Breath

Today I’m starting a new study on the word “breath” or “breathe.”  There’s a song we sing that says “Breathe on me…” asking the Holy Spirit to breathe on us.  That sort of sounds spooky and weird to me, so I want to look up verse and see why in the world I would ask to be breathed upon…

Will you join me?

The first mention of this word is in Genesis 2:7

Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Wow. Our first encounter with God is having him breathe on us – in fact – breathe into our bodies the breath of life.

It is his breath that enabled us to becoming a living being.

What sustains our heart and keeps it beating?  The breath of God.

What wakes us up each morning after sleeping all night? The breath of God.

God formed us out of dust and then breathed on us – and we didn’t blow away!  We became people formed into his image to bear his resemblance and his name.

I think this is going to be a great study…

The Last Verse

Revelation 19  gives us our last verse on rejoicing.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”

When I was young, there was a lot said about heaven and eternity, but no so much anymore.  We all live here and now, and tend to see what’s only present in front of our faces.

But…there is a time to rejoice for what’s coming. 

It’s as real as the present – this future that awaits us.

Revelation is full of visual images and all sorts of wording that’s hard to even understand, but there are parts of it that are exciting and victorious, much like reading a war novel with a victorious end!

We belong to Him, we are his bride, and he is coming for us to erase all traces of pain, sorrow, and death that we have experienced in our lives.

This is reason to rejoice – for that which is to come!  We can be glad.  We can give glory to him.

And we can make ourselves ready by…

Rejoicing always.

And again, I say rejoice.

So Also

I Peter 4 say but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.

Yesterday we said that we can rejoice at the bottom of a pit, because we know our rescuer is near.

One of the ways to rejoice in suffering is to give thanks. 

When we are sick, in need of finances, looking for a miracle – we can begin to give thanks and rejoice in God’s provision in the past, and thank him in advance for the future.

We can rejoice that our sins have been forgiven, that we will not die but will live forever with Him – complete and whole (we could stop right there and spend a silly amount of time rejoicing about this one thing!).

We can rejoice and give thanks for our friends, our jobs, our food, our homes, our cars and all sorts of tangible, physical things.

We can rejoice over victories and accomplishments of those in our lives, as well as our own.

Get the picture?

Even in suffering, we can keep on rejoicing…so that when the answer and the rescue comes…we will be complete!

Finally

II Corinthians 13 says, Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

This is a sign-off statement made by this writer to the people he’s been writing to for chapters, now.  I love that he starts off with the encouragement to rejoice.

After that follows completion, comfort, peace, and love.

Sometimes we wait to rejoice until our prayers are answered (completion) or until our sorrow has passed (comfort), or we wait until the battle is over (peace), and sometimes until we feel secure (love).

But the prelude to all of that is rejoicing.  In fact, we are told elsewhere to “leap” for joy – to jump up and grab it.

It seems near impossible to grasp for joy when you see yourself in the bottom of a dark pit with no way out.  And why should you rejoice when there is no way out?

Remember when we read that Jesus counted it all “joy” to go to the cross?  It’s because he knew he was about to conquer death – not succumb to it.

You too are victorious through Him, and you will not remain in the pit when you choose to rejoice.

With Those

Romans 12 says Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

I think we’re good at weeping with those who weep. 

When we hear of a horrible natural disaster, the images on social media bring tears to our eyes.  When we watch the news and learn again of another shooting, another senseless killing, or another accident that takes the lives of family members, tears well up and we sit and weep with those who are weeping, even if we’ve never met them personally.

However, the rejoicing part is selective, isn’t it?  If we hear of someone receiving a great blessing and we think they deserve it, it’s easy to rejoice.  For instance, if one of the people who were in the weeping category come to receive restoration by some miracle, we rejoice with them!

But what about those who are rejoicing that we’ve judged as unworthy?  What about the

friend who experiences success after success, when we have experienced failure after failure?

It’s in those times that it’s difficult to rejoice with those who rejoice.

However, if we can do it, great things happen in our own hearts.

We truly love our neighbor as ourselves, because we have learned to lay aside competition, jealousy, and envy, and replace it with love, honor and blessing of a friend.

That, my friend, is true maturity and selfless love in one of its purest forms.

Rejoice!

The Finding Party!

Matthew 18 says If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.

This is part of the story of the shepherd with the 100 sheep.  He is aware when even one strays away from the flock, and he seeks after it until he finds it.

God seeks us when we stray away from Him.  We are never out of his sight, or too far from his reach.

This good shepherd seeks until he finds the lost sheep and he does a happy dance when he restores it to the fold.

God knows that we are sheep and that we will stray.  That’s why he stays near, to shepherd and guide us.  And when he steers us back and we follow, this pleases Him.

God is extremely thrilled when one who strays is found, restored, and becomes a part of his family again.

