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Devotions for your walk with God/

by Jim Long

Surprised by Joy

Look around you. There are good reasons to smile. There are many things to be grateful for. Each day is crammed with good gifts from God, excellent reasons for joy. The gift of friendship. The gift of laughter. Parents who care for us. The beauty of a perfect day. Music and art. Ideas and conversation. Health. Life itself. God gives his gifts and we receive them with joy. We enjoy them.

Our days are also filled with good gifts we might not naturally call good. Pain is good for us if it alerts us to a problem we must correct. (Touch a prickly cactus and, ouch, you quickly pull your hand from harm's way.) Even criticism can cause us to see something about ourselves that needs to change. Failure can point the way to greater growth. If we can find purpose in them, even negative things can seem positive.

God uses every circumstance, no matter how painful, to strengthen us. We are better people because of what we endure. God does not waste anything, even hardship. Because of this, we can consider it joy, even when tough times come.

Think of your life as a puzzle. You open a box and empty its contents on the table. There, before you, are hundreds of individual pieces that, when fitted together, will create something that makes sense. A complete picture. You pick up individual pieces, look at them from different angles, and try your best to fit them together with other pieces. Slowly, the project takes shape, as you compare the puzzle on the table with the picture on the box.

In time, the hundreds, thousands of individual details of your life will somehow fit together, too. When the puzzle is at last complete, you will be satisfied with the result. Until then, the process of figuring out each piece can be annoying, a seemingly endless test of your patience.

The encouraging difference between these two puzzles is this: The puzzle that is your life is being put together by God. He will fit together each individual piece—whether hardship or happiness —with flawless skill. When the process is complete, your life will perfectly match the picture in his mind—the perfect image of what you can become.

From the Word:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." James 1:2-3/

The Power Pack 60-Day Challenge/

In this "Power Pack," we focus on joy. For the next 60 days, we'd like to challenge you to study Scripture passages that say a lot about joy. Then, after the end of this "60-Day Challenge," we hope you'll be able to say, "I've made progress! I am becoming a joyful person."

Read it!
November: The book of Philippians/
Think about what you know of the Apostle Paul and his experiences. Here's a guy who was shipwrecked three times, badly beaten on several occasions, tossed in prison just about every time he entered a new city. He was often short of food and water, and deprived of sleep. He felt deep concern for the many Christians he knew; when they failed, he felt it.

He was in prison when he wrote a letter to his friends in the city of Philippi. The book of Philippians takes on a whole new meaning when you remember what frustrating circumstances Paul was in when he wrote it.

Set a goal to read this book at least once a week throughout this month. (It's only four chapters long.)

As you read, take notes. Look specifically at the words "joy" and "rejoicing." Ask yourself:

• Paul was writing from a prison cell. What did he have to "rejoice" about? What is the source of Paul's joy?
• How could the Philippian Christians make Paul even more joyful? (See 2:1-4.)
• In chapter 4, Paul says more than once to "rejoice in the Lord." Regardless of your circumstances, what are some of the things to rejoice about in your life?

December: The two letters of Peter/
Like Paul, Peter also knew what it meant to experience hardship. Yet he also had a lot to say about "joy" and "rejoicing." In the next two weeks, read 1 Peter four times. Then spend two weeks reading 2 Peter four times. As you read each book, make two separate lists:

• List all the bad and negative things Peter mentions
• List all the good and positive things Peter mentions

Ask yourself:

• What keeps the "bad list" from destroying Peter's joyful spirit?/
• Peter writes a lot about our future hope in Christ. When times are the hardest, how does this future hope give us joy?/

Work on It!
On a sheet of notebook paper, write: "Joy is … /" See how many ways you can complete the statement. Take another sheet, write: "It makes me happy when … " Can you fill one page? Two pages? Three? How many different kinds of things can you think of—little things or big things—that put a smile on your face? Now, how many of these can you do for others?

Get some markers and poster board (or a plain white T-shirt and fabric paints) and create something that will remind you of the joys in your life. Create a poster. Make a shirt. You're not into paints and markers? Then write a poem. Craft a song. Tell a story.

Want more? If you've found this column helpful, you might be interested in reading the Deeper Devotions Series, also by Jim Long. It's Who You Are That Counts is a study of the Fruit of the Spirit. When Life Gets Tough is based on the book of James. Both are published by Zondervan Publishing House and are available at your local Christian bookstore. Or for information, call 1-800-727-3480.

Copyright © 1997 by the author or Christianity Today International/Campus Life magazine. For reprint information call 630-260-6200 or e-mail clmag@CampusLife.net November/December 1997. Page 10

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