This is the weekly companion to the weekend’s message, made to spend time with all week. It follows a simple five-part rhythm: a recap of what we heard, the central thought and scripture, a practice for the week, daily scripture and reflection, and a closing prayer.
Recap
Last week Dr. R.T. Kendall called us to total forgiveness: letting people off the hook, asking God to bless them, and forgiving again. This week Pastor Jon turned to joy, by way of a verse most of us have never noticed. In the middle of a sober warning, Moses tells Israel that hardship will come “if you do not serve the LORD your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant benefits you have received” (Deuteronomy 28:47, NLT). Apparently God cares how we serve Him, as well as whether we do.
Most of us believe the right things. We have been forgiven, redeemed, and adopted. Jesus is alive, and God is with us. And yet we struggle to find joy from one day to the next. We have what Pastor Jon called situational joy. We tell ourselves we’ll have joy when the marriage gets better, or when the business finally turns around. We keep waiting for our circumstances to give us permission to rejoice.
So he took us to the altar. In Leviticus 9, fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence, and the people shouted for joy. Three chapters earlier, God had told the priests to keep that fire burning, adding fresh wood every morning so it would never go out. They couldn’t control when the fire fell. They could control whether they tended it. And through Jesus, we are that priesthood now (1 Peter 2:5).
Central Thought & Scripture
“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7, NLT)
Joy is a fire God lights and we tend. Paul begins with “rejoice” and ends with “practice,” and in between he shows us how: when we’re turned inward, we go outward; when we worry, we pray; when our minds go dark, we find the light. Joy is more than a feeling; it is also a disposition of the heart. It is a spiritual discipline, a discipline of attention. There will be mornings when rejoicing comes naturally, and mornings when it doesn’t. You don’t have to feel joyful to practice rejoicing. The fruit is the Spirit’s work, and the tending is ours. As Pastor Jon put it, we are no longer pursuing joyful moments. We are becoming joyful people.
Practice for the Week
Pastor Jon closed the weekend message by walking us through three related practices in real time. This week, practice them every day.
● Go outward. Think of one person who needs encouragement from you, someone discouraged or overlooked. Get their name in your mind, and before the day is over, do something about it.
● When you worry, pray. Name the thing you’ve been carrying. Tell God what you need, then remember something He has already done and thank Him for it.
● When you go dark, find the light. Ask what is true right now, as opposed to what you’re afraid might happen, and find one thing that is still good.
Try it first thing in the morning, before something else arranges your soul. The priests tended the fire every morning too.
Daily Scripture & Reflection
Set aside some time each day to pray with these Scriptures. Bring your journal and a pen. Begin with a few quiet moments to become aware of God’s presence and invite the Holy Spirit to guide you. Read the day’s Scripture slowly, a few times, and notice what stands out. Read the reflection question and jot down your answer, no need to be elaborate, just a quick note, along with anything else that comes to you. When you finish, look back over what you wrote. Does anything stand out? Does anything call for action? Thank God for being with you and speaking to you, then close with the Lord’s Prayer. All of this fits in about 10 to 15 minutes.
Pastor Jon called Philippians 4:8 a filter for our thoughts. This week, each day takes up one or two of its eight questions.
Day 1: What Is True (John 8:31-32)
Paul’s filter begins with truth, and for good reason. A thought can be real without being true, and our minds can write an entire story with almost no facts. Jesus says truth is found by remaining in His teaching, and that it sets us free. What lie has been feeding your mind this week, and what does Jesus say instead?
Day 2: What Is Honorable (Colossians 3:1-4)
The word Paul uses for honorable means weighty, worthy of reverence. So much of what fills our attention is loud and light: the outrage, the comparison, the endless scroll. Paul invites us to set our sights on Christ, seated in the place of honor. What weightless thing has been taking up the most room in your mind?
Day 3: What Is Right (Isaiah 58:6-11)
“Right” in Paul’s list carries the sense of what is just. Isaiah ties justice to joy: the one who frees the oppressed and feeds the hungry becomes like a well-watered garden. Thinking about what is right will lead you outward. Whose need might God be putting in front of you today?
Day 4: What Is Pure (Psalm 51:10-12)
David asks God for a clean heart, and in the same breath asks Him to restore the joy of his salvation. Purity and joy are close companions. What clutters the heart dims it. What do you need to bring to God today so He can make it clean?
Day 5: What Is Lovely and Admirable (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Lovely means what draws our affection. Admirable means what is well spoken of, lives of good report. Hebrews surrounds us with a great cloud of such lives, and then turns our eyes to Jesus, who endured the cross because of the joy awaiting Him. Whose faithful life can you call to mind today, and what does it show you about Jesus?
Day 6: What Is Excellent and Worthy of Praise (Psalm 103:1-5)
Moses warned that abundance breeds amnesia. David’s remedy is to name God’s goodness out loud, one gift at a time: forgiveness, healing, redemption, love, good things. Joy is born in the soil of gratitude. What good things has God done for you that you are in danger of forgetting?
Prayer
Father, every good gift comes from You, and the fire on the altar has always been Yours. I confess that I have waited on my circumstances for permission to rejoice, and that I have let too many other voices arrange my soul. Thank You for making me part of a holy priesthood through Your Son, who endured the cross because of the joy awaiting Him. Each morning, I want to lay out my life before You and watch for Your fire. By Your Spirit, make me a joyful person, with a joy my circumstances can neither give nor take away. When I turn inward, turn my eyes toward others. When I worry, teach me to pray. When my thoughts go dark, fix them on what is true and lovely. In Jesus’ name, amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (traditional)
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
