“Nehemiah said,”Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Neh.8:10
“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right at the hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Acts 7:55-56
Our God is a consummate teacher. From the moment we open our eyes to the moment we close our eyelids to sleep, God is teaching us. If we have ears to hear and eyes to see, God is using the classroom of our lives to teach us about Himself, what He gets excited about, what pleases Him, and when we feel His smile in our lives.
Eric Liddle, the Olympic runner from Scotland, said it best. When he was explaining to his sister, Jennie, why it was so important that he run in the Olympics, He said, “I know God made me for a purpose —for the mission in China, to work in the ministry with you and Dad,… But He also made me fast; and when I run, I can feel His pleasure!”
I will never forget the lesson I learned on the college football field. I was a “roving” linebacker who was charged with the responsibility of stopping the opposing team's ball carrier once he got past the line of scrimmage. Once the ball was snapped, I could see the play was coming my way. The ballcarrier had two good-sized blockers running in front of him. For reasons that escape me now, I dove between the two blockers and collided with the ballcarrier in a helmet-to-helmet hit that ended play. My head was swimming as I lay on the ground, where I was attempting to get my bearings. But I could see our sideline, and our coach jumping up and down, punching the air enthusiastically with “Attaboys”. I jumped up, shook it off, and got back in the game. My coach’s joy was my strength.
In the same way, Stephen, in a contest with higher stakes than a college football game, stopped an “end run” of lies with the truth. He rehearsed Israel’s history for the benefit of his accusers, pointing out that from the time of Joseph and Moses and the wandering in the wilderness, “You are just like your ancestors : you always resisted the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of The
Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered Him—you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”
When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious. But their outrage was overshadowed by an event in heaven. Stephen looked up, and the previously seated Son of Man,( Heb.1:3, 10:12, 12:2 ) was now standing at the right hand of God. Stephen was getting a standing ovation from the Lord he loved! And that is all he needed to carry him through the death by stoning that followed. The Lord’s joy was Stephen’s strength.
God gets emotional when his people do what pleases Him, as a parent or coach do when their word is carried out, despite the costs incurred because of their obedience.
When we take communion, we join the body of believers who are of like heart and mind. We live to please Him. His joy is our strength.
Questions to Think About
“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right at the hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Acts 7:55-56
Our God is a consummate teacher. From the moment we open our eyes to the moment we close our eyelids to sleep, God is teaching us. If we have ears to hear and eyes to see, God is using the classroom of our lives to teach us about Himself, what He gets excited about, what pleases Him, and when we feel His smile in our lives.
Eric Liddle, the Olympic runner from Scotland, said it best. When he was explaining to his sister, Jennie, why it was so important that he run in the Olympics, He said, “I know God made me for a purpose —for the mission in China, to work in the ministry with you and Dad,… But He also made me fast; and when I run, I can feel His pleasure!”
I will never forget the lesson I learned on the college football field. I was a “roving” linebacker who was charged with the responsibility of stopping the opposing team's ball carrier once he got past the line of scrimmage. Once the ball was snapped, I could see the play was coming my way. The ballcarrier had two good-sized blockers running in front of him. For reasons that escape me now, I dove between the two blockers and collided with the ballcarrier in a helmet-to-helmet hit that ended play. My head was swimming as I lay on the ground, where I was attempting to get my bearings. But I could see our sideline, and our coach jumping up and down, punching the air enthusiastically with “Attaboys”. I jumped up, shook it off, and got back in the game. My coach’s joy was my strength.
In the same way, Stephen, in a contest with higher stakes than a college football game, stopped an “end run” of lies with the truth. He rehearsed Israel’s history for the benefit of his accusers, pointing out that from the time of Joseph and Moses and the wandering in the wilderness, “You are just like your ancestors : you always resisted the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of The
Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered Him—you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”
When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious. But their outrage was overshadowed by an event in heaven. Stephen looked up, and the previously seated Son of Man,( Heb.1:3, 10:12, 12:2 ) was now standing at the right hand of God. Stephen was getting a standing ovation from the Lord he loved! And that is all he needed to carry him through the death by stoning that followed. The Lord’s joy was Stephen’s strength.
God gets emotional when his people do what pleases Him, as a parent or coach do when their word is carried out, despite the costs incurred because of their obedience.
When we take communion, we join the body of believers who are of like heart and mind. We live to please Him. His joy is our strength.
Questions to Think About
- What is the main motivating factor in your life?
Posted in Don\'t Miss The Joy