Philippians Devotional Week 15

Devotional for Philippians 4:2-20

Day One

Pray that the Lord will protect us through the power of His name and make us unified in Him (John 17:11).

Paul’s life and priorities are organized by his confidence in the completed work of Christ, which he describes this way: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).  In which case, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things” (Philippians 3:8). However, sometimes followers of Christ disagree with each other on certain points. Paul’s answer is to find common ground within the Author and Finisher of our faith.

Read Philippians 4:2-3

1. What does it say?

2. What does it mean?

3. What do you think Paul means by “agree with each other in the Lord”? Do we have to agree on everything to be brothers and sisters in Christ?

4. Ask yourself and your family: Are there points of disagreement between you and other parishioners that distract from our mutual work for the Gospel? What can we “agree on” to be unified in Christ?

 

Atheism and Christianity Collide

On February 5th, Surfside Presbyterian Church will be hosting a viewing of the new documentary Collision.  Collision tracks the debate tour of Christopher Hitchens and Doug Wilson.  Christopher Hitchens is an atheist journalist and author of several books, including God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.  Doug Wilson is a Christian pastor and theologian.  They strike an unlikely friendship as they travel through America debating whether or not Christianity is good for the world.  Doug Wilson is a brilliant debater and Christopher Hitchins is a more than worthy opponent.  This viewing would be helpful for anyone interested with how to engage with non-Christian worldviews, whether in your home, family, workplace, or Awakenings small group.  Surfside Pres has invited us to enjoy this film together as well as a short talk on Christian apologetics.  More information will be forthcoming.

Philippians Devotionals Week 14

Philippians Devotional Week 14

Day 1  

Pray: ”Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge, into your hands I commit my spirit: redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth..” Psalm 31:4-5

Read Philippians 3:14-17

Every one can feel like a hamster on a wheel at times working hard and just not getting anywhere.  Lives today are full of goals.  Children need to start sports by age six to be competitive.  Students in middle school need to declare a career path.  Employees and employers are constantly setting and resetting goals.  Even if you meet any of these goals there may be little satisfaction in it.   There is also little reward such as in this economy-you are relieved to keep your job.

Fear not, when Paul tells us to press on towards the prize it is not empty or hollow.  Paul tells us to forget about yesterday but look forward to tomorrow.   Each day is new and fresh in Christ.  Our tomorrow as Christians is fellowship with Christ forever.  It is a fullness of blessings and rewards.

1. What does this passage say?

 

1. What does this passage mean?

 

1. How would your life look differently if, like Paul, your life focused on the goal God has set out for us?

 

1. Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  How does this make putting our trust in Jesus different from our other goals?

 

Lord, please let me forget yesterday and look towards tomorrow with you in my heart and eternal fellowship with you my driving force. 

Day 2

Pray: ”In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge: let me never be put to shame: deliver me in your righteousness.” Psalm 29:1-2

Read Philippians 3:18-21

Paul words ring very true today.  He talks about those living as enemies of the cross with minds on earthly things.  Even in our own denomination there are those that would deny Christ and make his sacrifice meaningless.  He warns us to remember where our citizenship is.  He also talks about our savior who will transform us into his likeness.  If someone asked you about yourself, would you give the right answers?  Do you consider yourself a citizen of heaven?  In your day-to-day walk do you share unity with your fellow Christians?  These are hard questions in a world that more and more focuses on day-to-day fulfillment as individual.  I read an email not long ago about a woman coming in contact with a homeless man and her compulsion to seek him out.  When she did, she received the gift of seeing true faith.  He was called by God to travel and preach to the homeless.  He had been doing it for years. We always think that when God transforms us, wow, are we going to look great.  That story was a reminder to me that we need to listen to God and his plan and it may be very different than we think.   If we focus on things of this world, we might just ignore him altogether because it would be unseemly.              

1. What does this passage say?

 

1. What does this passage mean?

 

1. As a citizen of Heaven what are your duties and obligations?  What are your rights?

 

1. Is your hope in Jesus or some false promise of this world?    

 

Lord, help us to recognize our true citizenship in you.  Guard us against putting our faith and hope in things of this world.  Let our eyes be focused on you and continue to mold and shape us into your image.

