June 11--How To Bring Heaven's Joy Down To Your Little Corner Of Earth

The joy of heaven isn't waiting for us for  "one day."  It's waiting for us for today.  These passages say 3 ways we can find it:  1 Kings 8, Acts 8:26-40, Psalm 129, Proverbs 17:1-2.

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Eve reads her Bible journal aloud on this episode.

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Transcript

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June 11. How to bring heaven's joy down to your little corner of earth. I won't be reading the scripture references. For those, please check the written post. One day as I was huffing and toughing it to swim, I realized that the water felt soft against my skin, even consoling, like a silk shirt, like kitten fur, like cashmere. By relaxing, I could feel the water like this the whole time I swam. Maybe you've already discovered how soft water feels when you're swimming, but since I'm not a swimmer, I'm only just learning. But I hate how I have to completely change clothes twice, plus get wet all over to swim. I also hate how hard it is. I started swimming because of an injury that's healed, but I keep doing it because of the kitten for cashmere. Surprisingly, rather than gutting out the lapses before, I'm a little closer to gliding them because I remember that the water is my friend. It holds me up. I can relax and enjoy silky softness with every stroke. My swimming isn't anything to brag about since I walk every other lap, but it's gotten easier because it isn't all on me anymore. It's a partnership between me and the water. I'm even learning to love it. The joy I feel afterwards as I stagger across the pool tile and into the Y shower makes my embarrassment worth it. After all, there are still expert swimmers slicing their arms like fins through the water, but no matter. My swim joy lasts most of the day. Today's passages say more ways you can bring heaven's joy down to your little corner of

1 Kings 8

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earth. The Old Testament chapter is first Kings eight. Ever had so much fun on vacation that you stayed a second week or wanted to? It was time to bring the Ark of God from the tent where David kept it to its new home in the temple Solomon built that quote marked God's invisible presence, end quote. All Israel was on hand watching, worshiping, and whooping it up since this happened during a festival which was a regular week off. Solomon sacrificed more animals than anybody tried to count, and the people who'd come for one week ended up staying too, because there was plenty of food, wine, and joy to go round. Nobody worked these two weeks except for the priests who were butchering and roasting animals for all their worth. Why are they celebrating so hard? Because when the ark was put in its new home inside the Holy of Holies, which was inside Solomon's temple, God officially quote, moved into the neighborhood, end quote, which is how the message paraphrase puts it. The temple became full of God's presence that was manifested in a visible cloud, and the priests couldn't do their duties inside. Apparently they couldn't see well enough to work. God's glory filled his house and his people witnessed it. Maybe fire fell from heaven as it did at another time on an occasion as important as this and consumed the offerings they were making, but the text here doesn't say. What it does say is that Solomon blessed the people, and then he blessed God, because God had kept his promise to be their God and to move in with them, a covenant promise he outlined in his law kept inside the ark, quote, there is no God like you who unswervingly keeps covenant with his servants and relentlessly loves them as they sincerely live in obedience to your way, end quote. It sounds like there's a condition for God keeping his covenant, quote, who unswervingly keeps covenant with his servants as they sincerely live in obedience to your way, end quote. But what about when they didn't sincerely live in obedience to God's way? What would God do then? Solomon must have wondered the same thing. In his prayer he asked God for mercy and forgiveness ahead of time because he knew his people would need it. He described several scenarios they'd face from trouble with their enemies to drought and plague as a result of the sin and rebellion they'd no doubt fall into, and he pre asked that God hear their cries for help, forgive, and save them. It was because of who God is that Solomon was emboldened to ask for mercy ahead of time like this. It wasn't because of the magnificent temple he'd built or because the people would make great stabs at obedience so that God would hear them. It was because God is gracious and generous that Solomon asked, not because they could earn his forgiveness through obedience. Solomon ended his prayers that day by blessing the people, and he told the secret for how to obey God to those who were listening, quote, may God keep us centered and devoted to him, following the life path he has cleared, end quote. The power to live a God centered life came from God. It wasn't in their power to keep themselves, quote, centered and devoted, end quote. And it was in this context that he'd said to be totally obedient. Obedience is our part of our walk with God. Because of sin, obedience is hard, but it's not impossible because Jesus' death broke the power of sin and his spirit within us enables us to obey him. With our debt paid and our Savior inside us helping and guiding us, we have what it takes to live new lives of faith. We're told to go all out as we run the race marked out for us because we can. God helps us as we depend on him. This concept can be confusing. I'm saved by grace alone, but I must also go all out to run the race marked out for me. I can't do one thing to save myself, but I must strive to lay hold of my salvation. Which is it? It helps me to think of swimming. It's not something that just happens when you enter the water. You've got to do your part. You've got to give it all you've got, even. Use your arms to pull yourself, kick your legs to propel yourself. But you've also got to relax and trust the water. Feeling afraid and flailing about will make you sink. But if you trust the water to hold you up so you can float, you can do your part to swim your way through it. It's the same thing in our relationship with God. We do our part to obey Him, but we also relax in Him as we do it. He's the one who holds us up like the water. He also gives us strength to do it. It's a partnership where we work at it with all we've got while we trust Him to give us all we need to do it. It also helps me to read the context of the verses alluded to above. We go all out to run the race, quote, fixing our eyes on Jesus, end quote. We strive to lay hold of our salvation, quote, with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me, end quote. I'm relieved when I remember that Jesus' obedience counts for me because my obedience is hit or miss, especially when temptation comes. When the enemy whispers and accuses, I've learned my best chance is not to strive in my own strength against it, but to relax and lie back, asking God for help and trusting him to give it. There's a lot of relief remembering it's not all on me. After Solomon's prayers and remarks that day, the people responded with a rousing praise party, with the Ark of the Covenant safely inside the temple. God's presence was undeniably with them. It wasn't just promised, it was seen and certain. After all, they just watched the priests leave the temple because of the fullness of God's cloud inside it. His people were so overjoyed to see it, to have him with them that rather than stay one week per usual, they lingered a second one to keep on celebrating. With God so obviously with them, they had all that they needed. Celebrating with one another in God's presence was a taste of the joy of heaven, and nobody wanted to leave and go home early. This is the joy Jesus died to give us. We no longer have priests offering animals for sins because Jesus is the highest priest who's done all the work needed to pay for them. He's even able to keep us from stumbling as he works inside us by his spirit to clean us up and present us to God, quote, without fault and with great joy, end quote. Jesus does the cleanup we need for the joy of having us in his family. It's work that we get to partner with him to do, and the joy that comes back to us is flooding, quote, you make known to me the path of life, you fill me with joy in your presence, end quote. The joy of heaven can be felt on earth whenever you obey God as you trust him to enable you. Last thoughts. But what if you're not experiencing joy in God's presence? Your life is a grind, your trouble's too heavy. Jesus came to carry your load so it's easy and light. Ask him to help you and trust that he'll do it. Or maybe you don't experience joy because you don't know you need saving. It's hard to feel joyful about Jesus if you don't think you need him. Ask God to show you. Or maybe you're having an off day. Give yourself a break. Even Jesus wasn't always joyful.

