go to in order to cast all our cares upon Him. When we have been freed from the power of sin and someday will dwell outside the existence of sin at all.

I still have the same slim salary and I’m still trying to hang on to the place where I lay my head, but my joy isn’t diminished by my circumstances, because that joy is outside of me, from Christ and being In Christ. I don’t worry (or when I do I take it to Christ) because I have the God of all Universe on His throne as my Father.

Before I was saved I tried to have a positive mindset, and I tried not to worry. It would work for a while. Then a problem would come. I’d solve it. Feeling satisfied with my problem-solving abilities, I’d be happy again with no worries. And another problem would scoot down the highway of life and crash into me. The cycle repeats. Underneath all that is the business of suppressing the truth in unrighteousness, battling my conscience, and performing sins every day, while expending energy to convince myself that I was ‘a good person.’

For the unsaved, it’s a lot.

Life’s ups and downs are blessedly minimized when we gain the eternal perspective of seeing eternity through Jesus. Seeing time in the looooong term reduces those mountainous ups and downs to minimal bumps.

Being in Christ makes all the difference for life now and eternity then. But do we show it? Are we unworried and happy? Do we exhibit the joy of Christ, the peace that passes all understanding?

I pray that I exhibit the peace that passes understanding, the joy that adorns the countenance, the conviction to live a grace-filled life. I don’t always. But it is a goal. We have that ‘don’t worry, be happy’ ability – thanks to the Holy Spirit in us.

John wrote in his Gospel of Jesus that Jesus promised,

If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. John 15:7-11.

There is a difference between happiness and joy. Prior to salvation, my happiness faded as fast as smoke from a lit candle when adversity reared its head. Even when adversity remained at bay, my happiness came and went, inexplicably.

Joy though. Joy! That is an internal state, less dependent on circumstances. You can have daily ups and downs but the thread remaining is joy in Christ. He is our foundation, our anchor, or stay. Don’t worry yes, because worry is a sin. But be happy? OK. But better to be joyous.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23).

What is the first of the fruit mentioned? Joy. Barnes Notes says

It is not without design, evidently, that the apostle uses the word “Spirit” here, as denoting that these things do not flow from our own nature. The vices above enumerated are the proper “works” or result of the operations of the human heart; the virtues which he enumerates are produced by a foreign influence – the agency of the Holy Spirit. Hence, Paul does not trace them to our own hearts, even when renewed. 

Therein lay the difference. Happiness is external. Joy is internal. It is also eternal. Don’t worry. Be happy- IN CHRIST.

EPrata photo
Posted in theology

Dis/Contentment in your life and how to overcome it

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Are you discontent? Discontent because you’re single? Discontent because you’re married? Didn’t get the job you wanted? Lost the job you loved? Hate where you live? Didn’t make the grade? Your boss hates you? You hate your boss?

Life is hard, it always has been. “In this world you will have trouble” Jesus said. (John 16:33). But lately it seems that the trouble is increasing, and coming from directions we had not expected. It’s a lot to keep up with.

We’ve always been a people to attach our happiness to comfortable or satisfactory circumstances, even though the Bible warns us to keep our eyes on Jesus and remain heavenly minded. The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us, said Paul in Romans 8:18. But us puny humans forget, and we weep, we complain, we grumble. I know I do, before I have to metaphorically slap myself and say ‘Snap out of it!’

I listened to two podcasts yesterday that were on opposite ends of this spectrum, one was about severe and deep suffering, the kind that no husband or parent should ever have to deal with. But we do deal with it because, I refer again to John 16:33.

“The Cellar of Affliction” was episode 7 in Season 1 of The MacArthur Center for Expository Preaching, “The Expositor: The Story of How John MacArthur Became the World’s Premier Expository Preacher.”