Day 3

Pray “Oh, how good and pleasant it is, when brethren live together in unity! For the Lord has ordained the blessing ; life for evermore.”  Psalm 133: 1,5

Read Philippians 4:1-3

Paul is encouraging them to stand firm.  He is also praying for unity and a mediator to right differences.  It is so easy to be like the Pharisees and judge by rules and behavior.  We constantly focus on our differences instead of what brings us together. It is so easy to look at everyone else’s faults so we don’t have to address our own.  My son constantly tries to right his world and sense of order by having everyone around him change.  I constantly encourage him to look at himself first and how he can change to make the situation better.  God is working on each of us and he has a different agenda and approach with everyone.  He will work it out.  We just need to love and support one and another and keep our faith in him.   

1. What does this passage say?

 

2.  What does this passage mean?

3.  Pray to God this week to let you be a friend to some one in need this week.  Pray for strength to listen and not judge.

4.  Think about a conflict you might have that you would like to resolve.  Pray to God for guidance.

Gracious Father, I pray for thy holy Catholic Church.  Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace.  Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it.  Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son our savior.  Amen.  Book of Common Prayer

Day 4

Pray: Help me to “Give thanks to you Lord and call upon your Name; make known your deeds among the peoples. Sing to you, and speak of all your marvelous works.  Glory in your holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.”  Psalm 105:1-3

Read Philippians 4:4-9

Paul tells us to REJOICE!  He even repeats it!  In today’s world so much has lost it’s meaning.  “Awesome” used to be a word to describe God or Godly things.  Now, it is everywhere.  My son uses it to describe a meal he really likes.  Can pasta and God be described using the same word?

God’s name was considered so sacred that none would say it.  Getting to the root of the matter rejoice can be looked as re+ joir or welcome, enjoy and the latin- gaudere- to be glad.  So we should be welcoming and glad.  In the  “Screw tape Letters” C. S. Lewis focuses on a land of joy filled with laughter.  He says “I think we all sin by needlessly disobeying the apostolic injunction to “rejoice” as much as by anything else”

1. What does it say?
2. What does it mean?
3. Mediate on and memorize this verse.
4. Do you rejoice that Jesus died for my sins and in him I have eternal life?
5. Do you rejoice that my name is written in the Book of Life and my faith will continue to grow?

 

Lord, teach me to rejoice and feel the joy that your promise of salvation offers me.

Family Activity

Talk about being transformed. What does it mean?  How are people transformed here on earth?

Discuss everything from transformer toys to makeovers.  Every one takes 5 minutes to transform themselves.  Are you different?   Can you be recognized?  Who has changed the most?  How does God transform us?  How is it different? 

Schedule of family activities for Philippians study

Week 6 Philippians 2:1-11

This week talk about what Paul says about obeying when he is present and when he is absent.  Which is harder?  Talk about consequences of not obeying.  How do we feel when do not obey?

Create a cartoon together showing an act of disobedience and how every one feels.

Week 7 Philippians 2: 5-11

This week talk about complaining and arguing and the effects it has on your family life.  Create a top 10 list of reasons you argue and complain.  Share it with each other.  Pray to God daily this week to be a shining start with no arguing or complaining.

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Week 8 Philippians 2:12-18

Paul says everyone looks out for his own interests not those of Jesus Christ.  How should followers of Jesus be different?  Make a poster showing the ways Christians should be different.

Week 9 Philippians 2: 19-24

Paul says to honor men like Epaphroditus.   Today these men are called missionaries.  Many are persecuted and face death every day.  Go to www.persecution.com and learn more about those brave Christians.  Find a country or a particular missionary to adopt as a family.  Pray for them daily and try to send words of encouragement.

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Week 10 Philippians 2: 25-30

This week talk about evangelism and what that word means.  Create a list as a family of things that prevent us from sharing our faith and strategies to overcome them.

