This week at my church’s midweek Bible study, we read and discussed Psalm 4. Verse 7 says, “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” My husband mentioned that there is nothing that can be added to or subtracted from our lives that can give us more joy than we receive from God.
Earlier this week, I was singing a song (for the life of me, I can’t remember the name or I would tell you) that was talking about the perfect, unending joy we’ll experience when we’re with God in heaven.
Both of these incidents made me think of Psalm 16:11, “In your presence is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
And then my mind went to the passage I’m memorizing in Isaiah 55: “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”
I always revert to thinking there is more joy in something besides God. It is my natural bent. This is why I need the truth of God’s Word to correct my thinking and His Spirit to bring me to a place of repentance where I realize that God’s presence + nothing = fullness of joy.
(Or, for when there’s something in my life I don’t want: God’s presence minus nothing = fullness of joy).
Full joy is found in His perfect presence, plus and minus nothing.
The joy is Jesus alone.
Read Think Learn Resources
After many hours of work, I finally culled my 13 favorite reads of 2022 with favorite quotes from each. (See more of the books I read in 2022 here…some made my favorites list; others just made the “read” list.)
“Though we tend to pair aging with a loss of effectiveness, the psalmist recognizes that, for the righteous, aging can be a time of increased flourishing and influence. While youth can often rely on personality strengths and skills, old age tends to strip away these outward displays and reveal a person’s inner strength of character—the same character that’s been there all along but is perhaps more noticeable now that the vain glories of youth have passed.”
Full article here: Aging for God’s Glory“God, if you promise to be with us and you are so immensely powerful, why would you allow the transmission to go out in the first place? Why not just let us be encouraged with a fun and restful family trip?” As clear as the Teton air, the Lord gently and firmly responded with a smile, “But then you would not have seen so clearly my protection and provision.” I have had these moments in my life and echo the heart of this testimony.
I took my youngest on an overnight trip and put a little picture and word recap here. She’s adorable. This is a tradition my husband and I started with our kids 7 years ago and we like it so much (as do our children) that we try to spread the idea around so other parents can do it too.
In other news, I had someone impersonate my Instagram account this month. That was a first (and hopefully an only). I was so thankful for real-life friends who texted and messaged me to let me know about it and then reported it to the “powers that be” so the account was removed. But in the middle of it, I was most grateful that I can trust my whole life (reputation, social media accounts—fake or real, etc.) to the sovereign plan of my Father who knows the real me.
Get ready for the longest book title in the history of ever: The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri. (You might remember this author from a book I read and loved last year, Everything Sad is Untrue.) Here’s the thing: Nayeri writes with a stream-of-consciousness vibe from the perspective of a child. So you think you’re just following along a boy’s story of captivity and hopeful release as he travels with a motley caravan on The Silk Road. Then suddenly you’re thinking deep thoughts about hatred, true love, and whether there’s life after death. Recommended for ages 10-14, I loved this book, and you may glean what you would like to from those two statements.
(This book releases on March 7, but because of my local bookstore, I was able to snag a proof copy, which both my 13-year-old daughter and I read.)
“If you think of God as a begrudging judge or a stingy friend, that will affect the way you approach him.” Full article: How Our Prayers Reveal Our Theology
“Biblical friendship is not just an endeavor to self-realization, but a mutual journey to Christlikeness.” I read The Company We Keep: In Search of Biblical Friendship by Jonathan Holmes, and recommend it as a helpful way to think about how to make and develop friendships for the glory of God and the edification of yourself and others. We can often make friendships just about ourselves and our needs, but this book reminds us of a higher goal.
“We can care about having order in our homes and even obedience and still speak wisely and gently. It takes more work, more restraint, more sanctification, more of Jesus, but it can be done. It needs to be done. Even in the inconvenient moments, we should engage our children in the way that Jesus speaks to us: with a deep love that seeks to captivate hearts.” (Full article here: Winning Your Child’s Heart with Winsome Words.)
I made so many new recipes in January! Here were some of my favorites:
Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread - I made a double batch of this thinking I could freeze some, but I barely got the second loaf into the freezer by the time the first loaf was scarfed down. We love the gluten in our house.
Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme - a little involved assembly, but oh so good. These were a big hit with my whole family.
I’m on a cottage cheese kick right now because of the nutrition, but I don’t like the lumpy, barfy (pardon the word) consistency, so here are two recipes I’ve used and enjoyed by blending and thus, eradicating said lumps:
Instant Pot Egg Bites: these are incredible. I made a double batch and Jonathan and I eat them for breakfast. (I add a little bacon to ours.)
Cottage cheese chip dip. Total honesty: only 50% family liked this dip. I like it because it’s creamy, tasty, and full of protein.
I made Sourdough Pancakes on a snow day and they were a hit! Especially because I added chocolate chips to half of them. (It was also discovered on this occasion that one of my children does not care for maple syrup, to which my other three children exclaimed, “How can you be a New Englander if you don’t like maple syrup?!?”)
My Prayer for You
This month, I’m praying you would know the fullness of joy that is in Christ alone.
What would today look like if you lived in full joy? This is what God wants for you! It’s what he offers through his Son, Jesus Christ, and by the power of His Spirit! This joy is not something you can earn (“He who has no money, come buy and eat!” Isaiah 55:1); it’s something you receive by faith when you turn away from the things you thought would bring joy and look to the One who is the Fullness of Joy itself.
Writing for your joy in Him,
Christa