What happens when your life is repeatedly moving into a different direction than where you want it to be—when you expect to find answers and more questions appear? Have you ever wished you could see into the future and be able to navigate through life’s ups and downs?

As human beings, we constantly make plans and try to affect the outcome of our lives for the best. We are always trying to come up with the right solutions for our problems and seeking answers. As long as humans have been here, this has been the case. It is easy to become distracted by our own wants, desires and ambitions. It is easy to get caught up in concentrating on ourselves while missing the fact that our lives hold such importance for all of us.

Do we believe that God the Father and Jesus Christ have seen us before time began? Do we accept that the words we read in our Bibles are true? If so, then we need to read and come to fully understand and put into practice what we claim to believe. First we read in Ephesians 2:10 that we are “created in Jesus Christ…” We have been given a new hold on life (also note 2 Corinthians 5:17-18). But this verse doesn’t just stop there. It continues: “… for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” The primary object here is that we should be living our lives in a holy way. This is explained so many times. Romans 6:4 tells us that we are called to “newness of life.” Ephesians 1:4 says that we have been chosen “before the foundation of the world” to be “holy and without blame.” God prepares beforehand for each of us particular good works, and the time and way which He sees best. By His providence, God brings about opportunities for good works, and makes us ready for their performance (John 15:16; 2 Timothy 2:21). He wants us to walk in them—not to “be saved” by them. Works do not justify, but a just man works (Galatians 5:22-25).

So how do we accomplish this goal, when life is throwing rocks at us left and right—when everything seems stacked against us? Does it seem then that God really cares? Does He answer us at all?

There can only be one answer!

God dares us to do something in Malachi 3:10. This passage involves the aspect of tithing. Also think about other areas of our lives. The principle of this Scripture applies in so many ways. God says: “… try Me NOW in this.” Don’t wait until it is convenient. Try it out and see if it works, if I won’t bless you for tithing. What if we took this challenge and applied it to bible study; prayer; meditation; helping out at Church services; volunteering time and effort to help promote the Word of God; in any situation, really.

These are ALL areas where we can apply this challenge. God wants to see the character that develops in us as we go through trials, while applying and being obedient to His rules and laws. If we do this, then God tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:8 that if we have good works then He can and will bless us. But if we think that we will be blessed at all times without having to grow spiritually, then there is still much to learn.

James 4:17 equates the good or evil that we do with the life that we choose to live. Notice, it says that everyone should seek the Lord’s Will. However, this is not just a one-time occurrence. Rather, it applies consistently, as it does with tithing or any of the above-mentioned activities. We don’t pray just one time for something and when nothing happens decide that we stop praying because God didn’t answer. Instead, it is just the opposite. We are commanded to pray “always” (Ephesians 6:18) and “without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). If we fail to study God’s Word and pray for His help, how can He answer? Do we see the waterfall effect if we start failing in one area?

Consistency has to be our key—consistency in doing the right thing. We must have consistency in faith that God knows what is best for our individual situations; knowing that He will allow tests and trials to see where we stand in respect to our desire to have a relationship with Him. How can we expect God to answer if we half-heartedly go through the steps and motions of bible study and prayer? Psalm 23 lays out David’s deep respect and love for God and his relationship with God. Notice in this chapter the day-to-day reliance David had on God. He equated EVERYTHING as coming from God. He constantly was evaluating his life and seeking God’s Will in everything he did. He did this so he could come to the point where he would be able to see more clearly God’s point of view on things. And for this, God loved David dearly.

This is the type of reliance we need to establish in our relationship with God if we want to understand our lives better and where we are headed. Without this type of reliance and consistency on our part, we will be lost as to where we are on a daily basis. We will lose sight of what it is that God is trying to accomplish with each of us.

Try God! Put Him first in everything—in prayer, in thought, in deed and in action. If we start developing this mindset in our lives, dramatic changes in our thoughts and attitudes will occur, and God will be able to use us more easily because we seek His Will.

