Abide:  Week 8 Devotionals

Authors:  Nick and Sandra Asermelly

Monday, November 23, 2009

Finding Joy & Peace by Abiding

(Nick Asermelly)

John 15:11 “I have spoken these things so that my joy may be in you

and your joy may be complete.”

In this passage, Jesus is telling his disciples that they should follow his example by following the Father’s commands. To the untrained eye this would seem like a contradiction; “how can I have fun by following the rules?” you may ask. But, to the trained eye this principle makes perfect sense. The Father’s law is a law of love, a law that sets us free, not restricts us. We see this even in the 10 Commandments. Each one of the commandments directs us to set our eyes on God and to love our neighbor. If we follow the heart of the commandments, the practice of keeping our eyes on God and looking out for others delivers joy and fulfills the promises of God to have the best of what this life has to offer.

When I was 24, I found my self sitting on a fire escape in Cleveland Circle, right here in Brighton Massachusetts, with NO Joy. It was Labor Day weekend and I had just completed three of the wildest party days of my life. I, in my head, had been brain washed to think that doing everything that the television, magazines, and the “world” had told me to do would make me happy. The “world’s” message promised me joy, yet I found myself sitting alone, looking at the moon in a back ally next to a trash dumpster. Ironic, doing things opposite of God’s way and I felt like trash. I had NO Joy! Having known what the Bible says from my childhood, I decided to make my actions and my beliefs the same thing.

From that day forward, I have tried to wake up every morning and look to Jesus for everything. I have made a map for my life that points to Jesus and has led to a treasure of joy. By following God’s commands, Jesus has carried me out of that place of no joy, and today I can say that my life is focused on Jesus and full of HIS joy. Believe me, a life that looks to Jesus for everything will not have the same ups and downs that a life of sin would have. This does not mean that things will be perfect, but even in the hard times God will offer his joy for you to take if you so choose.

I challenge you today to pray and ask God to show you where you need to make a change in your life so that your eyes can focus on Him first. Once you have found a better focus on Jesus and a greater love for others, look back in hindsight and see if your life has more joy in it. I have no doubt it will!

(WARNING: This prayer of asking God to break you of things (sin) in your life that take your eyes off of Him could be a very hard path to follow. When He answers your prayer, which He will if you truly seek an answer, you may have to walk a long and hard road! In my walk out of that place, Jesus asked me to sacrifice parts of my life for no praise. I had to give up my dreams of worldly success for his dreams for me. For you it may mean, going to others, swallowing your pride, and confessing things that you may have never wanted others to know. Regardless, if you do pray this prayer and walk out what God has for you, Jesus will give you His peace and His joy! Guaranteed!)

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Where Love is Shared, Joy Overflows

(Sandra Asermelly)

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love,

just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete”

John 15:9-11

What is it about weddings? How many times has the blushing bride made you cry? Or has a warmness come over you as you watch a ceremony, or even remember you own? There is something in us that loves weddings! It is a rare occasion for a person to sit in a wedding and not experience delight as they watch two people in love come together in marriage. A wedding ceremony (and reception) is the celebration of love in a union between two people with the overflowing experience for the rest of the party as JOY! (And when I say joy I include the excitement that makes even the most reserved wedding attendee get on the dance floor and do the “Funky Chicken”!)

Is this what was happening when Jesus is speaking with his disciples in John 15:9-11?

Well, they aren’t at a wedding, but Jesus is talking about a union based in love between Him and the Father that is intended to be shared and bring joy to His followers.

Verse 11 “I tell you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete”

As we read in the previous verses 9 & 10 we see that Jesus is speaking of love… the Father’s love for Him, and then His love for His disciples. He is also speaking of what it looks like to “abide” or remain in the love of the Father. So why is He telling his disciples about joy in verse 11? Looking again at verses 9 and 10 we see that Jesus’ own joy comes from his union with His Father; expressing itself in love and obedience. In turn, Jesus is also calling His disciples to experience love in union with Him. So it is this union that will be the foundation of their joy.

(It is good to realize that for the disciples, this was a revolutionary concept and truth! What Jesus was offering was a new way to have relationship with the Living God!)

It is like a circle that keeps expanding. Love is received, reciprocated and is then extended. Like we see in Jesus, He is loved by His Father, loves His Father, and then He extends love from this holy union to His disciples. Where it expands is when the disciples, who love Jesus, are commanded to turn and love others. (see verse 12).

To abide in Jesus is to love and share love. And from this union, this abiding in Jesus, we find the truth of verse 11, that the obedience to love is the basis of our “joy complete”.