We too should go after those who are lost, lead them gently back to Him, and then…

Throw a party because…

He who was lost is now found!

Over You!

Zephaniah 3 says The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

Did you know that God too rejoices?  And the thing that makes him rejoice is you!

God is our victorious warrior and he is right in the middle of our battles, fighting for us.

God is our constant friend and he is right near us to whisper His love when we’re down.

God is our champion and he gets up and dances and shouts, just because He loves us.

Anything else you might be thinking just isn’t true.  God created you in his image and he loved you enough to send his Son for your salvation.  Therefore, he must value you dearly.

Maybe you don’t feel like rejoicing today and don’t have the strength to shout or get up and dance.

That’s okay.  Look up and see Him rejoicing, shouting and dancing over you – for no other reason than he loves you immensely – because you belong to Him.

Adorned

Isaiah 61 says I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Remember when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden?  All of a sudden they were aware of their nakedness and were ashamed, and tried to cover up their bodies.  Sin brought shame, and with that shame brought hiding from God.

When our kids do something they know isn’t right, they often hide, or bury their head, feeling guilt and shame for what they’ve done.  As loving parents, we instruct them, receive them, and hold them, to assure them of forgiveness as we send them on their way back to joy.

Jesus does the same with us.

He clothes us in salvation.  (He covers our shame)

He wraps us in righteousness. (He secures our salvation)

He dresses us in jewels. (He restores our joy)

Rejoice in the Lord today, much like a bride rejoices on her wedding day when she says, “I do” to the man of her dreams.  And know that THIS bridegroom will always be faithful, true, loving, and the joy of our dreams.

Oh Oh Oh!

Isaiah 49 says Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people And will have compassion on His afflicted.

Rejoicing in its truest, purest form involves a bit of shouting, doesn’t it?  It’s not truly a victory in a game until the crowd roars with joy at the final score that means a win!  And wouldn’t it be weird if our team scores an incredible goal and we all just sit still and yawn? 

What great imagery in these verses!

Heavens shouting and rejoicing!

Earth breaking forth into joy!

Mountains screaming out His praise!

Why?

Because we have a God who comforts us, has compassion on us, and heals us.

Try raising your voice in praise and joy today in the morning, at noon, and at night, and make a loud noise as you applaud His victory in your life!

In This

Isaiah 25:9 reads, And it will be said in that day, “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

When is the last time you rejoiced just in the simple truth and experience of your salvation?

To rejoice  means to show great joy or delight.

We often rejoice more in good fortune, a big score that wins the game, and finding a lost wallet than we do in the fact that our sins have been forgiven.

We needed a Savior.  We were lost and in darkness, without hope.  We were surely doomed to death and the grave.

And then he came. 

He appeared and he lived, he died, and he conquered death.

And then he called our name.

He forgave us, received us, and secured us forever next to Him and all of his glory.

Are you rejoicing in your salvation, yet?

Don't Rejoice

Proverbs 24 says, Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;

Many times in my life I’ve gotten angry with someone and heard later that they went through a hard time and thought, “Good.  They deserve that.”  Or I’ve even wished that someone who hurt me would be hurt.

What?

Why do we wish evil upon our “enemies?”

We are told in the Word to pray for those who persecute us, and here in Proverbs we are told to NOT rejoice at their calamity, or even to feel gladness when they fall.

It’s a hard thing to do, but when we release that person who hurt us to HIM who can heal us, and he/she, we are both then free to receive freedom.

Has someone hurt you or been unkind to you?

Don’t rejoice or be glad when you hear that they too are hurting.

Instead, rejoice and be glad that your Savior waits with open arms to receive them, as he receives you, to hold and restore and heal.

Great Spoil

Psalm 119 says I rejoice at Your word, As one who finds great spoil.

Isn’t this a great verse?

We’ve all been to big meetings or arenas where there’s a guest speaker who receives applause after they speak.  It happens at church, at concerts, at plays – when the audience is moved by the content of the speech, the music, or the acting.  I’ve been to a few movies where the audience clapped at the end, and it was exhilarating!

We should be clapping and applauding the words that feed our souls when we read them, from the Bible.  Our God is speaking to us personally, life-changing truth, enveloping love, and undivided attention to us – to you – to me!

He deserves a standing ovation, thunderous applause, and raised hands in response to his Word.

In fact, we should respond to his word as those who enter a city thirsty and destitute, to find water and food to feed their starving bodies.

We should eat up, get full, and dance around deliriously in rejoicing at the great “spoil” our God has freely given us in His Word.

Eat up my friends, and rejoice at His Word to you today.  He loves you, oh, how he loves you!

This is It!

Psalm 118 is part of a familiar song we used to sing at church.

