Rejoice in What’s Good
Read: Deuteronomy 26:1-11 And you shall rejoice in all the good that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you. (v. 11) My garden in Iowa had an asparagus patch. Every year, the asparagus came up before anything else. When I […]
Rejoicing in Mercy
Read: Luke 15:11-32 But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. (v. 20) Abraham Lincoln once said to former colleague Joseph Gillespie, “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” Even if we agree with Lincoln’s […]
Delight in the Unexpected
Read: John 20:1-18 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). (v. 16) “Mom, come quick! You have to see this!” My children rushed in the back door. I was arm deep in dishwater, but the delight on their faces told me to stop what I was […]
When Delight Is Hard
Read: Psalm 13:1-6 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. (v. 5) About one-third of the psalms in the Bible are psalms of lament, including Psalm 13. Old Testament progressor Rolf Jacobson calls Psalm 13 “a prayer for when the bottom drops out.” These psalms teach us that […]
Delight through Song
Read: Psalm 96:1-13 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. (v. 2) My dad once said to me, “April, there are two kinds of people: musicians and music appreciators.” I loved that, and he’s right. Some of us can’t clap on rhythm, while others feel the pulse of […]
Befriending Faithfulness
Read: Psalm 37:1-11 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. (v. 3) I discover the connection between faithfulness and delight whenever I mow my lawn. Most of the time I don’t mind the job, but on busy days I think, “I better get this done so my neighbors don’t […]
Rejoice in the Lord
Read: Philippians 4:4-13 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. (v. 4) Augustine of Hippo once prayed: “O God, our true life, to know you is life, to serve you is freedom, to enjoy you is a kingdom, to praise you is the joy and happiness of the soul.” When I first read […]
Delight in the Small Things
Read: Matthew 13:24-35 [A mustard seed] is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree. (v. 32) A young, 19th-century nun in France, Thérèse of Lisieux, once said, “Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God.” As a hobby gardener, […]
Delight in Weakness
Read: Romans 5:1-11 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance. (v. 3) When Paul talks about rejoicing in suffering, I’m tempted to wonder if he’s forgotten about the perfectionists in the room. Perfectionists like me would rather hide their sufferings and imperfections than shine a spotlight on them. In […]