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Joy Made Full

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  Joy is defined as a delight of the mind arising from the consideration of a present or assured approaching possession of a future good. In its natural form, it can also be referred to as gladness or exultation, depending on its degree. When speaking of possessions, it is contentment. When joy is derived from some comical occasion or amusement, it is mirth; if it arises from considerable opposition that is overcome in the pursuit of the good we desire, it is then called triumph. When joy has so long possessed the mind that it is settled into a temper, we call it cheerfulness. These types of joy are related to some natural condition. Then there is a spiritual joy, derived from the Holy Spirit, and it is directly related to the quality of the believer's ongoing fellowship with the Son through the Spirit. He Must Increase John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am no...
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Wisdom & Understanding

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  The beginning of wisdom is [KJV - wisdom is the principal thing] : Acquire wisdom [ chokmah – relates to prudence in secular affairs, skills in the arts, moral sensitivity, and experience in the ways of the Lord]; and with all your acquiring, get understanding [ biynah – comprehension, discernment of good & evil, can be acquired & increased]. Prize her [ salal – exalt] , and she will exalt [promote] you; She will honor you if you embrace her [show of affection] . “She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty .                       Proverbs 4:7-9 According to Vines Expository Dictionary, chokmah is the knowledge and the ability to make the right choices at the opportune time. The consistency of making the right choice is an indication of maturity and development. Biynah is the object of knowledge, in the sense of w...
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Great Chasm Fixed

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  Existentialism, a family of philosophies that seeks to define the meaning and purpose of life without considering life after death, is associated with several 19th- and 20th-century European philosophers who shared an emphasis on the human subject, despite their differences. Among the 19th-century figures now associated with existentialism are philosophers Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche, who criticized rationalism and concerned themselves with the problem of meaning. Mid-20th-century philosophers, including Jean-Paul Sartre, Martin Heidegger, Albert Camus, and others, championed the position in more recent times. Existentialist philosophy encompasses a range of perspectives, but it shares certain underlying concepts. Among these is the idea that personal freedom, individual responsibility, and deliberate choice are essential to the pursuit of self-discovery and to determining life's meaning. Although these varying philosophies have evolved over recent times, they hav...
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Be Strong in the Lord

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  And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power [ dunamis – divine ability] is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong [able].                       2 Corinthians 12:9-10 In the previous chapter of this letter to Corinth, Paul gives an account of some of the major trials he experienced as the Apostle to the Gentiles, including imprisonments, beatings, shipwrecks, and many other dangers. He found out that God did not spare him from any suffering because of his calling, but the Lord used them to keep Paul from exalting himself. Paul discovered through many challenges that God’s strength and power were available to him when he acknowledged tha...
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