GraceCreates

By Jon Walker

Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand – shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16 MSG)

Giggling as he played on the floor with his Aunt Merilee, my young son’s eyes danced with pleasure. Christopher’s laughter was so captivating that Merilee leaned into his face and said with a grin, “I’m going to steal your giggles!”

Without warning, Christopher grabbed Merilee in a baby bear hug and planted a playful kiss on her cheek. Merilee fell back and – guess what – she giggled.

And then she giggled some more.

Finally she said, “Oh, Christopher! I was going to steal your giggles, and you gave them to me instead.”

A lesson in life from a two-year-old! So often we walk through life thinking we have to steal or earn or grab or protect the objects that we think will bring us an abundant life of joy.

We listen to worldly voices that urge, “Go for the gusto. You only live once. Grab what you can get.”

Yet, from a simple child we can learn that true joy is not taken — It’s given.

Today, instead of stealing giggles, give them away and see how many more come back to you.

What does this mean?

• You bring pleasure – You were made to be a source of pleasure and joy – to God and to others.
• Be a joy-dispenser – Laugh loudly and as often as you can.  Smile at a stranger. Bless people with your joy. If you don’t have joy, then ask God to guide your heart toward true joy, found only in Christ.
• Thank God – Our Father delights in our joy and loves our laughter. Ask him to increase your joy that you may share it with others.
• Point others to Jesus-joy – “By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 MSG)

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen. The things which are seen are temporal and the things which are not seen are eternal. 1 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)

When life begins to squeeze us, what we truly believe is revealed through our attitudes and actions. And, if the truth be told, most of us live by sight more than by the hope and certainty of our faith.

With the patience of Job, Jesus tells us again and again that we have to look past the things we see into the eternal reality of the unseen (Okay, okay … Where do you think Job got such Jesus-like patience?)

When people approached Jesus to tell him about their circumstances, he’d often say something like, “You’re looking for a drink of water, but look past your circumstances because I’m the living water. I can quench your thirst for eternity, not just in this moment. Can you see it?” Or, “You want to see bread right now, but I want you to see that I am the living bread. I can feed you for this one meal, but – Look! – I can feed you for all eternity. Can you see it?”

In one of those grand, mysterious paradoxes, Jesus is saying we should see the unseen – and the way to do that is to stay intimate with him and to let the Holy Spirit direct our sight, our physical eyes and our spiritual eyes.

When we believe that reality is confined to only what we see, we become trapped into thinking the only truth is what we see. We become prisoners to our perceptions, no longer freedom fighters walking in faith.

Time and time again we see Jesus moving the focus from the seen to the unseen. He knew that for those who walk by faith, appearances are never the ultimate reality.

Are there parts of your life that have you discouraged or depressed, that have you wondering where God is?  He’s tapping you on the shoulder, reminding you to look up beyond the horizon into eternity.

So what does this mean?

• Reality extends beyond what you can see – God, Jesus, and heaven are reality, even if they are unseen for now. The things we see are temporary; the things we do not see are eternal. (1 Corinthians 4:18 NIV)
• Don’t lose heart – Even though things may appear bad on the surface, God is working it all out for good (Romans 8:28, Jeremiah 29:11). Jesus is the author, and he knows how the story ends. So, fix your eyes on the unseen, and not solely on what is seen. (2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV)

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2008 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.