The freshness of the morning brings a new opportunity for all. For the environment, for the animals, for business, and for the people. The morning is the start for something new and the chance of better than the day before.

“⁵For his anger is but for a moment,

and his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night,

but joy comes with the morning.”

— Psalm 30:5 (ESV)

With a sleep, everything has the chance to change. I know that anything that happened the day before seems a little less the next day. Whether it is related to anger or sorrow. Whether hardship or pain. The next morning there is some relief. And, in the morning there is the joy that is available for the accepting.

Joy is from God as I have read, studied, and written over the past week or so. God is there in the morning and provides for us joy to tap into. I think it makes sense to tap into that joy in the morning to get the day started in the right direction. It is given freely, why not accept.

It is easy to continue with thinking of and dwelling on the day/night before and all that was there. Waking up and allowing the thoughts to continue in the brain and in the heart. It is just as easy to start new with joy. Waking to the new day and a new everything seems to be just as easy.

I struggle with starting new with joy when what was there the day/night before, is still there. I still have it to deal with and it has not somehow been resolved. I guess it is that I see others that create or have things happen behind them and they just seem to put it behind them. They seem to start anew with joy and positive actions while others spend their time and effort dealing with what was left behind and work through the difficulties. Meanwhile the one that left it behind moves on and seems to take no responsibility for their actions. How can that be although they seem to be just waking in the morning to joy and the next thing.

I am not about to move on. I will have those difficult days and I will have things that will not go away with the morning. But, I can wake with a new attitude and attack those items with a fresh approach and angle to get them done and not dwell on what was there the day before. I have to begin each day with joy that comes from God and know that He will be with me through it all and guide me to the resolution that is fitting with His plan.

Where are you each morning? Are you allowing the yesterday to get in the way of your joy with a fresh new opportunity? What if you where to just open your eyes each morning and start new and fresh with joy in your heart and come at the yesterday with renewed energy and approach?

It seems as though I keep writing to the fact that the LORD gives. That is no different this morning. The LORD continues to give and I forget that often. I am a man and I feel as though I am in control and that I bring things to myself and give to myself. The reality is that there is very little that I do for myself. I am provided for by the LORD. He gives more than just salvation.

“⁶For you make him most blessed forever;

you make him glad with the joy of your presence.”

— Psalm 21:6 (ESV)

There may not be much seen in the verse above as relates to all that the LORD gives, but notice the results of what He gives. There is being blessed “forever” and there is gladness. I have been wallowing in my own hardships and neglecting to remember that the LORD wants and provides nothing but the best for me.

In the first six verses of the passage, there is mention of “strength”, “heart’s desire”, “rich blessings”, as well as “splendor and majesty”. This is telling as to all that the LORD provides that go beyond joy. All of these are given from the LORD. They are provided for me and all who call on His name.

I want to be careful not to fall into the idea that somehow things are going to be great at all times when I have accepted all that the LORD provides. I am living proof that there will be times of difficulty and as I mentioned, I have been “wallowing in my own hardships” for some time and that has drawn me away from the LORD to some degree. I have taken to studying the word “joy” to remember and get back to Him. I have even taken some time away from the study of His word to somehow find my way back.

I have come back this morning to a LORD who never left me. He, in fact, provided for me this morning in giving that which I needed at this moment. I have to remember that all of life will not be great. I will continue to have the kind of hardship that only reliance in Him will overcome. I have to come to the LORD for the provision He has for me, “strength”, “heart’s desire”, “rich blessings”, “splendor and majesty” and of course, being blessed “forever” and gladness.

I have to stay with the LORD to receive. Although knowing I have to stay does not mean that I won’t wander off. Even when I do, the LORD will be right there with me with that which I need in the moment as He is always there to give joy and all else as a loving father should be.

What hardships are you going through? Are you looking for something outside of that which God will provide? What if you were to come to Him and allow Him to give you that which you need?

“⁶There are many who say, ‘Who will show us some good?

Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!’

⁷You have put more joy in my heart

than they have when their grain and wine abound.”

— Psalm 4:6-7 (ESV)

I wrote about joy coming with God and this morning I was trying to find the right words as I as thought about the above verses. I read something similar to joy coming with God, only it does not sit the same with me as it did earlier.