Today ask yourself, “Is the basis of my joy rooted in the love I have found in Jesus”? Reflect on how union with Jesus has brought you joy. To bring action to truth today, find someone to share love with! It may be a random act of kindness, or it may be something long overdue. Regardless, let joy be complete in you as you reach out and love another today.

“Lord, thank you for your union of love with me today.  Thank you that you loved me first, even when I didn’t love you.  Help me today to find joy in my relationship with you as I extend love to others.  Show me today who you would like me to love on, and I pray you find me obedient.  Thank you for loving me.  I love you. Amen”

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Trading a Bag of Cash for a Bag of Trash

(Nick Asermelly)

Why are we so stubborn? Why do we think that we know a better way? Why do we say to our selves “Self, I am going to do it my way, what’s it going to hurt?” Why do any one of us think that we can get away with doing little things that we know we shouldn’t do? Do we think that we can cut corners on things that we know are right? Worst of all, why do we trade the joy and peace that God offers for the offensive smell and mess that the devil/world tries to convince us we want!

John 15:11 “I have spoken these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.”

Why do most of us want money? Probably because we think it would make it easier for us to have more joy and peace in our lives, right? No one thinks that someone handing them a bag of money is going to make their lives worse. So, when it comes to following God’s commands, why do we say “No” to His bag of CASH and turn around and say “Yes” to the bag of TRASH that comes with making up our own rules.

God’s command is to not lust. So, why do so many of us trade the wonders of a husband or wife (present or future) for an image on a screen, a quick physical fix, or the sinful relationships that scar us? Is it really worth it? Ask people that have walked out of pornography and other physical manifestations of lust. They will tell you that these things WILL steal your desire to pursue healthy relationships. Lust creates resentment, comparison, and even disgusting habits that take control. Lust is trading what God created to bring a life of real joy, for behaviors that soon leave one JOYLESS in the end.

God’s command is to not gossip or judge. So, why are there cliques? Why do sections of people feel welcomed and other’s fell on the outside? Why do you need to find worth in who knows you or who hangs out with you? Why are you sharp with your tongue, devaluing others to build yourself up? Why do certain groups or individuals use information as power to control, manipulate, or empower themselves? Gossip and passing judgment trades joy and peace for division, hurt, and weakness in the body of Christ! To gossip and to judge others only brings glory to yourself. As a follower of Christ, if what you say, what you do, or what you invest in is not glorifying to God, then DON’T DO IT!

The truth is that you will reap what you sow. If it is physical and emotional satisfaction in sinful images or relationships, you will come out scared and alone. If it is bullying and gossiping for self worth, you will find that the value of a life lived like this is not worth it.

I challenge you today to pray for God to deliver you from the “trash” you have traded in your life. Go make a practical change to cut this out of your life. Put a lock on your computer, confess and have someone give you tough love on your judging actions, or take a stand for God and end your sinful relationship. Do what it takes. With Jesus, you can cash in and be trash free!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Peace for the Day

(Nick Asermelly)

Peace is defined by Merriam Webster as “freedom from disquieting oppressive thoughts and emotions, tranquility, harmony in relationships, and a lack of external hostilities."

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

In light of Webster’s definition, most of us can confess that everyday we have a chance to choose that kind of peace in our lives. As a Christian we are lucky enough to have access to the knowledge of Jesus that gives “peace that passes all understanding.” So how does one get this peace everyday?

Might I suggest following the example in the lyrics of one of my favorite songs, Only A Man by Johnny Lang. It is a conversation between the singer and Jesus:

Singer: I give you my burdens.

Jesus: I’ll give you PEACE.

Singer: All of my desires.

Jesus: I’ll give you what you need.

Singer: What about these chains Lord?

Jesus: I’ll set you free.

Singer: But there so heavy.

Jesus: Lay them at my feet.

Singer: I’ll lay them at your feet, just promise you won’t leave.

Jesus: I’ll never leave you.

Singer: So, where do I go from here Lord?

Jesus: Just follow me, just follow me.

Singer: Where ever you lead Lord, where ever you lead.

Every morning, noon, and evening we each have a choice to make: we can follow Jesus by believing what he said in John 14:27 or not. Jesus tells us that he has left us peace. In the verses prior Jesus talks about sending us his Spirit (the Holy Spirit) to be with us, then tells us to be wary of anything that the world says will give us peace (money, women/men, power, fame, etc…). Then Jesus says that we have the choice to “not let our hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Do you, each day, choose to find your peace in what you have and in doing what Jesus has asked you to do (John 15:17 “…Love Each Other”)?