In late July of 2013, a hiker by the name of Geraldine Largay disappeared off the Appalachian Trail. She had completed over 1000 miles of the 2168 mile Appalachian route. While searching commenced within days of her not reaching a waypoint, the emergency responders never located Geraldine. In October of 2015, a forester located a body which was later identified as Geraldine. According to a journal and unsent text messages, Geraldine survived 22 days after becoming lost. Before succumbing to hypothermia, she wrote in her journal, “When you find my body, please call my husband George and my daughter Kerry.”

Each of us is traversing a similar trail both physically and spiritually. It is fraught with dangers that can ultimately leave us in ruin. Satan, as Peter warns, “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The allure propagated by Satan to draw us away from light and into the darkness has left its toll on God’s Church. But our small numbers and outward weakness is by no means indicative of God’s failure. Paul quite succinctly defined the cause of man becoming spiritually lost, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

Being aware of our proclivities for failure is important in building strength to overcome. It is in the small spiritual victories that God is testing and ultimately rewarding us. Christ showed just how important these small triumphs are in building the basis for an eternal life in the Family of God, “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord’” (Matthew 25:21).

Geraldine, according to one of her texts, left the well-trodden path to relieve herself, became disoriented, and never found her way back. That innocuous act, maybe when she was tired or not fully paying attention to her surroundings, caused her tragic death. Paul warns us of falling into an attitude of complacency, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9).

We know that trials will befall us. But the path before us will never grow unclear or hard to follow unless we make it so. God is testing each of us, not to cause our failure but to lead us to salvation. We follow a path to freedom, to an eternal reward promised by God.

Some people just think better than other people do!

However, this isn’t an evaluation based on the intellect associated with a high IQ. Rather, this kind of thinking has to do with thoughts that are good as opposed to those which are evil.

Primarily, society judges itself based on actions, but more and more there are attempts to influence and even govern what a person thinks. Proof of this is found in the staggering moral changes now taking place. Behavior once deemed as sinful is now thought of as acceptable.

Our thoughts are not private to us alone. While other people may not be able to know what we think, God does (compare 1 Chronicles 28:9)! Judgment against mankind before the flood went beyond their actions, it included how people thought:

“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).

The great challenge for Christians is to bring “…every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). That is possible because we have the gift of God’s Holy Spirit. Furthermore, “…we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).

These spiritual resources must be developed as we grow in our calling. We must learn to think as God thinks (compare Matthew 5:48). The apostle Paul addressed this goal by showing us how we should think:

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Given this standard, what do YOU think?

For the last two years a robin had been building her nest on the top of a climbing clematis plant on the corner of my front porch.  It was somewhat of an ideal location–not too high from the ground so when the baby robins left the nest they did not injure themselves, and it was also under the cover of the eves so it never rained on the nest. It was shaded, so it never got too hot, and the mother robin was used to us going in and out of the front door and sitting on our rocking chairs on the porch.

This spring we had to cut back on the clematis and dispose of the nest which had been there for two years. When the robin returned to find no clematis plant or nest to occupy, she was not deterred but built a nest about six feet away on the downspout of my gutters. It is approximately the same height and a bit closer to where we sit on our rockers, which does not bother her.

In the due course after sitting on her eggs and subsequently hatching two baby robins, I was fascinated while rocking on the porch at how much care she and the male robin had for their babies. They would work as a team in feeding them, each bringing worms for them. At times, when she was on the nest keeping the babies warm, he would show up with a worm, give her a portion and feed the rest to the young robins.

I was impressed by the dedication, focus and teamwork they tirelessly kept in order to feed those young birds and keep them warm. I thought, what an example of teamwork, dedication to a cause, and unity of goal, which they exemplified to feed the young robins to the point they could leave the nest and take care of themselves. This brings to mind the Scripture in Psalm 133:1: ”Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!”

We as a church have been given the responsibility to get a message of hope out to a dying world. This gospel is the only hope for mankind. When we work together in unity and focus on the task at hand, then we can and must complete the task we have been given.

As to the robins, what happens to them? They go south for the winter and return again to carry on the teamwork in the spring to bring forth new baby robins, feed and care for them till they can take care of themselves and repeat this process till they die. That’s dedication, teamwork and unity of task.