This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

You’ve only been given today.  In fact, the  Bible says in the Lord’s Prayer to petition only for this day “Give us this day our daily bread.”

It’s hard to rejoice in yesterday’s disappointment, and in tomorrow’s maybe’s.

But today, the day we are currently living, is here.  It’s present.  The people we’re around are alive and real.  We are breathing and moving. 

And we are told to rejoice in this day.

We are to be glad about this day.

What are you rejoicing in today?  Only focus on what’s in front of your face now – the coffee cup that is full, the car that is running, the child that hugged your neck, the pretty outfit you’re wearing, the grass that you need to mow, and all that surrounds you.

This is the day to rejoice.  So do it.

For Joy

Psalm 96 says Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and all it contains; Let the field exult, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy.

Have you seen the heavens be glad?  I think when the sun sets and its rays shine from behind the clouds, that’s a picture of true gladness!

Have you heard the sea roar?  When the waves come crashing in against the shore, there’s nothing like it – it’s a big clap of applause for the Creator!

Have you seen fields of flowers in all of their glory?  The beauty is breathtaking when we stop to capture the glory on camera.

Have you heard the leaves of the trees blowing in the early fall season and observed their changing colors?  What joy they exude!

Wow, if the earth and all of its creation can rejoice in God, how much more can we who are made in his image rejoice in our God?

All Day

Psalm 89 says In Your name they rejoice all the day, And by Your righteousness they are exalted.

Here rejoicing is mentioned to be an “all day” activity.

What might that look like in our lives?

We wake up and rejoice because our feet touch the ground and our legs move.

We enter our workplace rejoicing because we have a job that provides.

We enjoy our lunch with joy because we have good food to eat.

We rub our sore backs and muscles because it means we were able to work hard.

We arrive home to a family that loves us and we rejoice – we are blessed.

We lie down in peace at night with a joyful heart because He watches over us and sings songs to us.

There are reasons to rejoice all day long, we just have to make up our  mind to do so, and train our hearts and eyes to look up.

We Must!

Psalm 66 says He turned the sea into dry land; They passed through the river on foot;

Therefore  let us rejoice in Him!

You know the story.  The massive group of people come to the Red Sea with enemies pursuing them to destroy them.  The sea is completely impassable by human means, so God shows up and parts the waters so that they can cross on dry land, only to bring the waters back together behind them – to destroy their enemies. 

I love this story! I love the visual! I love the miracle!

There are multiple times in our lives when we come to an impasse.  Impossibility looms before us.  We feel as though we are completely surrounded and about to drown and we have no hope.  And then God shows up and saves the day.

Therefore….

Let us rejoice!

We do an awful lot of whining when things are bad, but our rejoicing when things are good pales in comparison sometimes.

God always makes a way when there seems to be none, when we place our trust in him.  And when he does, we must rejoice, because it does our body good, and it blesses His heart!

Because We Trust

Psalm 33 says, Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name.

There’s a reason for our rejoicing.  We don’t just rejoice and give praise to hear ourselves sing or see our hands raised.  We rejoice in response to something.  And that something is trust.

Trust is an act of our will.  We choose that in which we trust.  When we’ve been disappointed in a person, when we have been betrayed, we lose our trust in that relationship.  It’s broken, and often unable to heal or mend.

However, the Lord is our help and shield.  This means he never disappoints.  There are times when I have felt momentary disappointment in God when he doesn’t answer a prayer for me, but as I’ve grown older I realize that as a good Father he knows best, and I trust in that knowledge.

When our hearts finally settle in and trust that He is good, He is faithful, and He is love and actually for us – not against us – we can rejoice.

Why?

Because we trust in his holy name.

Rejoicing Glory

Psalm 16 says Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely.

It’s a known fact that when our attitude and spirits soar, our flesh responds in a positive way.  And just the opposite is true, too.  When we are constantly down and depressed, it seems illness is just invited into our bodies to dwell.

The writer of this psalm, David, says his heart is glad and his glory rejoices.  Isn’t that interesting that glory here is used as noun and that it is said to rejoice?  David was a man of high praise and accolades, which is the definition of glory.  But here, he says even his glory rejoices, which indicates to me that he realizes in whom his hope and achievements lie – in God.  That’s why his heart is glad and joyful.  He knows wherein his hope is found and he rests in that knowledge.

And because of that knowledge, his flesh responds and dwells “securely.”

Sickness in our bodies and even death are part of our plight here on earth.  But that’s the reason Jesus came to die – to abolish their finality – and to give us hope and eternal life.  That’s why our flesh can dwell securely, knowing that when we rejoice in Him our flesh responds, and our whole being is safe and secure in his arms.

Feeling ill today?  Rejoice?  Is your body ravaged and torn?  Rejoice?  Not in the sickness or the hurt, but rather in the place where your hope lies – in Him.