Endless Cascades

About this time last month a good friend and sister in Christ challenged me to listen to John Piper's "No one will take your joy from you" based out of John 16. Guys. That sermon basically wrecked me. Piper said all the things I already knew in my head, but this time they dug down deep and made it to my heart.

As a college girl with tentative big plans for her future, I am not one who easily is content. I am always challenging myself, pushing for more, expecting more and honestly I kind of beat myself up when I don't meet my own expectations (regardless of what area of my life they may be in). My moods and the measure of my heart is often and most days based on my circumstances and as a believer that's sin. I let my grades, my friends, my roommates and countless other worthless, earthly things determine the measure of my joy. John Piper's sermon not only called out my sin and threw it in my face, but also showed me infinitely better reasons for why I should find my joy in the Lord aside from the fact that we just are "supposed to." Piper points out in his sermon the countless ways that our finding our source of joy in the Lord glorifies Him. See the thing about how I was approaching joy is I was viewing it in what way can it make ME feel joyful. Not in what ways can I be joyful because what I am doing is glorifying my Father. See that's the thing about humanity. We are all so concerned with ourselves and consumed with "looking out for number one" even if we don't realize it. Our culture and society scream consumerism and self-fulfillment in our faces each and everyday and we are blind to it's impact. 

Piper points out "it is our duty to pursue the greatest and longest happiness in God every hour of our days until forever." (Psalm 16, 37:4) Joy in the Lord Piper says is the heart of worship, and worship is "treasuring, valuing, cherishing, enjoying, and being fully satisfied by the object of your joy." Honestly, that isn't always the measure of my heart for the Lord. That isn't always my mindset walking campus each day, in my conversations, in my schoolwork, in my relaxing. And that too is sin. As several good friends in my life have (needlessly) pointed out to me recently, I love people. That is a facet of my personality that most people realize pretty much off the bat. I  have never met a stranger in my entire life, and to be honest I love every second of it. 

John Piper says, "The pursuit of joy in the Lord is essential not only because God is glorified in it, but because people are LOVED by it. Pursuing your joy in the Lord is essential for loving people." As someone who does genuinely love people, I have to say there aren't too many people out there that I find hard to love. But if my love for you, friends, isn't rooted in the joy I have been seeking in Christ, than what I am showing you is not love. It is the world's fragmented, imperfect version of love. 

"Love is the overflow of joy in the Lord that meets the needs of others."

"Love is the grace-enabled impulse to increase your joy by seeing it expand into other people" 

To put it simply: I am able to love others well only when I find my joy in the Lord and my joy is magnified through their joy [in the Lord].

So tonight I want to apologize. To those of you I am close to: I am sorry for not loving you as Christ has called me to. To those of you I don't know: I am sorry if I passed up the opportunity to love on you because I was not focused in my heart on joy in the Lord. 

This post is entitled "endless cascades" because in my mind that is a perfect description of the Lord's grace and love in my life. See the wonderful thing about my relationship with my Savior is that each and every day he reaches into my brokenness and painfully but graciously picks me up and places me in the shadow of the cross. Regardless of where I am, regardless of what I have done and regardless of my protests or retorts. The Lord is FAITHFUL and He loves me too much to leave me in my brokenness. Ever. He will continue to out-pour of himself in an endless cascade of saving grace and renewing love with the intent of shaping me into the likeness of his Son. 

So, in closing tonight:

"The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."  Psalm 103:8

"Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him." Isaiah 30:18

"So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." John 16:22-24