Week 11 Philippians 1:6-7, 29-30

What does it mean to be lasting?  List of the things you think last.  Now go through the list and cross out everything that won’t last more than 5 years, more than 10 years, more than 20 years, more than 50 years, more than 100 years, and more than 1000 years?  Is anything left?  Talk about how Paul’s Joy is a lasting joy because it is based on an eternal promise. 

Week 12 Philippians 3: 1-10

Create a poster of your faith alone as a family.  What makes it up?  On the other side list all your good deeds.  Which is more important and why?  If your faith grows-will your good deeds grow?  Why?

Week 13 Philippians 3: 8-16

You are preparing to win a race for Christ.  Get in your family groups and decide what training and supplies you will need to win the race.  Who would win the race in your family?

Week 14 Philippians 3:14-4:1

Talk about being transformed. What does it mean.?  How are people transformed here on earth?

Discuss everything from transformer toys to makeovers.  Every one takes 5 minutes to transform themselves.  Are you different?   Can you be recognized?  Who has changed the most?  How does God transform us?  How is it different? 

Week 15 Philippians 4:2-9

Paul says do not be anxious about anything.  Do you get anxious about anything?  Play charades as a family with every one acting out their biggest fear.  How can Paul’s advice help us with that fear?  

Week 16 Philippians 4:10-20

Paul calls God the God of peace.  What do you think he means?

Draw all the symbols and words of peace you think of.  How do these words lead to God?

Week 17 Philippians 4:21-23

Paul says God will meet all our needs.  Do you believe him?  How do you feel he will do that?

What is the greatest need in your life right now?  What is the best way to take care of it?

Can you think of Bible stories where needs are met?  Draw a picture showing your favorite one.

Philippians Devotionals are Back!

Philippians Devotional Week 13

January 17, 2010

Day 1

Pray Psalm 63:3-4

            Because your steadfast love is better than life,
            my lips will praise you.

            So I will bless you as long as I live;
            in your name I will lift up my hands.

Read Philippians 3:8-11

Within these verses, Paul recounts that everything he has is counted as loss compared to his knowing Christ Jesus.  Paul does not say that righteousness before the Law is to be despised, but that there is no comparison between a righteousness based on the Law and the righteousness found in Christ.  In commenting on these verses, an early theologian stated that once the sun appears, it is loss to remain by the candle, for no one would forsake the illumination of the sun for the flickering of the wick.  In the same manner, once we know the complete righteousness found within Christ, how can we go back to a righteousness based on our own works and obedience to the law.     

1. What does this passage say?
2. What does this passage mean?
3. Read the parable of the Pearl of Great Price in Matthew 13:45-46.  How does this teaching of Jesus compare with these verses from Philippians?
4. What specific things are you called to relinquish if you are in Christ. 

 

Gracious Father, we thank you for the surpassing righteousness, holiness and redemption given to us in your Son Jesus Christ.  Through your Holy Spirit, compel us to hold fast to this most precious of gifts, so that when we boast, we may boast in the Lord.  In His holy Name we pray.  Amen.

Evangelism Conference with Greg Smith

We’re still working on getting the audio/video stuff posted.  In the meantime, here’s the information packet that Greg provided.  There are some great resources in this Resource Package, feel free to print it off for yourself or your small group or read them online here. 

• Your friends can Know Christ as you
  • Share the awesome news with your friends
  • Invest in your friends lives
  • Serve your friends needs
  • Actually (really!) (yep… clearly!) Invite your friends

1. Share the awesome news with your friends – Isaiah 52

                                                               i.      2 Ways to Live

                                                              ii.      Article – Aroma Therapy

                                                            iii.      3:1:M Friends Prayer List (Mention – Paths of Gold)

1. Invest in your friends lives – Sheep without a shepherd

                                                               i.      Article – A Disciple’s Vision

                                                              ii.      Small Group – Luke 15:1-10 Lost Items

1. Serve your friends needs – John 1

                                                               i.      Servant Evangelism Matrix

                                                              ii.      Small Group – Ambassador 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2

                                                            iii.      A Change of View Questions

                                                             iv.      Article – Do talk to strangers

1. Actually (really!) (yep… clearly!) Invite your friends!  – Romans How will they know if someone doesn’t tell

                                                               i.      Article – 100% Natural

Two Ways to Live

 

  God is the loving ruler of the world

He made the world

He made us the rulers of the world, under him

 

Genesis 1:31  Revelation 4:11

The first point of the Christian message is that God is in charge of the world. Unlike human rulers, however, God always does what is best for his subjects. He also made us like himself, and put us in charge of the world—to rule it, to care for it, and to enjoy all its beauty and goodness. But everything is obviously not right—with the world or us. What happened??

