Casting Anxiety

July 13, 2023 in Christian, Christianity, Theology, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

About once a month I share in morning devotions at the home for needy children here in Oaxaca, Mexico. On Tuesday I talked about finding rest from 1 Peter 5:6-8,

In verse 6 Peter writes about humbling yourself in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up. In my Spanish version Bible it says humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. The Mighty Hand of God. Many times I like the Spanish version better than the English version. It seems I can try to lift my bad old prideful self up, by myself, or I can humble myself and trust my life to the mighty hand of God and let him do the heavy lifting. Seems like a no brainer to me. But that idea of humbling ones self generally goes against the grain of most proud, individualistic Americans, and Mexicans, who think they can handle life on their own, thank you very much! We encounter great peace, rest and happiness, when we are able to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand.


Next Peter says cast your cares on God, for he cares for you. What a word of encouragement, Our loving Father cares for us and wants to shoulder our burdens, anxieties, and worries. That doesn’t mean he takes them away necessarily, but that he gives us a new perspective on them, one that makes the burden lighter, and enables us to rest knowing that his mighty hand is lifting us up to a safe place. Reminds me of Jesus words in Matthew 25, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” Resting is a learning process.


Finally, Peter writes about our enemy, the devil, who wants to destroy us. Devour us. How? With worries, anxiety and stress. I read recently that one third of teenage girls thought seriously about suicide over the last few years. Why? Because of depression brought on by worries and anxiety, brought on in a large part by social media. The devil lion is ready to pounce, and if they don’t humble themselves and cast their cares on God, he will devour them. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among all teens, especially females. Coincidentally, one third of the group in devotions was teen girls. I hope and pray that they humble themselves and cast their cares on God, and find rest for their weary souls!

Of course the devil also has ways to destroy the proud, self confident, arrogant and self righteous. Peter is telling all Christians to be on guard. Beware. Watch out. I think of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 10:12, “So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” The best way to really stand firm is to stand on the Rock, Jesus our Savior.

God loves us and wants us to be happy. Through the words of Peter we learn we have tools to be happy and rest. Humble ourselves under his mighty hand. Cast our anxieties on him. Watch out for the devil who wants to devour us. Using these three tools we can enjoy the rest of God.

Righteously Happy

July 7, 2023 in Christian, Christianity, Theology, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

I have a bunch of colorful zinnias growing next to my patio. They bring a smile to my face every time I gaze upon them. They make me happy. What happens when they fade and die? Here at the home for needy children in Oaxaca, Mexico, we have a big mango tree that is full of mangoes. Everyone here loves mangoes. They make us happy. What happens when they become wormy (as they have of late), or we eat the last good one? The children here have wonderful house parents who they love and become attached to. What happens when the house parents move on?

In a world filled with fleeting pleasures and momentary happiness, we are often left longing for something more substantial, something that can fill the void within our souls. True happiness cannot be found in flowers, mangoes or even in the love of house parents. However, the psalmist reminds us of a profound truth that has the power to transform our lives – our ultimate source of joy lies in the Lord.

Psalm 32:11 beckons us to “rejoice in the Lord and be glad.” It is an invitation to experience a deep and abiding joy that surpasses all circumstances. This joy is not dependent on our external situation but is rooted in a relationship with the One who created us. It is a joy that springs forth from the depths of our being, from a heart that has been transformed by God’s love and grace.

As believers, we have a unique reason to rejoice. We have been justified by faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. Our sins have been forgiven, and we have been reconciled to God. We are called the righteous, not because of our own righteousness, but because of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us.

This joy is not merely an emotion; it is a choice we make every day. We choose to rejoice in the Lord despite the challenges and trials we face. It is a deliberate decision to focus our hearts and minds on the goodness, faithfulness, and sovereignty of God rather than being consumed by the troubles of this world.

When we rejoice in the Lord, our perspective shifts. We begin to see life’s difficulties through the lens of God’s grace and providence. We find comfort in His presence and in the promises of his Word.

All of us at the home for needy children, staff, volunteers and the kids, can truly rejoice and be glad following our Savior who loves us and wants us to be happy, eternally.