If we remain faithful in the task we have been given collectivity as a church to work together in unity and focus on the job at hand, our reward is almost incomprehensible. For our dedicated teamwork, we get to live as members of the ruling God Family for eternity. If we die before Christ returns, we get to be resurrected into that very same Family with the same reward. How good and how pleasant it really is for brethren to work together in unity.

On the flight to the USA in early April this year for the church’s annual conference and to keep the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread with the brethren in San Diego, two items in the Independent newspaper that I was reading grabbed my attention.   The headline was “Response to Kezia Dugdale’s news shows we’ve come a long way”.   Let me quote excerpts from the article:

“It is 31 years since a young politician told a rally: ‘My name is Chris Smith.   I’m the Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, and I’m gay.’   With those words – which received a five minute standing ovation – the future Culture Secretary became the first British MP to come out of the closet.”

It says something about the state of the nation where perversion is so applauded.

Continuing with the article: “The latest is the Scottish Labour leader, Kezia Dugdale, who disclosed over the weekend that she was in a relationship with a woman.   ‘I don’t talk about it much because I don’t feel I need to,’ she said.   She joined Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, David Coburn, leader of Ukip Scotland, and Patrick Harvie, leader of the Scottish Greens, in coming out as LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender).   Scotland is now thought to be the only country where the majority of its mainstream party leaders are not heterosexual.   South of the border, 35 Labour, Tory and SNP MP’s have come out, giving Westminster what is believed to be the highest proportions in any national parliament.”

Over a couple of pages in this same newspaper was the headline “Most Scots are now atheists as churchgoing hits 15 year low.   The latest Scottish Social Attitudes survey found that 52% of those living in Scotland consider themselves to be atheist, compared with 40% when the survey began in 1999.”

If these two items were not bad enough, the entertainment on offer on the aircraft was appalling.  I chose one of the films to watch and in less than 3 minutes I had switched it off due to foul language.   Another film I chose without knowing what it was about had a “lesbian” theme and so that was another no-no.   In some of these films the blasphemy is simply shocking and, again, is to be avoided.

In a very short space of time I was vividly reminded of the cesspit of immorality that true Christians have to battle on a daily, minute by minute and second by second basis.   The societies we live in reflect all of this evil on a previously unimaginable basis.

In this same newspaper were many reports on the troubles that beset the world and almost everyone seems to be oblivious to what is happening.   They are simply unable to connect the dots.

We have been privileged to be called out of this quagmire of evil doing and to understand biblical principles that evade the intellect and understanding of those in political office and influential positions in this world’s society.

Cause and effect ignored.   Sowing and reaping ignored.   God’s instruction in His Word ignored.   The law of God ignored.   Ignoring instruction leads to ignorance.

We understand that “not many mighty now are called” (1 Corinthians 1:26-28; Matthew 11:25).   We understand the promise of blessing and retribution (Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28) which are principles still operational today, and we know that better times are ahead.   In the meantime, we need to make our calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10) so that we can then help those who today are blind to what is happening, and teach them the right way of living in the Kingdom of God.

The prospect of suffering loss is something that strikes fear into the hearts of many, if not all of us. The potential loss of a home, job, money, possessions, loved ones, opportunity, reputation, and a volume of other seemingly important things may motivate us to protect ourselves so we can keep those things. We engage in activities like buying insurance, averting risks, and making contingency plans. These are all fine actions to take. But, as we make attempts to keep hold of things that are important to us, there is very little that we can truly control with our own power. While we do whatever we can, we must remember that God is the One who is ultimately in control of the circumstances of our life. Yet, there is one very important matter that we do have control over, and which we cannot survive without.

When we consider the things that we might worry about losing, it is most important that we work to protect our salvation. Our salvation is worth protecting above all. Everything else – everything – is trivial by comparison. This gift of salvation is unique in the manner that it is completely under our control, and, as a result, is something that we alone are responsible for keeping or losing.

