“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
Psalms 16:11 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you? I hope and pray that you are well. Today, I would like to talk a bit about joy. Do you feel joyful? Do you know what joy feels like? I think we may have fleeting moments of joy. I think we may be happy over this or that circumstance in our life. But, most often, it fades away as circumstances change. It is like, we can think about and imagine how sad it is to lose a loved one, but we never know until it happens to us. We can empathize and try to sympathize with our friends and neighbors as it happens to them, but we can’t truly know their sadness until it happens to us. On the flip side, we can hear about how joyous it is to have a child and to hold our baby in our hands for the first time, but unless we have a child and experience it for ourselves, we don’t truly know that joy. We can only imagine. So, with this in mind, we can start to imagine the monumental encouragement in this verse. We can only imagine what the psalmist is thinking or feeling. We can tell that he puts his trust in God and has great hope for the future and everything God promises. Let’s look at the first part of Psalms 16:11. It says, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life.” The psalmist has great faith and trust in God. It doesn’t say, “Please, show me the path to life.” It doesn’t say, “Will you show me the path of life.” It doesn’t even say, “If I am good, you will show me the path of life.” The psalmist is very positive and sure of the outcome. He has complete faith and trust in God. Do we have such trust in God? In Matthew 21:22, it says, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” It seems to me that the psalmist shows that sort of faith in exclaiming that God will show him the path of life. Do we go to God with that same unwavering faith? The second part of Psalms 16:11 says, “In thy presence is fulness of joy.” I think this is where we need to consider that we don’t even know what joy means at this point. We may have experience a partial joy in different moments of our life. However, I don’t think we can even wrap our head around the idea of what “fulness of joy” could even mean in reality. We might think we can imagine a joy so magnificent and so total as being in God’s presence forever. I just don’t think it is possible to even imagine the joy we will feel. The last part of Psalms 16:11 says, “…at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” I am not sure if the psalmist could even know or imagine just how wonderful and majestic these pleasures may be. I don’t know that any of us can. However, we can see his belief, trust, faith, and passion in this verse. The psalmist may not have fully understood his own statement in Psalms 16:11. Although, he believed what God told him through prayer and scriptures about leading him to eternal life and the joy of being in the presence of God for eternity. Heavenly Father, Thank you for your infinite love and faithful guidance. Thank you for your mercy and grace. Help us to value your Word and take to heart your truth as did the psalmist is Psalms 16:11. Help us to pray and rejoice with the same confidence and faithfulness that the psalmist did. Thank you for showing us your ways and your love for us. Help us to love and appreciate all you do for us. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Psalms 16:11 (KJV): *What does Psalms 16:11 mean to me? *Do I know what “fulness of joy” really means? *Can I imagine what it would be to be in God’s presence forever? *Can I see and feel the belief, trust, faith, and passion of the psalmist? *Do I have this same sort of belief, trust, faith, and passion? *What does God want me to learn from Psalms 16:11? *How can I better heed the words in Psalms 16:11? Now, it is your turn. I am thankful that you are here. I appreciate your support and kindness. I hope and pray that I will find the belief, hope, faith, love, and passion that the psalmist shows in Psalms 16:11. I believe God is working on me with this. I hope and pray that you will find it also, if you haven't already. I look forward to reading your comments, thoughts, beliefs, faith, and testimonies. Please, feel free to leave a comment below or to contact me. I pray that you are finding value with the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations. I pray that it at least touches your heart and gets you to thinking or encourages you to read God's Word more. If you are finding value with the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please share it with friends and family. Thank you. Also, if you haven't done so already, you may want to consider signing up below to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. Get my free gift of the "5 Reflective Questions to Delve Deeper into God's Word" by DUO Inspirations as my thank you. I pray it helps you to get more out of God's Word as you read it.