L-R-Austin Duncan, Narrator, and John MacArthur, interviewee. Source: MacArthur Center for Expository Preaching
The episode is described thus: John Donne called them Job's sick days. They are days of unexpected, and often unimaginable, suffering. They are part of life in a fallen world, both for believers and nonbelievers. And they are a constant reality in the life of a preacher. John MacArthur is certainly no stranger to suffering. This episode describes a dark day in the MacArthur family, and how that suffering shaped his life and ministry. And it looks at how John's life and preaching have cared for those in what Samuel Rutherford called "the cellar of affliction."

The episode also shared about other parents and families going through a trial and suffering. What they went through and how they came to the other side without complaint, or grumbling, clinging to joy in the darkest of days, is inspiring.

I also listened to The Women’s Hope podcast with Dr. Shelbi Cullen and Kimberly Cummings discuss “Contentment in the Midst of Chaos“

Episode Description - Episode 125, Oct 14, 2021- Shelbi and Kim open up about times when they’ve battled discontentment. What passages of Scripture helped them navigate life's most challenging moments? What did God teach them through trials? Listen to find out.

In addition to discussing the issue that brought discontentment into their lives and the realizations they discovered as they walked through it to the other side, the two women offer practical advice at the end as well.

I found these two discussions helpful. I tend to tie my happiness to my circumstances. Last week, my car broke down. That is one area I have a hard time accepting disruptions. It may not be a huge issue to others but it is to me. I worked hard to focus on Jesus during that week and not complain, even under the guise of ‘asking for prayer’. It all got resolved in providential ways and the Lord even took care of me financially afterward. I need to do more of that for when the next circumstance changes, and it will. Whether it’s a minor disruption like the car issue or something major like the sufferings discussed in the MacArthur Expositor podcast, the advice remains the same.

Listen to these two podcasts and see if you think so too. 🙂

Posted in theology

The sunny side of life is warmer

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I used to spend the Fourth of July in Lubec-Eastport Maine. If you visualize Maine as the profile of a dog, Eastport and Lubec would be the nostrils. These two towns are as far east as you can go in Maine and not be in Canada. The highest tides in the world begin there, with the Bay of Fundy funneling the Atlantic into a small inlet where massive 30′ tides are pushed up then down several times a day. Lubec and Eastport are nautical cities, driven by the sea, which surrounds both of them. And as for the air, there’s cool, fog, and cold. Those are the seasons. (Notice the shadow side on the left and the sunny side on the right. The difference in temps would be at least ten degrees)

Continue reading “The sunny side of life is warmer” →
Posted in theology, word of the week

Sunday Word of the Week: Fruit of the Spirit, Joy

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

On Sundays I usually post a theological word with its definition, then an explanation, and use it in a verse. I also use a picture to represent the concept. This is my effort to maintain a theological literacy among the brethren and between generations, something I believe is critical. We have to know what we believe, why, and know the words to express it. Words like Justification, Immanence, and Perspicuity have all been a Sunday Word of the Week. Continue reading “Sunday Word of the Week: Fruit of the Spirit, Joy” →

Posted in theology

Interlude: Thoughts on our Dazzling, Righteous, Holy Savior

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Sometimes when I read the Bible and I learn the deep truths of God, I cry and turn my face away, saying, “God, it’s too much for me!” Not that I am super spiritual. Sometimes when I read the Bible, I read it just to get through the reading for that day. Then I repent of my lack of focus and attention.

But other days when the deep truths wind around my heart, pierce my mind and grip me, I begin to glimpse an understanding of why a sinner cannot be near to the Holy God. If they approached in their craven state they would immediately die, exploding into a million molecules of depraved rebellion. God in His holy state IS too much for us, as sinners.

The grace that saved me sometimes is also too much to contemplate, but I do, I must, because it is through that grace that I may envisage my Savior. I can approach the throne boldly and not explode into a million molecules of depraved rebellion, but be welcomed as a beloved daughter, covered by His blood and enshrouded in His love.

The mystery of God’s love and grace are intensely dazzling to consider. What joy we have His word to do it through. Read your Bible today.

rose