Acts 8:26-40

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The New Testament passage is Acts 8, 26 to 40. The Ethiopian eunuch heard the message of Jesus from Philip, and his response was to believe it and go on his way rejoicing. What became of him? As the man in charge of the Queen of Ethiopia's finances, he had considerable influence. I'm guessing he shared his joy with everyone he met, because when you really meet up with Jesus, your joy is overflowing. Philip wasn't responsible for what happened after he told this man about Jesus. In fact, the spirit whisked him away to preach somewhere else. Philip was simply instructed by the Holy Spirit to tell him, so he did. It can be daunting to speak to a stranger about Jesus, but when you think of that person as if he's already a friend, it's easier. Jesus' spirit gave Philip the words he needed for the eunuch. He'll do the same for anybody who asks him. I'm guessing Philip felt as much joy as the eunuch did after their encounter. God fills our joy buckets when we fill up someone else's. The joy of heaven can be felt on earth when you're open to the Holy Spirit and follow his nudges.

Psalm 129, Prayer, Proverbs 17:1-2

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From Psalm 129. The writer of the Psalm has been mistreated all his life. The whips of quote plougmen ploughed long furrows up and down my back, end quote. But even so he says God hasn't abandoned him. He saw God tear, quote, the harnesses of the evil ploughman to shreds, end quote. God doesn't stand by and let injustice prevail. Though plenty of injustice happens, God won't put up with it forever, quote. He sticks by us, end quote. Eventually all wrongs will be made right and injustice will be punished. We can count on it because God promises. We can also count on it because of Jesus. Though he experienced tremendous injustice, God exalted him to the highest place, an eternal position of glory and sovereignty, and one day every knee will bow and acknowledge him. You don't have to wait for one day for wrongs against you to be made right. I've experienced a few injustice reversals myself. The shepherd, quote, prepares a table before me, anoints my head with oil, and my cup overflows, end quote, and all this has been in the presence of my enemies. God overrules injustice both today and one day. The joy of heaven can be felt on earth when you believe God will bring about the justice He promises. Prayer God, thank you for giving your best gift to save my worst self and for putting joyful, tearful praise in me to boot. Thank you for Jesus, my Savior King, my shepherd friend, who keeps helping and leading and saving me. In Jesus' name, so be it. From Proverbs 17, 1 to 2. A simple meal in peace beats a feast full of war. A wise child care giver will be honored as part of the family. Passages from 1 Kings, Acts, Psalms, and Proverbs are selected for today in the yearly Bible. This is Eve de Bartleaban, Roebuck.