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“Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 6:54 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you? I pray you are well, if not physically, then spiritually. Today’s verse may be difficult to understand. When one reads John 6:54, it might seem a bit cannibalistic. Whoever heard of eating someone’s flesh and drinking someone’s blood and having eternal life? I can imagine that back when the words were written, many people were wondering just that. At least now, over 2000 years later, we have had time to get used to the idea that this is the Bible. It is God’s Word. And, those who believe in God, mostly believe that to be true. I can only imagine what were going through the minds of the people who first heard these words when Jesus spoke them. What do you think? Now, let’s look at the meaning of John 6:54. As we know, Jesus often didn’t say things right out plainly. He often said things in parables or metaphors. The concepts He taught were difficult for people to understand. Not only that, but not everyone was meant to know and understand things right away. The first part of John 6:54 says, “Whoso eateth my flesh….” Jesus wasn’t talking about physically eating his flesh, so what did He mean? I think the key to knowing that is in looking at some of the other metaphors Jesus uses about himself. Earlier in the chapter, in John 6:35, Jesus says, “…I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” John 6:35 is similar to John 6:54 in that they both talk about taking Jesus in as nourishment. To me, John 6:35 states it a little more plainly in stating Jesus is the “Bread of life”. However, Jesus isn’t talking about physical nourishment, but spiritual nourishment. Another metaphor that speaks about Jesus can be found in John 1:14, which says, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” So, is Jesus physically the Bible? Again, I believe it is a metaphor. Jesus knows all that is in the Bible. He spoke the same words. He knows and taught the same truth. Just like the Bible contains the physical words of God’s will and is often considered to be like a road map to eternal life, Jesus spoke the words that lead to eternal life. Yet, this metaphor goes a little more in depth, because Jesus is the key or way to eternal life. If one doesn’t believe in Jesus, his words, his miracles, his death and resurrection, his being Christ, his being our Savior, or all he did for us, one won’t have eternal life. So, how do we take Jesus in as nourishment? How do we benefit from the “Bread of life” and the “Word that was made flesh”? We get to know Him. We spend time with Him and build a relationship with Him. We read the Bible and learn all we can about Him and God’s will for us. We believe. Let’s now look at the second part of John 6:54 where Jesus says, “…and drinketh my blood…” Again, Jesus isn’t talking about literally and physically drinking his blood. No. I believe that Jesus is talking about following in his footsteps and following his ways. Blood is often a symbol for sacrifice. I believe that Jesus is saying here that we are to be willing to not only believe in Him, but also to give our physical life (if necessary) to follow God’s will for us and for the good of others. To me, John 6:54 is both similar to and points to Mark 12:30, which says, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” If we spend time with Jesus, believe in Him, get to know Him, read the Bible, get to know God, and appreciate all that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit does for us, and be willing to follow Jesus even including sacrificing our physical life to do God’s will, then we are following this first commandment and will gain eternal life. Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving us so much that you gave us Jesus as our brother and Lord and Savior. Thank you for giving us Jesus as the Word and Way to eternal life. Thank you for the love and salvation you have given us. Help us to love you and show you our appreciation. Help us to follow Jesus according to your will. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for John 6:54 (KJV): *What does John 6:54 mean to me? *What does Jesus mean when he says, “eateth my flesh”? *What does Jesus mean when he says, “drinketh my blood”? *Do I understand John 6:54 or should I research and pray more? *How can I better live and follow the words in John 6:54? Now, it is your turn. Have I confused you yet? I feel like I John 6:54 is so in depth, that I could write a mini book or pamphlet on it. However, to me, the main point is that if we believe in Jesus and follow him with all that we have and do, if we love and appreciate what he did for us (all God does for us), then we will gain eternal life. What do you think? I am so glad you are here. May God bless you for your kindness and support. If you are finding value with the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please share it with others. Maybe your family and friends, including your church family, will find value in it as well. Also, if you haven't already done so, you may want to consider signing up below to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. (You will get my free gift of the "5 Reflective Questions to Delve Deeper into God's Word" by DUO Inspirations in the process.) Thank you. 
