Happiness is Overated!
Reflection: Happy New Year’s 2013! It’s a New Year the old year is behind us! We can’t change the past, we can only learn from it. As we begin a New Year many people make New Year’s resolutions, as I have written about the past couple of days. Yesterday I reflected on this one, “I want to live my life each day as Jesus would live my life if he were living in and through me.” We call this the “exchanged life” from Galatians 2:20 where Paul states this motto for his life, “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life that I now live I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
According to the bible, this is really the only way to a transformed life, where our life looks a little bit more like Jesus’ life each day as we submit to the “exchanged life”. Of course we are not Jesus, and this is not to mean that we are trying to save the world, or have a “Messiah complex”. It means that as Christ lives in us through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can as Paul says in Galatians, “Live by the Spirit so you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Simple, yet hard!
And Psalm 1 gives us a simple plan for living like Jesus did. And it calls this life “blessed”. “Blessed” is different than “happy” in that it is a deeper joy and satisfaction that only God can give. We can be blessed even when we go through trials. And Psalm 1 tells about the “blessed” person whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on it day and night. Then, the psalmist gives us a metaphor that this person is like, “a tree that is planted by a stream of water that yields its fruit in season.” An enormous promise is given about this type of person, “their leaf does not wither, whatever they do prospers!”
Of course everyone wants to “prosper”, but often it is thought of in monetary terms. This promise is one that at the end of the passage says, “Will withstand the judgment.” After all, ultimate prosperity needs to be something that will last forever not be here and gone like the chaff this is blown away with the wind. Jesus referred to this when speaking to his disciples in John 10:10 when he said, “I have come to give you life and life abundantly!”
Are you ready to test out God’s promises this year?? Will you put your focus on God’s Word each day and then commit to being led by the Spirit? May 2013 be a New Year where we experience God’s love and abundance like never before! This is a New Year’s resolution that God will bless and empower and will bear fruit that lasts! Each day in the Daily Bread we will looking to be planted by the streams of the living water so we can be like that tree that will not wither and prosper in all we do! I hope you will join me this year in the Daily Bread! If it would be helpful for you to commit to that feel free to email me and share that resolution at mfa9864@gmail.com Amen.
Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
1 Chronicles 3
The Sons of David
3 These were the sons of David born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; the second, Daniel the son of Abigail of Carmel; 2 the third, Absalom the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; 3 the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah. 4 These six were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months. David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years, 5 and these were the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon. These four were by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel. 6 There were also Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, 7 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 8 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet—nine in all. 9 All these were the sons of David, besides his sons by his concubines. And Tamar was their sister.
The Kings of Judah
10 Solomon’s son was Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, 11 Jehoram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, 12 Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son, 13 Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, 14 Amon his son, Josiah his son. 15 The sons of Josiah: Johanan the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second son, Zedekiah the third, Shallum the fourth.16 The successors of Jehoiakim: Jehoiachin his son, and Zedekiah.
The Royal Line After the Exile
17 The descendants of Jehoiachin the captive: Shealtiel his son, 18 Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah. 19 The sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah. Shelomith was their sister. 20 There were also five others: Hashubah, Ohel, Berekiah, Hasadiah and Jushab-Hesed. 21 The descendants of Hananiah: Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah, of Arnan, of Obadiah and of Shekaniah. 22 The descendants of Shekaniah Shemaiah and his sons: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah and Shaphat—six in all 23 The sons of Neariah: Elioenai, Hizkiah and Azrikam—three in all.
24 The sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah and Anani—seven in all.
Acts 9:1-9
Saul’s Conversion
9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, “In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength.” Isaiah 45:23-24 (NIV)
I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. Ephesians 3:14-15
Dear God, we bow before you giving thanks for a new year. We worship and adore you, we lift our hearts and hands in praise responding to your promise that if you be lifted up, you will draw us all to you. Amen.
According to the bible, this is really the only way to a transformed life, where our life looks a little bit more like Jesus’ life each day as we submit to the “exchanged life”. Of course we are not Jesus, and this is not to mean that we are trying to save the world, or have a “Messiah complex”. It means that as Christ lives in us through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can as Paul says in Galatians, “Live by the Spirit so you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Simple, yet hard!
And Psalm 1 gives us a simple plan for living like Jesus did. And it calls this life “blessed”. “Blessed” is different than “happy” in that it is a deeper joy and satisfaction that only God can give. We can be blessed even when we go through trials. And Psalm 1 tells about the “blessed” person whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on it day and night. Then, the psalmist gives us a metaphor that this person is like, “a tree that is planted by a stream of water that yields its fruit in season.” An enormous promise is given about this type of person, “their leaf does not wither, whatever they do prospers!”
Of course everyone wants to “prosper”, but often it is thought of in monetary terms. This promise is one that at the end of the passage says, “Will withstand the judgment.” After all, ultimate prosperity needs to be something that will last forever not be here and gone like the chaff this is blown away with the wind. Jesus referred to this when speaking to his disciples in John 10:10 when he said, “I have come to give you life and life abundantly!”
Are you ready to test out God’s promises this year?? Will you put your focus on God’s Word each day and then commit to being led by the Spirit? May 2013 be a New Year where we experience God’s love and abundance like never before! This is a New Year’s resolution that God will bless and empower and will bear fruit that lasts! Each day in the Daily Bread we will looking to be planted by the streams of the living water so we can be like that tree that will not wither and prosper in all we do! I hope you will join me this year in the Daily Bread! If it would be helpful for you to commit to that feel free to email me and share that resolution at mfa9864@gmail.com Amen.
Psalm 1
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
1 Chronicles 3
The Sons of David
3 These were the sons of David born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; the second, Daniel the son of Abigail of Carmel; 2 the third, Absalom the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; 3 the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah. 4 These six were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months. David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years, 5 and these were the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon. These four were by Bathsheba daughter of Ammiel. 6 There were also Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, 7 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 8 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet—nine in all. 9 All these were the sons of David, besides his sons by his concubines. And Tamar was their sister.
The Kings of Judah
10 Solomon’s son was Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, 11 Jehoram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, 12 Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son, 13 Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, 14 Amon his son, Josiah his son. 15 The sons of Josiah: Johanan the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second son, Zedekiah the third, Shallum the fourth.16 The successors of Jehoiakim: Jehoiachin his son, and Zedekiah.
The Royal Line After the Exile
17 The descendants of Jehoiachin the captive: Shealtiel his son, 18 Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah. 19 The sons of Pedaiah: Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel: Meshullam and Hananiah. Shelomith was their sister. 20 There were also five others: Hashubah, Ohel, Berekiah, Hasadiah and Jushab-Hesed. 21 The descendants of Hananiah: Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah, of Arnan, of Obadiah and of Shekaniah. 22 The descendants of Shekaniah Shemaiah and his sons: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah and Shaphat—six in all 23 The sons of Neariah: Elioenai, Hizkiah and Azrikam—three in all.
24 The sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah and Anani—seven in all.
Acts 9:1-9
Saul’s Conversion
9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, “In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength.” Isaiah 45:23-24 (NIV)
I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. Ephesians 3:14-15
Dear God, we bow before you giving thanks for a new year. We worship and adore you, we lift our hearts and hands in praise responding to your promise that if you be lifted up, you will draw us all to you. Amen.
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