As I look this morning, I see that God gives joy, it does not just abound with Him. I receive joy from Him not just experience it in my relationship with Him.

When I write it, there is something that hits me just so. I am thankful to have those in my life that bring me happiness (Lori, Bryson, Aarron), but it is the joy that I receive from God that makes those in my life that much more important. I now can see them in the light that I want to work to bring them happiness. I want to bring them what God has given to me. I want to be the one that serves them to the point that they are able to experience the joy that is given by the LORD for themselves.

I have to be careful in the way I write and the message that I am bringing. I do not want anyone to think that it is I that is bringing joy, it is not. Notice the words I wrote above. I want to “bring them happiness” and “what God has given”. I am not in the business of bringing joy. I am but a man and can only bring you to the one, GOD, who can give you joy. I can only bring you to Him so that you have an opportunity to receive that joy He has to give.

Man cannot bring or provide joy. As I mentioned in my other writing about joy coming with God, “Yes, I can find monetary good fortune and satisfy worldly desires in other places, but those are fleeting and only provide in the moment.” Anything that man can provide is only for the moment and as soon as the moment is gone, so is the feeling had. That which God gives is eternal.

Where do you believe you are receiving joy? Are you really finding the lasting joy in your life in what you get from man? What if you accepted the joy that comes only from God and allowed Him to continue fill you with it in all?

This morning I am reading in Job. I read through the LORD’s answer to Job and have found all that God did/does. Oh man, are we full of the thoughts that we are in control only to read God’s Word and realize that indeed we are just here soaking up God’s work. I call out the below verses especially to indicate how everything started and our place in it all.

“⁶On what were its bases sunk,

or who laid its cornerstone,

⁷when the morning stars sang together

and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

— Job 38:6-7 (ESV)

These two verses point out who created it all. It was the LORD. He laid the cornerstone of this world and see there in verse seven that “all the sons of God shouted for joy”. It was not just a small event in time, that if removed, would have not lasting consequence. It was the building of this world that I am living in today. I had no part in it and only get to reap the benefit of being here. I have to remember to give my joy to the LORD.

I have to remember that the joy that comes from and that I give to God is lasting for always and not something that will pass as the day does. I have to remember all that comes from God is lasting.

“¹³Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” — John 4:13-14 (ESV)

All that we get from this world and those that are physically inhabiting is something that does not last. That which comes from the LORD will last forever. I choose to take advantage of that that lasts forever, as it will certainly outlast me. I will offer my joy to the one that provides for that forever and that is the LORD. He has done all things and provided for all things and for that I will give Him my joy.

What are you experiencing that you are offering joy? Are you looking to those fleeting moments and realizing that those moments have past and the momentary joy is now missing? What if you were to offer joy to the ONE who provides for the lasting, forever joy instead?

Why is it that when we look at things, we constantly look to the negative prior to reviewing the positive. We tend to remove the joy from things in favor of that which needs to be worked on. As I train people with regard to their role and jobs, I take time to coach and offer feedback on the performance of the individual. My first question to them is “How do you believe that went?” To which virtually everyone starts with that to which they can improve upon. After the answer to the first question in the coaching, I then ask them “What do you believe you did well?” and again they launch into that to which they can improve.

I have to remember the Joy of the LORD and focus on that joy. I have to remember that which is good and set aside that which is not. I have to make sure that I am moving and reviewing all that is in the LORD, not that which is not. Even the Word of the LORD is good although when we look at it we tend to turn it to that which we can improve. I have to remember that those areas of improvement are for good and to ensure that I am headed down the right path. I have to look upon the Word of the LORD as all good and joyous.

“⁹And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.’ For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. ¹⁰Then he said to them, ‘Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.’” — Nehemiah 8:9-10 (ESV)

In the above verses, I see the people hearing the words of the Law of God and seeing all the places that they have failed. They are beginning to weep and mourn the fact that they are not holding to the law and that they have so much to improve. Nehemiah and the others made it clear to the people that they should not be dwelling on the failures and instead, look to the words of the Law of God as inspiring and joyous. They should be looking at how things are good and they should be celebrating as opposed to mourning.