Happiness in Pleasant Places

June 29, 2023 in Christian, Christianity, Theology, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Before coming to Oaxaca, Mexico, to work with FFHM’s home for needy children, I lived in Santa Rosa, California. I would occasionally drive by a church with a big sign on it’s front lawn that would always have an encouraging verse displayed. One day I drove by and the verse was Psalm 16:6, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.” I loved it! What a creative way to say God has really blessed my life or to say that God loves me and wants me to be happy! King David wrote this Psalm and I can just imagine him riding around the kingdom; the land flowing with milk and honey, fruitful vineyards and orchards, forests, rivers, mountains and seas, and exclaiming, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places!”

My experience has been that in a world filled with fleeting moments of joy and constant pursuit of happiness, we often find ourselves seeking something more enduring. True happiness, it seems, is an elusive state of being that many of us yearn for. However, the words of David in Psalm 16:5-8 offer profound wisdom and guidance on the path to discovering lasting happiness. Let’s take a closer look at these verses and uncover the keys to finding genuine and enduring joy in our lives.

I think the first thing we see is that we should seek fulfillment beyond material possessions: Psalm 16:5 reminds us, “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup.” These words urge us to shift our focus from the accumulation of material wealth and find contentment in a deeper connection with the Divine. Material possessions can bring temporary pleasure, but true happiness lies in nurturing our relationship with God and embracing the spiritual aspects of life. By recognizing that our ultimate fulfillment comes from God, we can escape the endless cycle of consumerism and embrace a more meaningful existence.

We should also consider that gratitude is a pathway to joy: The psalmist continues in verse 6, saying, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” This verse teaches us the importance of gratitude and contentment with our present circumstances. Often, we fixate on what we lack, leading to dissatisfaction and discontentment. However, by adopting an attitude of gratitude, we shift our focus to the blessings and abundance that already surround us. Recognizing the goodness in our lives, no matter how small, cultivates a joyful spirit and opens our hearts to experience the happiness that is sometimes buried within us.

Another profound lesson from this scripture is the importance of trust and surrender. The psalmist declares, “I will not be shaken.” When we place our trust in the Almighty, we relinquish our worries, fears, and anxieties. Surrendering control allows us to find peace in knowing that we are not alone in life’s challenges. It is in this surrender that we discover a profound sense of security and contentment, leading to lasting happiness that transcends the ups and downs of external circumstances.

These verses also remind us to cultivate a life of purpose and meaning: Psalm 16:6 emphasizes the idea of a “delightful inheritance.” To find true happiness, we must explore and embrace our unique purpose in life. Each individual possesses innate talents, passions, and gifts that, when pursued, bring a sense of fulfillment and joy. By aligning our actions and aspirations with our deeper calling, we tap into a wellspring of happiness that goes beyond momentary pleasures. When we live authentically and engage in activities that resonate with our values, we experience a sense of purpose that infuses our lives with genuine happiness.

Psalm 16:5-8 offers timeless wisdom on the pursuit of happiness. It teaches us to shift our focus from material possessions, cultivate gratitude, embrace trust, and live a purpose-driven life. True happiness does not lie in external circumstances but in the depths of our souls. By integrating these principles into our daily lives, we can unlock the door to lasting joy, finding contentment, peace, and fulfillment that transcends the ebb and flow of life’s challenges. May we all strive to live according to these profound truths and discover the happiness that awaits us.

Truly Happy

May 19, 2023 in Christian, Christianity, Theology, Uncategorized | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

God loves us and wants us to be truly happy. Just read Psalm 128. It tells us how to be happy in Him and some of the tangible things that He gives us along the happy path of life.

Verse 1 says “Everyone who honors the LORD, who walks in God’s ways, is truly happy.”(Common English Version)

Happiness begins with honoring the LORD and walking in His ways. I like this version of the Bible, CEV. I believe that God loves us and wants us to be happy, and twice in the first two verses the Psalmist uses the word happy. This Psalm also uses the words bless and blessed, which in the Old Testament mean the happy condition of those who revere the Lord and do his will and put their trust in him and live under the guardianship and faithful care of the gracious Lord of life.

Verse 2 says “You will definitely enjoy what you’ve worked hard for – you’ll be happy; and things will go well for you.”