Knowing that the gift of salvation is our most valuable possession and that all else is far less important by comparison, it is imperative that we balance our attention and invest our resources accordingly. Do we spend time keeping our relationship with God healthy? Do we spend an unnecessary amount of time, energy, and other resources trying to keep control over those things that we should trust in God to protect? By putting our faith in God to support our needs, and basing our actions on our faith, we free ourselves from the worry of this world and can focus on more important matters. We control our own destiny by the way we manage our conversion.

Paul wrote that his strengths and prior accomplishments, as measured by worldly metrics, were a liability to him relative to his spiritual conversion and growth. “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8). This perspective should be one that we all share. The possessions and advantages that we might have in this world are useless in the ultimate endeavor we seek—to be part of God’s Family.

This means that we cannot become too attached to the things of this world that we might fear losing, if such attachment causes us to compromise our relationship with God. It hurts to suffer loss in our lives, but most loss that we experience only has a temporary effect. We have to remember that the loss of our opportunity to live an eternal life is the greatest loss and the only thing for which there is no recovery. As Jesus reminds us in Luke 17:33, “Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.”

During my many years in the Church of God, I have observed firsthand many Satanic attacks on God’s people and the Church itself.  I was still in Germany when I learned, second-hand, that the Attorney General of the State of California, being used by disgruntled disfellowshipped members and ministers, was launching a massive illegal attack on the Church, but when I later came to Pasadena and worked in the Legal Department, I could see that it had clearly been Satan’s goal to totally destroy the Church of God. In that, Satan failed.

Subsequently, another Satanic attack was launched against Herbert Armstrong, the late human leader of the Church, as well as the Church organization, when attempts were made to smear Mr. Armstrong’s reputation and to fraudulently gain possession of half of the Church’s property. In this, Satan failed again.

When Mr. Armstrong died, his successor, being at least partially used by liberal men who were hostile towards Mr. Armstrong and his teachings, changed just about every Church doctrine, until their organization had ceased to be a part of the Body of Christ and had instead become a mainstream “Christian” part of the great apostasy with all of its pagan ideas, and even though far too many followed their evil lead, Satan failed in his attempt to influence ALL of God’s people to depart from the truth.

In due time, further splits within the Church of God organizations occurred (as they are bound to continue in the future), which were also undoubtedly, at least in part, motivated and inspired by Satan, but again, Satan did not succeed in destroying completely ALL of God’s people. But the Bible has prophesied that due to the many Satanic attacks, many will fall away in the future (2 Thessalonians 2:3), and most of those who will stay in God’s Church will become lukewarm (Revelation 3:6), tired and worn out. We read in Daniel 7:25 about a religious power which “persecutes” the saints, but the word actually means, “wears out,” comparing it with a garment which wears out by degrees, and as applied to many of the saints, they become tired and worn out due to constant harassment and persecution.

However, the Bible also promises that a faithful remnant of the Philadelphia era WILL EXIST in these end times, who will be counted worthy to escape the terrible Great Tribulation and to stand before the Son of Man (Revelation 3:10; Luke 21:36)… and we are NOT saying that that remnant is limited to just one particular organization, even though we surely believe that our organizations are part of this remnant.

Therefore, we should expect that Satan will especially try now to attack this very remnant with great wrath, because he knows that his time is short (Revelation 12:12). And that is EXACTLY what is happening. Satan IS on a rampage to DESTROY God’s people, and his attacks have become so violent and all-encompassing as never before in my experience within the Church of God. I am foremost speaking of personal problems which God’s true begotten sons and daughters have to endure at this point.

HOW are they to win this Satanic battle? It is clear, they CANNOT win it on their own. They MUST allow God to fight for them, but they must be WILLING tools in the process. Since Satan IS walking about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour, God’s people must have God’s help to resist the devil, and they must be steadfast in the faith—having the faith that Satan WILL be defeated (1 Peter 5:8-9; Romans 16:20).

God tells us in Ephesians 6:11-12:

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness [or better: wicked spirits] in the heavenly places [or: high places].”