I challenge you today to believe Jesus has given you peace by praying thanks for His peace and all the good that you have in your life. Take a minute today to find something that God has created that is good and meditate on it.  Finally, go out and serve someone out of love because God loved YOU first!

Friday, November 27, 2009

Joy Unplugged

(Sandra Asermelly)

“…that your joy may be complete” John 15:11

The other day I found my old camera. When I say old, I really mean maybe 5 or 6 years old. As I blew the dust off of it, I remember how I had to have it, and the joy it brought as a Christmas gift that year. But just like my walk-man, leather bomber jacket, feather earrings, and stack of CDs, things that once brought such fulfillment now lie in junk drawers and the back of shelves. In their time they brought pleasure and enjoyment but soon new models, better technology and hotter trends left them void of their initial joy.

How true is that of what we call “joy” in life? Jesus says in John 15:11 “that your joy may be complete”. But Jesus is speaking of a joy in His love for us that fills and continues to fill higher and higher towards perfection in the joy of the Lord. Therefore, like the passage surrounding this verse, only those that have a relationship with the love of Jesus abiding (living) in them will have joy to the full!

Take a moment to list what brings you joy in life. You know, things like ice cream, family, and vacations. Now take your list and put it up to the everlasting love and sweet fellowship of Jesus. If you are truly honest, your list pales in comparison! Your joy list isn’t inherently bad; however, each item on your list that isn’t Jesus isn’t meant to (and cannot) bring a joy that lasts. Ice cream melts, family misunderstands, vacations end. Then where are you? If not grounded in complete joy in Jesus, you are back to finding fleeting joys that continue this empty cycle.

Jesus Christ came to fill the joy of his people. Jesus brings joy to satisfy our lives with fullness that is unlike what the world gives. The complete joy that Jesus gives is found in your love and personal relationship with Him. Re-write your joy list. This time, unplug the joy in your life from the temporary things of this world and plug it into Jesus!

Does your life know a full joy in Jesus?

Are you looking to something other than Jesus to satisfy?

Have you asked Jesus to come and give you complete joy in Him?

“Jesus, I ask that you give me a joy to the full.  Show me where I turn my heart to temporary, worldly things that cannot truly fill the desires of my heart.  Help me to admit where I cycle worldly joy in my life instead of looking to and trusting in you.  Help me to plug into you to find deep, secure, and complete joy.   Amen.”

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Deeper than Despair

(Sandra Asermelly)

Grab your Bible and take a moment to read the following passages:

Nehemiah 8:10

Psalm 90:2

John 14:27

Ephesians 3:17-19

If the fruit of abiding in Jesus is peace and joy, then what does it look like to “abide” on a bad day? We have lots advice about it… “grin and bear it”, “pull up by your boot straps”, “make lemonade”! But all of these are just temporary fixes to our circumstances. How do you bear fruit that lasts when bad days become bad weeks, months, or years?

“Joy runs deeper than despair”- Corrie Ten Boom

To bear fruit that lasts is to tap into THE EVERLASTING GOD! The truth is, lasting joy and peace in our lives comes from the deep source of the everlasting God that we follow and serve. The verses that started this devotional speak of the character of God, not of what we have to be or to do to get peace and joy. God is the source of our peace and our joy; therefore we have something deeper, fuller, stronger, longer, higher, and eternal to tap into.

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power…to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” Eph 3:17-18

So back to the question: What do you do with bad days?

Cultivate the truth about having joy and peace.

Joy and peace as fruit in our life does not equal a life with out pain, sorrow, worry or fear. However, it does look like a heart that is in touch with the everlasting God! It is a mindset and faith that knows that days don’t dictate life, God does! Cultivating truth means meditating on verses from the Bible that are about the “everlasting” characteristics of God. As you begin to think and walk in faith, you will find that God is the place and foundation for your joy and peace! (Isaiah 35 is a great chapter to start a “cultivation” study on the joy of God!)

Choose in the midst of despair, what will rule. We may not have a choice about what happens to our days, but we DO have a choice of where to take our hearts, attitude, perspective, and trust. So ask yourself, today, who will rule…. the life circumstance or the character of God in your life?

The definition of abide is to last, to remain. Today, God has joy and peace in your life to LAST!

“Lord, help me today to find out more about how you are my everlasting joy and peace.  I give you the circumstances of my day today, and choose to see them through YOU instead of me.  Help me to experience you in my day today.  I choose you to rule my life.  Amen.”