We enjoy life when we are able to eat the fruit of our labors. Most of the O.T. people lived in an agricultural society and they depended on the goodness of God to have good harvests. In Deuteronomy, Moses gave a list of blessings and curses. He said that if you obey God, you will have good harvests, but if you disobey his commands, then he will not send the rains to make the crops grow, or he will send locusts to eat the crops or enemies to take the food away.

A few years ago, our family went from Mexico, where we live, to Colorado, to visit my family. They live in an agricultural area where lots of wheat and corn are grown. One day they had a big hail storm. The next day we went for a drive and saw that many of the crops in large fields had been destroyed. The farmers who owned those fields were not able to enjoy the fruits of their labors. How sad to work hard for something and then not get the reward for the labor put in. How happy we are when see and enjoy the benefits of our investment of time and hard work.

Verse 3 says “In your house, your wife will be like a vine full of fruit. All around your table, your children will be like olive trees, freshly planted.”

Nothing God has given me brings me more pleasure and joy than my wife and children.

Verse 4 says “That’s how it goes for anyone who honors the LORD: they will be blessed!”

Another way to put it is that God loves us so much that if we honor Him we will receive blessings galore!

Verse 5 says “May the LORD bless you from Zion. May you experience Jerusalems goodness your whole life long.

The person who enjoys a happy life will be blessed by God from mount Zion, from Jerusalem. Before verse one of this Psalm, we read that it is a song of accent. This was a song that people would sing as they made their way up to Jerusalem to attend the three great festivals that God commanded the people to attend each year. They would go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices at the temple. God’s presence was most powerful in the temple. That was the House of God. The idea was that from there his power radiated out to the city of Jerusalem, then to the region of Judah, then to all Israel, and then to the whole world. So any blessings that people received from God came initially from the temple. People were especially blessed by God when they worshiped him at the temple in Jerusalem. And they would see and experience the well being of God no matter where they lived as the blessings of God would flow to them from Mount Zion. Jesus is now the temple and rich gifts like grace, mercy and joy flow from His love out into the whole world.

What encouraging and inspiring words from Psalm 128. Surely we live in a “happy condition” because we are able to trust in the LORD and live under his faithful care. Our natural response is to honor him, walk in his ways and be truly happy.

Kingdom of God Happiness

May 1, 2023 in Christian, Christianity, Theology, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

God loves us and wants us to be happy. That’s an important aspect for us to keep in mind as we go through life living in this “already – not yet” kingdom of God. Paul reminds us in Romans 14 that the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, something the Roman Christians were losing track of, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. I like Wikipedia’s definition of joy; the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness.

That’s what God wants for his people. Intense, long lasting happiness. God’s people in Rome were getting all worked up about what foods were clean to eat and what foods weren’t, and were passing judgment on one another and condemning each other. Paul tells them in verse 14 that he personally, was convinced that nothing is unclean in itself, but if it distressed his brother in the Lord, that he would not eat certain types of food, because that would not be acting in love.

Acting in love is what God did for us in rescuing, redeeming and restoring us; in bringing us into his kingdom through the blood of Jesus the Messiah. Bringing us into his kingdom is all about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is about well-being, thriving and flourishing. It is about feelings of intense, long lasting happiness.

Jesus speaks about the kingdom of God in terms of joy as well. In Matthew 13:44 Jesus says the kingdom of heaven (or kingdom of God) is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. When he buys the field he is filled with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness.

When we buy into the kingdom of God, we too get to experience that same happiness.

For us to experience this joy, we must have the Holy Spirit. Living in the kingdom of God means living under the reign of the King. It is the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes to the joy that awaits us in the kingdom and in the King, and who invites us to be a part of the kingdom. And it is the Holy Spirit who enables us to live in peace and to thrive with our kingdom brothers and sisters.

Paul writes in Ephesians 5 that we should be filled with the Spirit (18). When we are filled with the Spirit, we are filled with joy and sing and make music from our hearts to the Lord (19). This also gives us the ability and desire to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (21). The Holy Spirit opens our spiritual eyes to a strange, new realization that goes against the grain of this world’s general operating system. That realization being that we will be happier people, not by domineering other people, but by submitting to other people. Not by ruling, but by serving. Not by throwing our weight around but by throwing our energy into helping others.

