Verse-a-day

So today I got this in my e-mail. Thought it worked with my post from yesterday.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
-- 2 Corinthians 4:18


THOUGHT:
What do you see most clearly today? Is it what is seen or what
is unseen? No matter our belief system, we ultimately have to trust
what we can't see. Even the most atheistic scientists trust
gravity, breathe air, and depend upon principles they cannot see
until these realities produce results in the tangible world of
human perception. But as Christians, we don't believe the seen
world is any more real as the unseen world. In fact, most of the
seen world is subject to death, disease, disaster, decay, disorder,
and death. I don't know about you, but if it isn't any more
permanent than that, it's not going to be very real for any of us
for very long. I want to hang on to something that allows me to
look past the seen and to find my Father who is unseen. He is the
one who guarantees the unseen!

Blessed Be Your Name

This morning in church, I had another "joy" shot. The message was about work, about how God has plans for us in our work, even if it's not the "perfect" job. David was the illustration-he started as a shepherd. While everyone was watching Saul, God was watching David. He was God's chosen person to be king, but that position was already filled. David needed time to prepare.
I realized 2 things: no matter how imperfect my life is...it's temporary. Someday it will be. And God's going to use every experience to prepare me for His purpose.

Romans 8:28-More Than Conquerors
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

This was part of the music this morning (along with "Workin' for a Livin'" with its $100 car note, $200 rent...it's older than I thought!). I've always loved this song, sung by Tree63, but I have trouble blessing God in the "takes away" portion. But God doesn't waste anything, right?

Blessed Be Your Name
by Matt Redman
- - -
Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

Shaw's True Joy in Life

I ran across this last night when I was reading Purpose Driven Life. I thought it worked with my question about the meaning of joy.

George Bernard Shaw - On True Joy in Life

This is the one true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. .......

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. .......

I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no `brief candle' to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

Resolution #1

I want to find the Joy in my life in 2007. The past year was not much about Joy. It was about survival...surviving pressure, surviving disappointment, surviving loss, surviving life. I don't want to just survive. God doesn't want that for me either. I want Joy, I want to know what I'm here for and I want to pursue that instead of getting lost in the details. I've spent at least a year crossing the details off of a really long list of things to do because that meant survival. Details meant I didn't have to think about what's really wrong with my life, didn't have to think about my fears. No time for that, I have to accomplish the next thing on the list. Now that I've pretty much run out of list, I have to come up with a better plan. What is joy? Here's a definition:
joy: noun (plural joys)
1. great happiness: feelings of great happiness or pleasure, especially of an elevated or spiritual kind

Now, how do I get there?