Too often, we look to what is negative and simply miss out on all of that which is positive and joyous. I have to remember the joy that is in everything. My life may not be the way I had hoped in the sense of monetary gain and by worldly standards, but I have been give the gift of salvation and the life God would have for me and for that I have to be filled with joy. I have to remember to focus on that which is great in my life, the LORD, Lori, Bryson, Aarron, and all that comes with each of them.

What do you have in your life that you are focused on? Are you constantly looking to how you can improve? What if you focused on that which is joyous instead, and lived the life that God has in store for you?

Joy: a source or cause of delight – Merriam-Webster Online

The above is only a part of the definition of Joy, but the one that spoke to me this morning as I was studying the word.

“²⁷Splendor and majesty are before him;

strength and joy are in his place.”

— 1 Chronicles 16:27

It is with the LORD that I am able to find delight. Yes, I can find monetary good fortune and satisfy worldly desires in other places, but those are fleeting and only provide in the moment. When seeking joy, I have to look for that which is sustaining and not just in the moment. I have to look for that which I can hang on always. With the LORD I am able to find that sustaining constant source of delight.

The LORD is always.

“⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” – Hebrews 13:8 (ESV)

It is that constant, always that the LORD is that I am able to hang on for always providing joy. I don’t have to go looking. I don’t have to dig for it, He is there and joy is with Him and He gives it freely to any and all.

I struggle with finding where I belong. There are many times that I feel insignificant and as if I do not matter much outside the small world of my immediate family. I am in a state of seeking real joy. This morning I am reminded that I do not have to look any further than with the LORD. Joy is with Him always. I only need to seek Him and will find all that I need. I will find sustainable joy with Him and He is always waiting on me to come to Him and collect.

For us all, joy is found with the LORD. He always has it and is always wanting for us to come and get it. All we have to do is ask and it will be provided.

Jesus said:

“⁷Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” — Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV)

What are you seeking for? Are you looking for joy in the moment and have not been able to find it sustaining? What if you sought after Joy with the LORD, as He will provide and that provision is continuous?

When someone is overtly joyous and positive and maybe just plain chipper, I am one of those folks that gets a little be annoyed. I am put off by all of the constant laughs and giggles and often think, does anyone think anything to be serious. There seems to be this oblivion to all that is going on and no sense of urgency to take care of things, much less take care of things the right way.

“⁴⁰And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise.” — 1 Kings 1:40 (ESV)

This morning as I began my study on “joy” I was hoping to find how I can be more joyous and instead was led to this passage and found that I should let joy ring out. I am not sure why people are joyous and need not know to a large degree.

“⁴¹Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “’What does this uproar in the city mean?’” — 1 Kings 1:41 (ESV)

This is me. What is all this joy and noise? I look at where I am and cannot understand all of the commotion and the reason that others are not in the same place as me. I expect that others should be acting and experiencing as I am.

The condition of others is not my concern. I have to concern myself with my own joy and not with that of others. I have to be in my place and not looking to others with the exception of looking for the joy of the LORD. And maybe, just maybe, that is what I am missing. I may be missing that which is the joy of the LORD. Maybe I am missing the example of Christ in those demonstrating joy. I have to be looking for the opportunities to experience joy as opposed to the joyous experience of others.

I have to let joy ring out and be happy for those experiencing it. I have to look for joy in the LORD and allow others to do the same. I have to look to the commotion and celebrate the joy as opposed to wondering what it is all about. I have to look for joy in my own experiences and seek out those chances to let it ring out for the world to experience and join.

What have you been seeing as relates to joy in the world? Do you find yourself looking to the commotion and wondering what is going on? What if you just allowed the joy to be there and expressing your own joy for the world to experience as well?

What does it take to be good, you have to be trained. Being trained is not just for some sort of talent or task, it is for any and all things in order to be good.

“⁶If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.” — 1 Timothy 4:6 (ESV)

To be a “good servant of Christ Jesus” it takes “being trained” in the Word. I cannot know what to say or how to act to demonstrate the glory of God, if I have not been trained in those things. In order for me to serve Him and serve others, I have to learn that and where am I getting it, the Word. I have to be in the Word to learn the Word and when I Learn the Word I have to stay in and devoted to the Word to ensure that what I learned is consistent in and I am able to continually live according to the Word in all that do and say.