So, we may not be judging each other or condemning one another about what we are eating and drinking, but there is a fair amount of strife among Christians about different political and social issues. We can’t bury our heads in the sand when it comes to these issues and act like they don’t exist or are not important. But we also shouldn’t condemn to hell as reprobates those who hold different opinions than we do. We should remember, and, with the power of the Holy Spirit, live in the kingdom of God together as righteous, peace loving, children of God, and that will fill us with joy.

The Joy Set Before Him

April 6, 2023 in Christian, Christianity, Theology, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

God loves us and wants us to be happy. This doesn’t mean that every moment of everyday we will be experiencing heavenly bliss. We have all gone through difficult times in our lives. Times of pain and suffering. Times of anguish and despair. When we go through rough spells, and we sometimes question whether God really loves us and wants us to be happy, I think that we should remember the words of Hebrews 12:2, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

I find three important ideas in this verse that can help us when the hard times come. First, fix our eyes on Jesus, not on our problem. Jesus who loves us and gave himself for us and who will never leave us nor forsake us. Second, focus on the joy that will inevitably come when the pain is gone. Every trial that we go through, God will use to make us happier people in the end. Third, endure. Don’t give up. Don’t lose faith. Always trust in the goodness of God. Always believe in his love and that nothing can separate us from his love.

Many times, when New Testament writers want to talk about Jesus passion and suffering on the cross, they use the word “blood”. And they use that word a lot, mainly to encourage Believers in their Christian walk, especially when that walk happens to be through the valley of the shadow of death. As we approach Good Friday, it is helpful to consider the following verses:

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. Acts20:28

and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:20

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. Ephesians 1:7

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 9:14

The joy that was set before Jesus that enabled him to endure the cross, was us! You and me, fellow believers in the Messiah and adopted children of God. The benefits that we experience from the blood of Christ are – being included in the church of God; being reconciled to God; redemption and forgiveness of sins; and clean consciences that allow us to serve the living God.

As lent comes to an end and the celebration of the risen Lord approaches, let us rejoice and be glad, no matter what we are going through, because God loves us and wants us to be happy. We have the blood to prove that.

****************************************

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought

My sin, not in part, but the whole

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.

Horatio Spafford

All-Delightsome

March 29, 2023 in Christian, Christianity, Theology, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

When we try to describe God, we often use words like “Almighty”, “All Powerful”, All Knowing”. I have never heard anyone describe God as All-Delightsome, at least not until about a week ago when I was reading Thomas a Kempis and his book The Imitation of Christ, written in the 15th century. When I read that word, I was, well, delighted. What a fun, unique way to say “happy”. Merriam-Webster defines delight as a high degree of gratification or pleasure: joy. Extreme satisfaction. This same dictionary defines delightsome as very pleasing: delightful. Dictionary.com says that the word is from the 1200’s and meant a high degree of pleasure or satisfaction.

Thomas a Kempis wrote, “For thou, O Lord, my God, art best above all things; Thou only art the Most High, Thou only the Almighty, Thou only the All-sufficient, and the Fulness of all things; Thou only the All-delightsome and the All-comforting.”

I love thinking about God as All-delightsome. He is the ultimate source of gratification, pleasure, joy and satisfaction. Of course Thomas a Kempis didn’t originate the idea that God is delightful, or that he is a source of delight and that he can be delighted by his people. The Bible says:

Happy is the one whose … delight is in the instruction of the Lord. Psalm 1:1,2

Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord,

who find great delight in his commands. Psalm 112:1

The Lord detests lying lips,

but he delights in people who are trustworthy. Proverbs 18:2

For the Lord takes delight in his people;

he crowns the humble with victory. Psalm 149:4

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. Micah 7:18

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness. Isaiah 61:10

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Imagine that. God takes delight in people like you and me. That means he finds great pleasure and satisfaction in those of us who are humble and trustworthy. There are a multitude of reasons for us to delight in God, but I never thought that God would delight in us!

Thomas a Kempis found God’s rest particularly delightsome. He writes in this same meditation, “my heart cannot truly rest nor be entirely content, except it rest in Thee, and go beyond all gifts and every creature.”