We all reject the ruler

We want God’s job

We fail in ruling ourselves or the world.

Romans 3:1-12; 23

People everywhere reject God by doing things their own way. We don’t like someone telling us what to do or how to live—least of all God—and so we rebel against him. This rebellious, self-sufficient attitude is what the Bible calls ‘sin’. The trouble is, if everyone does their own thing… the result is misery. By rebelling against God, we’ve made a terrible mess of things.

The question is: what will God do about it? 

 

God won’t let us rebel forever

God’s punishment for rebellion is death and judgment.  

 

Romans 6:23   Hebrews 9:27

God cares enough about humanity to take our rebellion seriously. In rebellion we are saying to God, “Go away. I don’t want you telling me what to do. Leave me alone.” God’s judgment on rebels is to withdraw from them—permanently. But since God is the source of life and all good things, being cut off from him means death and hell. Is that it then? Are we all destined for death and everlasting ruin?

 Because of His love, God sent His Son

Jesus always lived under God’s rule

By dying He took our punishment and brought forgiveness

 

 

 

Romans 5:8           1 Peter 3:18

Because of his great love, God did not leave us to suffer the consequences of our foolish rebellion. He did something to save us. He sent his own divine son into our world to become a man—Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus didn’t rebel and did not deserve death.

Yet Jesus did die. Why? Although he had the power to heal the sick, walk on water and even raise the dead, Jesus allowed himself to be executed on a cross. Jesus died as a substitute for rebels like us. The debt that we owed God, Jesus paid by dying in our place, so that forgiveness and pardon might be available to us. It is a generous gift, from start to finish.

God raised Jesus to life again as ruler of all

Jesus conquered death and now offers life

 

 

 

 

 

1 Peter 1:3 John 3:16-17

God accepted Jesus’ death as payment in full for our sins, and raised him from the dead. The risen Jesus is now what humanity was always meant to be: God’s ruler of the world. As God’s ruler, Jesus offers us new life, both now and eternally. Now, our sins can be forgiven through Jesus’ death, and we can make a fresh start with God, no longer as rebels but as friends.

 

In Memoriam Jay Franklin Derby June 22nd 1989-November 22nd 2009

          My Aunt Susan and Uncle Mike gave me the great honor of letting me speak at the memorial service for their son, my cousin, Jay.  In no way did I deserve this honor, and I only pray that it honors the Lord Jesus by providing comfort for those of us hurt by this great tragedy.     

                I’m Jay’s cousin on his mother’s side.  And that’s how I knew Jay, as my cousin.  That might not seem like much to some of you, but let me just say for a minute what Jay meant to me. 

                I am the youngest brother in my family, and all my life I always wanted a little sister.  And then Aunt Susan got pregnant, and here was this baby girl.  I used to just love when Susan and Mike were at Grandma and Grandpa’s with Heather.  Then Susan got pregnant again, and I must have been too young to notice her belly when she was pregnant with Heather, but I started asking around how come Susan belly was so big, and I think someone told me it was from eating onions.  I’ve never liked onions.

                I remember the first time I ever saw Jay.  I might be wrong, but I don’t think I ever held a baby before Jay.  And I remember being so nervous about holding his head up.  And then when Aunt Susan took him away and put him back in his car seat, I remember just sitting there and looking at him. 

More Prayers Requested

We have some new developments in the details of my cousin’s death. This news report tells the story of how the accident occured http://www.charlotteobserver.com/topstories/story/1072100.html. This young definitely needs our prayers. I don’t want to comment on his behavior in haste. I’ll simply say that his behavior is inexcusable. That being said, Jesus died for the inexcusable sins of people like Eli and me. Pray that he can find forgiveness in the blood of Christ. Pray for us that we can forgive Eli out of our hearts, knowing already how freely Jesus has forgiven us.