In order to be victorious, we MUST put on the ENTIRE armor of God, which is described in Ephesians 6:10-18. It can be summarized as follows:

Our waist must be girded with God’s truth (verse 14).

We have to put on the breastplate of God’s righteousness (verse 14).

Our feet must be shod with the preparation of God’s gospel of peace (verse 15).

We must take God’s shield of faith (verse 16).

We must wear God’s helmet of salvation (verse 17).

We must also take the sword of God’s Spirit, which is the word of God (verse 17).

And last but not least, we must pray always with all prayer and supplication in God’s Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints (verse 18).

We have published a free booklet, “Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians — How to Understand It,” in which we discuss in detail every aspect of God’s armor, which is VITAL for our spiritual survival and salvation. You SHOULD take the time to carefully study [again] our booklet and PUT INTO PRACTICE what God is telling you.

Make no mistake! We are ever SO CLOSE to the return of Christ, and Satan knows it. Do you? In his incredible wrath and anger, Satan will VERY SOON bring about the Great Tribulation—leading to a time of such terrible proportions that no one would survive if Christ were not to return. The Great Tribulation is foremost directed against the modern houses of Israel and Judah and especially God’s saints. The Bible clearly shows that another massive martyrdom of the saints will occur at that time (Revelation 6:9-11). But Satanic persecution against God’s people will already begin PRIOR to the Great Tribulation (Mark 13:12-13; Luke 21:16-17)!

As an Evangelist in God’s Church, let me tell you: THAT persecution has clearly begun, and you NEED God’s constant protection, help and HIS armor, if you do not want to fail and fall away from God.

Now that the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread are behind us, do we look forward to what we have ahead of us? We should however not forget what the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread symbolize; rather, we should continue to apply the significance of these special days in our lives, as we do every year.  We may go through an “up and down moment,”  moments of a “spiritual high” right before and during that time when we are excited and full of joy, but what about shortly thereafter?  Do we carry on the excitement we just shared or does it soon drift away in the coming days, now that the Days of Unleavened Bread are over, or at least until Pentecost and the Fall Holy Day season approaches?  What do we do in the meantime?  How do we react and take control of our feelings?

Distractions come in many forms, and they prevent us from focusing on the things we need to concentrate on, and if not controlled, they can lead us to defeat. Now that we are back “in the world,” we will once again be confronted with distractions to side-track us and our spiritual thinking. Satan who is always out there tries to make it difficult for us, and we also know that God is there to help us overcome Satan’s attempts to bring us down.  God allows distractions in our lives, which are trials that we go through, and they are necessary for our success.  We are not being tested for the purpose of failing, but with the expectation of success:  “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7).

Our self-examination does not only occur once a year, but it should be a daily task.  Our self-examination should determine that we are on the right track; that Christ DOES in fact live in us, each and every day.  “And if, during the examination, a Christian finds that he is lacking in some aspects, he needs to REPENT of that; he needs to ask God for forgiveness; he needs to resolve and make an effort to do better; and, at the same time, he needs to understand that with God’s help, he can, and must, and will do better“ (Quoted from our free booklet, “The Meaning of God’s Spring Holy Days”).

Those of us who have been called out of this world and who live by the law of God and observe His commanded Sabbaths and Holy Days, can thereby expect trials of every caliber to impact us in some way, especially right before and after the Holy Day seasons.  God allows us to go through various tests, not for the purpose of imperfection, but to bring us closer to perfection.

We can expect trials to continue, especially with all the distractions this world is throwing at us. We are being tested on the very things that we struggle with the most, and God is looking at US to see how we will react; how we will “handle” the situation.  We will fail from time to time, especially during initial stages of a trial. In recognizing our own actions when going through a trial, we are thereby examining ourselves and accepting the fact that we MUST do better, if we want to be counted worthy.

The suffering we are going through is a beneficial part of God’s plan: “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10, English Standard Version).  We should not feel defeated the moment a trial sets in, for God says that “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).  If we believe this, then we will be able to take control by conquering our trials and fulfilling God’s purpose for us.