“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
Proverbs 17:22 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you today? How are you feeling? Are you happy in life? Do you have a positive outlook or a negative one? When stress hits, do you handle it well or do you let it handle you? It is good to self-reflect on such things once in a while. It is even better to pray and to ask God how you are doing in such areas. Now, that we have acknowledged our feelings and reflected on our outlook, let’s delve into God’s Word. The first part of Proverbs 17:22 says, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine”. This verse is wonderful encouragement to have a positive outlook instead of a negative one. When you are happy overall, when you trust God and fear nothing but Him, and when you are able to find joy even though others cannot, you go a long way in staying healthy, not only emotionally, but spiritually and physically as well. Let’s look at the phrase, “like a medicine” for a moment. Medicine can sometimes be a controversial topic. Some believe that medicine, or at least man-made medicine does more harm than good. Others take medicine as needed and believe it is what is needed to help, if not cure their ailment and condition. However, we look at it, we know from the context that the author meant “medicine” to be a good thing just as a “merry heart” is a good thing and causes good things to happen. The second part of Proverbs 17:22 says, “but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” We have all probably felt down or depressed at one time or another. As people who have chronic depression can testify, being depressed can be debilitating not only emotionally, but also physically and spiritually as well. Even feeling down or depressed for a short time, we can sometimes notice how it changes our physical and spiritual health in a negative way too. I know there have been times when I have felt down or depressed and I felt old. I felt slow, unstable, unsure of myself, and hesitant. My posture was kind of hunched over and my body ached. I just felt bad overall. Have you ever felt like that? I hope you haven’t, but if you have, you know the feeling I mean. So, if we are down or depressed, how can we have the “merry heart” instead of the “broken spirit”? We can try things like listening to music, talking with a friend, smiling or laughing (even for no reason), taking up a hobby that we might enjoy, Christian fellowship, going to church, or any number of things. However, there is only one true way. Here are some verses that can help: “Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and [that it may be] well with you, and [that] ye may prolong [your] days in the land which ye shall possess.” Deuteronomy 5:33 (KJV) “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 (KJV) “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matthew 17:20 (KJV) “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10 (KJV) “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:24 (KJV) “And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Luke 18:27 (KJV) So, if we are down or depressed, if we can only remember Proverbs 17:22 and other verses that encourage us to find joy in the Lord. It will be better for us not only emotionally, but also physically and spiritually as well. Before we think, “Oh, it is not my fault I am depressed. I can’t just be happy”, we have to remember that only part of that is partially true. The cause of our depression may not be something we did or created. And, while we may not be able to “just be happy”, all things are possible with God. We can’t do anything alone and that is good to remember. However, we need to pray and call on God for help. He can help us find the joy we need. We need to remember that as well. Heavenly Father, Thank you for being our Father in heaven. Thank you for loving in a way that we couldn’t even imagine. We know that you are a loving God, a Father of all Fathers, and we know that you only want what is best for us. If we are down and depressed, either for a short time or chronically, help us to remember your infinite love and to call on you to bring us out of our depression. Help us to find joy in You, Lord. Help us to remember your Word, in Proverbs 17:22 in times us despair. Be our strength and hold on for us, when we don’t know how ourselves. Touch our mind, our heart, and our spirit, so that we can see and appreciate your work in our life. Help us to reach up to you, even when we don’t think we have the strength to reach anywhere at all. Help us to find the hope and joy you want us to find. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Proverbs 17:22 (KJV): *What does Proverbs 17:22 mean to me? *Am I happy in life? *Do I have a positive or negative outlook on life? *Do I handle stress well or do I let stress handle me? *What can I do to live according to the words in Proverbs 17:22 better? *When I am down, do I pray and ask God to help me through it? *What can I do to remember to rely on God instead of letting things get me down? *What can I do better in order to have a “merry heart”? Now, it is your turn. I am so thankful that you are here. I pray that you are blessed by the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations. And, if you are depressed or down, I pray that this particular post touches you in a special way and I pray that you reach out to God for help, strength, and joy. He can help. Whether He helps supernaturally or gives you help through a verse, a thought, a song, a friend, or whatever, He can help. And, most of all, He WANTS to help. He loves you greatly! Please, feel free to comment below or contact me. Feel free to share your story, leave a prayer for those who may be suffering from depression or hardship, or just to let me know your thoughts on Proverbs 17:22. If you find value in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please share it with friends and family, so that they can as well. Also, if you haven't done so already, please consider signing up below to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. You will also receive, as my gift, "5 Reflective Questions to Delve Deeper into God's Word". Thank you for you kindness and support. |
Hi friends!
This is Jodi. I am so glad you are here! I am a Christian and life-long learner. I enjoy sharing and encouraging others. I pray you are blessed by this blog. Thank you for being here. Archives
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