Please Pray for the Boyd and Derby Families

I got a phone call about 8:50 this morning that my 20 year old cousin, Jay Derby, was accidentally shot and killed last night. I’m with my family in Charlotte now. Please pray for me and my family in the midst of this tragic loss. In the midst of this senseless death, the Lord is comforting me tremendously through the truth of His word. Please pray for the same comfort for my aunt and uncle as they struggle through the loss of their son. You can read the news report at www.charlotteobserver.com/topstories/story/1070268.html

Googling your brains away…

Rob and I often bemoan the difficulty of getting people to think deeply on theological matters in the midst of what amounts to a functionally illiterate society.  Although most of us know how to read (and, I assume all of us reading this post), we don’t use that gift very frequently.  I personally blame this on the downfall of liberal arts education.  As a history major at The Citadel, I was often perturbed to hear my business major classmates cry out, “this semester is going to be so hard, I have to write a paper.”  In this article, Nicholas Carr bemoans the same shift in Western society in this Atlantic Monthly article, although he ascribes it to a different cause, Google.  Much like the advent of the codex, the invention of the printing press, and the rise of television, the internet changes the way we think.  Carr rightly diagnoses our shallow, sound bite mode of thinking conditioned by scanning through loads of information on the internet.  he says

The Net’s influence doesn’t end at the edges of a computer screen, either. As people’s minds become attuned to the crazy quilt of Internet media, traditional media have to adapt to the audience’s new expectations. Television programs add text crawls and pop-up ads, and magazines and newspapers shorten their articles, introduce capsule summaries, and crowd their pages with easy-to-browse info-snippets. When, in March of this year, The New York Times decided to devote the second and third pages of every edition to article abstracts , its design director, Tom Bodkin, explained that the “shortcuts” would give harried readers a quick “taste” of the day’s news, sparing them the “less efficient” method of actually turning the pages and reading the articles. Old media have little choice but to play by the new-media rules.

That being said, we should neither uncritically accept the change in human thought brought about through this medium nor should we uncritically reject it. We should, however, strive to hold on to those mental faculties of focusing our attention span and thinking through long complex ideas. My advice is simple. Make sure you set aside 20 minutes a day, EVERY DAY, for reading through something that’s just a little bit challenging to you.  We all have the time to turn off the TV (and close the laptop) for twenty minutes.  In twenty minutes a day, you can easily work through three or four major theological works a year.  As you do so, you’ll keep using those brain muscles that increase focus, attention span, and knowledge retention.  If the church committed to doing this, we might just be the guardians of thinking, much like the medieval church was the guardian of learning and literacy after the fall of the Roman Empire.  So, Christians, open your books and save your brains!

Philippians Devo Week 11

We will be taking a brief hiatus from our Philippians devotionals.  They will be starting back on the week of Jan 10th.  In the meantime, I would encourage you to find some way of reading the Bible on your own.  Let me propose three different methods:

a.  Essential 100 Bible Readings:  This list runs through some of the key points in the thematic development of the Bible.  If you were to read through these 100 passages a few times, reading one of them a day, you would begin to have a solid grasp on the flow of the Bible.

b.  Scripture Union also has some great devotionals.  Many people have been using something along the lines of Forward Day by Day or Our Daily Bread for years.  The problem with these devotionals is that you don’t actually read much of the Bible.  Scripture Union’s devotionals provide systematic ways to read through parts of the Bible.  You could either do their Advent devotional “Journey to Bethlehem,” or one of their bible study guides like Discovery or Encounter with God. 

c.  Through the Bible in a Year.  This would take a little more effort than following the daily devotionals online.  The payoff, however, is tremendous.  I use the Discipleship Journal, but you could use the One Year Bible, McCheyne’s Bible Reading Plan.  You could even use the Episcopal Daily Lectionary.  It is helpful because all the readings are bite sized.  However, you won’t read the whole Bible, and sometimes the readings are from the Catholic Apocryphal readings, which we don’t consider inspired Scripture.  Whatever you do, don’t let the pattern God has formed in you in the past weeks slip away!  Capitalize off of it and use it as a launch pad to get you set on a life time course of daily spending time alone with God!