In a world full of distractions and endless ways to spend our time and energy, how do we use the time that we have each day? And even more importantly, how do we feel at the end of a day? Do we find ourselves fulfilled from ALL of our engagements? We touch so many people throughout a single day that we don’t always realize how we are impacting others. Colossians 3:23-24 points out that whatever we are doing, we are to do it “heartily” or with our entire heart. We are to be pouring out ourselves into what we do. And the amazing thing is that if we are doing this, God gives us the knowledge and understanding that we need to accomplish our tasks. But the important caveat is that we do it with our entire heart. If we half-heartedly approach every day, our jobs, people, anything really, how can we be fulfilled? How can we fill up others if we are half-hearted? How can we serve joyfully? Ephesians 6:6-8 admonishes us to serve “from the heart”—with good will. There is no room for back-biting, hate, ill-will, or anything negative.

How hard is it though to not complain when things go wrong? When we think that things should be different than what they are? When we think we are being treated unfairly or unkindly? How do we react? We would do better to keep in mind the words Solomon wrote down for us in Ecclesiastes 7:20-22. We must be careful with the attitudes and the thoughts that we allow ourselves to have. We must come to rely on God more and more for wisdom and understanding in ALL matters.

James 4:7-9 gives us the right ideas in this regard. We need to be submitting ourselves to God to fully understand how we can fulfill our days in the right ways. In verses 13-17, James goes on to admonish us that in the scheme of things, our lives are over so quickly. All our strivings and goals are in vain if they are not rightly ordained by God. He indeed sets our courses. When we go wrong and need adjustment, He makes corrections, as long as we are willing to accept them and get back on the right track.

So let us ask ourselves these questions:

How fulfilled do we find ourselves at the end of each day?

How willing are we to seek God and allow Him to lead?

As we approach the Passover, what can we take away from this short time we have left in examining ourselves? Ephesians 5:16 tells us that we should be “redeeming the time” by making the BEST use of our time, “because the days are evil.”

David had the right approach in Psalm 127:2. Even though our work may be heavy and burdensome, when we do it with God’s Will in mind, seeking what He wants, then we can go to bed at the end of the day and feel fulfilled because God will give us good rest. And He will recharge us for our continual fight each and every day. Psalm 90:12 says: “So teach us to number our days That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Let us allow Godly wisdom and understanding fill us up each day so that we may feel fulfilled and others may see that and be encouraged to follow our example.

We often see children skipping as they play and move about.  This lightly jumping movement is an outward sign of joyfulness and exuberance in children and an action rarely seen in adults.  An adult not skipping has much to do with the limitations of an aging body or even the stigma of it being childish.  But, the same enthusiasm that drives children to skip is necessary for a Christian.  As adults, we must be joyous if we are to become part of God’s Family.

In the book of Psalms we get a picture of a servant of God whose heart was full of joy for God.  David exemplified this attitude in song, “Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises” (Psalm 98:4).  He also entreated those who know God to live and breathe with this same attitude, “Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” (Psalm 32:11). Because, as David was well aware, God’s Character is the essence of joyfulness, “Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!  They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance” (Psalm 89:15).

Why is this world so quickly falling into ruin?  Because joyfulness of the Truth has been replaced by satisfaction in lies.  Happiness is false and fleeting at best, if man seeks it without God.  The true joy of God, manifest in the brightness of His chosen people (see Matthew 5:16), holds back the darkness of Satan’s deceit. “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you” (Deuteronomy 28:47-48).

The gauntlet is before our feet!  If we refuse to take it up, the light within us will extinguish.  As God’s people, we must stay committed to shining our lights with ever increasing brightness, especially as the world around us grows darker.  We must, as Paul stated to the Church at Philippi, “…become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ…” (Philippians 2:15-16).

At his greatest times, King David cared little for the cares of this world. He focused intently on the Joy found in serving the Eternal.  “Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, ‘How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!’ So David said to Michal, ‘It was before the LORD, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the LORD’” (2 Samuel 6:20-21).  As we examine our hearts during this Passover season, let’s not forget the joy we felt as new babes in Christ.  It’s that excitement for God’s Truth that will enable us to finish this race.