His final thoughts reflect his happiness at God’s delightsomeness, “Excellent are Thy works, true are Thy judgments, and by Thy providence are things governed. Therefore praise and glory be unto Thee, O Wisdom of the Father, let my mouth and my soul and all created things praise and bless Thee together.”

Great advice for all of us. Have a delightsome day!

Deep and Wide Happy

March 16, 2023 in Christian, Christianity, Theology, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment 

God loves us and wants us to be happy.  This is the great truth that Paul wants his readers to know and take to heart, and he prays that this reality will grip all believers in Christ in the book we know as Ephesians.

He specifically prays that followers of Jesus may have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.

I teach a Bible class at a local drug and rehabilitation center in Tlacolula, Mexico, and we studied this passage on Monday.  I suspect that many of them had trouble believing that God could love them when they consider the terrible things that they had done under the influence of drugs and alcohol, the people that they hurt and the relationships that were destroyed.

The apostle Paul could understand these doubts. Before he experienced the incredible love of God, he hated Jesus, wanted to kill his followers and destroy the church. So it didn't make any sense that God could love him. He is right.  It doesn't make sense that God could love any of us. Scripture says that we are all rebels, enemies and sinners against God. That is probably why Paul writes in verse 19 about this love that surpasses knowledge. It is impossible for us to wrap our minds around the fact that God loves us. And not just a little bit.  His love for us is incredibly wide and long.  Unbelievably high and deep. It will take us a lifetime to begin to “grasp” God's great love for us. 

In this passage (3:14-21), Paul mentions the word “power” three times. It is only with the power of God, through the Spirits indwelling of our hearts, that we can appreciate his love for us and be “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”  

Imagine that, you and me, filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now that should make us happy!

Happy Under God’s Wings

March 8, 2023 in Christian, Christianity, Theology, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

God loves us and wants us to be happy. This is King David’s message to the people in Psalm 36. He writes in verse 5:

Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

And in verse 7:

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!

The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Verse 10:

Continue your steadfast love to those who know you,

and your righteousness to the upright of heart.

This tremendous love of God makes people happy. They feast on the abundance of God’s house. They drink from the river of God’s delights. They enjoy the fountain of life, and God’s light enables them to see the light (8,9).

For some people the greatest source of joy comes from taking refuge in the shadow of God’s wings. I think that is especially true for the girls and boys here at the children’s home in Oaxaca, Mexico. Many of the children who live here come from troubled, dysfunctional environments, where many times only one parent or a relative was around, and that “care giver” was many times abusive either emotionally, physically or sexually, and the children could run, but not hide. They had no place of refuge.

And then they come to FFHM’s home for needy children and find refuge; a place where they are safe and secure. Instead of being frightened of biological parents they are delighted with loving house parents and staff members who make sure that they are well cared for emotionally, physically, and most importantly, spiritually. They are introduced to our marvelous God who loves them, died for them, and is now on his throne watching over them and wants them to live lives of peace and joy.

They say that Christians are the hands and feet of God. That is true, but when I look around at my brothers and sisters in Christ, here at the mission, I see that we are also the wings of God. The wings of God where the children of mankind can take refuge.

God’s Great Love

February 14, 2023 in Christian, Christianity, Theology, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

God loves us and wants us to be happy. I discussed this with the men at a drug and rehab center in Tlacolula, Mexico, yesterday. I am leading them on a study of Ephesians, and in this book, especially chapter two, Paul makes the fact of God’s love for us abundantly clear.

Ephesians 2:4 says, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.

Ephesians 2:7-8 talk about two other aspects of God’s great love, that is his “incomparable riches of grace” and his “kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

The result of his great love is that we are happy!

We are happy because we were dead spiritually, and are now alive.

We are happy because God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms (6).

We are happy because we have been saved by grace through faith (8).

We are happy because we are God’s work of art created to do good works(10).

This Valentines Day we can enjoy pink hearts, red roses and dark chocolates, emblems of the love humans have for one another, but we should celebrate, rejoice and be glad in God’s great love, rich mercy and incomparable grace that will never fade away.

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