Philippians Devotional Week 11

Day 1  

Pray: ”Show me your ways O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:4-5

Read Philippians 1:6-7

Every one has a honey-do-list, an arrangement of tasks or works that will keep our partners happy.  We all have good intentions but these simple tasks can take years and many times we leave them left undone.  Fear not, because the Lord will never leave his work in you left undone.  He will bring it to completion. What does this mean for you?  The God who has saved you will never let you go and you will inherit the kingdom of heaven. Isn’t it wonderful to know we can always count on God while others may fail us?  

1. What does this passage say?
2. What does this passage mean? 
3. What is Paul’s vision for the Philippians? 
4.  According to verse 6, how does God work in a believer’s life?

Thank you Lord for always being there and never giving up on me.

Day 2

Pray:  “Praise the Lord, O my soul.  I will praise the Lord all my life: I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.” Psalm 146: 1-2

Read Philippians 1:29-30

“Faith in the storm is true faith; faith in a calm may be, or may not be, genuine faith. Summer-weather faith may be true, or may not be true; but wintry faith, that can bring forth fruit when the snows are deep, and the North wind blows, is the faith of God’s elect. It proves that it has divine vitality in it, because it can master the circumstances, which would have utterly crushed the faith, which appertains only to flesh and blood. It is a severe trial” Taught C. M. Sturgeon.  So when Paul speaks of the faith we are granted, he is speaking of wintry faith that can weather the storms and bear fruit.  Our faith is to persevere for it is a gift from God and will surely lead to greater Glory to God.   

1. What does this passage say?
2. What does this passage mean? 
3. Have you ever had your faith challenged through a tough time?  Were you able to turn it around and glorify God?   
4. Read John 1: 12,13.  What does it say about the gift of faith?   

Lord, grant that my faith hold fast in you and that it bear fruit to Glorify you.

Day 3

Pray “I cry to you, O Lord: I say,” You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”  Psalm 142: 5

Reread Philippians 1:29-30, read 2:5-8

This time we will look at what else God has granted to us, to suffer for him.   When we think of suffering, Job instantly comes to mind.  Job friends continually told him he was not right with God and that was why he was suffering.  God does allow us to suffer, not to punish us, but to mold us into Christ’s image.  Suffering brings us to the Father on our knees.  In it we empty ourselves and give up our equality with God.  Paul described this using the Greek word kenosis.  He tells us our attitude should be the same as the Lord Jesus Christ “who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” 

1.  What does this passage say?

2.  What does this passage mean?

3.  Knowing suffering brings us closer to God, is it easier to endure hard times? 

4.   What are some things in your life that you try to maintain “God-Like” control over?  Will you hand them over to the Lord?         

Lord, bring me joy

Bring me peace

Bring the chance to be free

Bring me anything that brings you glory

And I know there’ll be days

When this life brings me pain

But if that’s what it takes to praise you

Jesus, bring the rain

By Mercy Me

Day 4

Pray: “Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go: give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.”  Psalm 71:3

Read Philippians 1:9-11

“And this is my prayer:  that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ –to the glory and praise of God.”

1. What does it say?
2. What does it mean?
3. Mediate on and memorize this verse.
4. Pick five people you care about to pray this prayer for this week.
5. Pick 5 people in need of the Lord and pray for them using this prayer this week.
6. Pray this prayer one last time inserting my for your and I for you.  Write it out this way and continue to pray it in your time with God.

Lord, help me to share your word and hope with others this week through my prayers.

Family Activity

What does it mean to be lasting?  List all the things you think last.  Now go through the list and cross out everything that won’t last more than 5 years, more than 10 years, more than 20 years, more than 50 years, more than 100 years, and more than 1000 years?  Is anything left?  Talk about how Paul’s Joy is a lasting joy because it is based on an eternal promise.