Being consistent is the key. In order to be consistent, I have to have a principle to hang on that is in itself consistent. The word of God is that which is consistent. He and His word are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

“⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” – Hebrews 13:8 (ESV)

I must be trained in the Word to move forward in the Word and bring the Word to the world.

What are you trained in? Are you trained and living according to that which is consistent? What if you were to be trained in the Word and hung on the consistency that it contains?

Practice make repetitive. I know, that is a little different than the saying that most of us know and subscribe to, practice makes perfect. Well, I believe the former and it really fits with what I read this morning in God’s Word.

“¹³Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching…⁷Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;” — 1 Timothy 4:13 & 7 (ESV)

When I want to get good at something, I have to practice that thing, devote to it and spend the time with it. Before I practice it, I have to be trained in it and understand it and take it seriously. I have to be willing to put in the work for the success of that which I am involved. That goes for my relationship with Christ for sure.

The first step is to be trained in the relationship with Christ, what is that relationship all about, what does each get in return, how do I begin. Once I have been trained in the relationship with Christ, I now have to cultivate that relationship. I have to devote myself to the relationship and practice each and every day to have that repetitive deep understanding of the relationship and of Christ Himself.

I believe that too often, we find something and believe that all is well now that it has been found. We forget that finding that thing is just the beginning. I order to get the most out of it, one has to learn more about it and then dive into it and live it and grow with it. There is a depth needed to understand and apply. There is more than just learning, there is an understanding that is needed.

Training is where it all begins. I learn of something and then train to know as much as I can, but that is just the beginning. Once I have an understanding, I practice to learn how to use that and the understanding to grow the relationship. I need to know about Christ so that I know how to please Him and how He will provide for me.

The growing of the relationship is where the practice comes into play. I work daily to to apply that which I learned. I practice prayer, thanksgiving, providing teaching, and bringing joy. I live the relationship and not just learn about it. I work to repeat those actions that bring glory to Him each day. All of those things that I was trained to bring I practice for Him and the relationship with Him.

What are you practicing? Are you learning and being trained on things and then taking on the practice to create repetitive actions? What if you learned from Christ to have a relationship with Him and did all you could to devote yourself to the training receive from Him?

With my career in learning and development, it is no wonder that I was struck this morning as I read and study the word “train”. I was led here this morning as I was seeking the next in my studies and recalled the message from our pastor on Sunday on this very topic. The message was on the one verse below and I was reminded of my role in the world with our boys that were entrusted to us.

“⁶Train up a child in the way he should go;

even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

— Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)

I am in this world to bring glory to God and bring the gospel to it as well. This is where it all begins for me as a parent. Our pastor broke this verse down over the course of his message. He pointed out that the “train up a child” is to point them in the right direction. I am to aim them where they should be going. I have to careful and calculated and not just throw them out there and hope that they find what they should find. I have to be thoughtful and deliberate in aiming them where they should go.

And where should the go but to God. I have to remember that I am only a steward of these children and I am to aim them at and to God so that they know “the way he should go”. I have to be the example of where they should go. I have to be sure that they are placed in the environment that narrows the path and give very explicit direction for them.

In all of this, I also have to remember that as another of our pastors reminded me: “Proverbs are principles and not promises”. Training up a child in the way he should go, is only pointing them in the direction and then letting them go that direction. It does not mean that he will always find the target as there are a lot of variables that could derail the direction. The idea of the principles is to give the information for them to correct course when things go awry and get back to “the way he should go”. That is the second part of the verse above. Even when things are not as simple as they were when young, the principles and learning will give that direction to correct the course and get back on track.

One of the lasting things that stuck with me from our pastor’s message was this. If we do not train them up, someone else will. And that someone else may not be looking to aim them in the “right” direction, rather, they may point them in the direction of destruction. That way of destruction may not be visible at the time to the one being aimed, but it will manifest later and the struggle and disarray will ensue. The learner will be lost and have nothing to guide them back to the right path of “the way he should go”.

I am responsible for my boys to aim them in the right direction. I am the steward of their direction, but being the steward is not to get them there, but to provide the direction and the principles needed to keep them going in that direction. Even when they seem to be lead off track, they will be able to find their way back by leaning on what they learned.

What training are you providing? Are you allowing others to aim or point your children? What if you pointed/aimed/trained your children to God and allowed them to learn what was needed to keep them moving toward Him?