Star Wars: An Old Hope Made New - 28 Day Joy Challenge – Day 18 – Purity 1074
Purity 1074 06/21/2023 Purity 1074 Podcast
Purity 1074 on YouTube: Coming Soon!
Good morning,
Today’s photo
of what I believe to be the Jupiter Lighthouse shining bright over a mountain
of trees comes to us from my sister-in-law, Katt who captured this scene while
vacationing with friends in West Palm Beach Florida.
Well, It’s
Wednesday and I don’t usually feature the creations of man with the photo of
the day, as I only seek to give God glory, but I thought that Katt’s photo was
a simultaneously a great visual representation of both “hump day” with that “mountain
of trees and lighthouse peak, and the “light that shines in the darkness” that
I hope to provide by leading another meeting of the Celebrate Freedom Growth
Group at Starpoint Church this evening.
Yup, in
selecting Wednesdays as the night the Celebrate Freedom Growth Group would
meet, I joked what better day to “move mountains” than on hump day. While I knew that answering the call to lead
a growth group that encourages its members to “go into recovery” or to decide to
“trust God with the healing of your “hurts, habits, and hang ups” was going to have
its ups and downs – its peaks and valleys – I was a little surprised at a few
of the things that have happened thus far.
Okay. Now there
is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus – Romans 8:1 is my life verse and
I in no way want to sound negative regarding anything about my church or the
group I was chosen to lead but I have to admit that my heart aches over the
fact that some people have registered to be a part of our group but have still
failed to attend a meeting.
I know what
a big step it can be to go to “a recovery meeting, program, or growth group, or
whatever you want to call it, and I in no way want to sound like I am
chastising those who “signed up” but didn’t show up. I don’t know their stories; I don’t know what
they are going through. Heck, I don’t even know if the people who haven’t shown
up actually registered themselves – concerned loved ones could have just as
easily taken their information and registered these people in a misguided attempt
to “fix them.”
So I don’t
know their story but each week, I pray for all the people on the “registered”
list – for their well-being, their blessing, and for the Lord to help them. Whatever
it is that caused their names to come before me, I pray for them. As the facilitator
of the group, I also send out emails to remind everyone of the upcoming meeting
and to share thanks and resources after the meeting.
Last week, in
the email following the meeting – I wrote a P.S, - a postscript – advising all
that received the email, that they could opt out at any time – but I also let
them know that I would continue to send reminders, encouragements, and
resources as long whether they choose to come to the group meetings or not.
I suppose
some would just cut these “no shows” loose, but it literally “costs me nothing”
to send out the emails and teachings and supplemental resources I send out and
I figure that the people on my list may not be getting a whole lot of support,
They may be in a very hard season right now and I have decided to keep sending
the “good news” that there is hope for them and that the “door is always open”
to walk through if they decide to join us.
Early on,
with relatively a small showing for our group – considering the size of our congregation,
I talked to my only male volunteer. Men’s discussion group leader, Scott Salvadore
about our mission with this “Recovery/discipleship growth group” and how our “ministry”
wasn’t about numbers – it was about hope. It was about encouragement, it was
about Freedom, it was about victory, and about being a “light in the darkness” –
to let other Christians who are struggling privately with “hurts, habits, and
hang ups” know that overcoming is possible. I told Scott that I didn’t know how
many people would step out in faith and come to our meetings, but I assured him
that even if only one person showed up, we would be faithful to tell them of
the life transforming power that Christ can work in their lives if they would
trust in Him.
And that’s
another surprise, Scott is truly called by the Lord to be a “light in the
darkness” and a “leader of men”, for he is actively engaging with the people
that surround him and encouraging them to follow the Lord. Scott has literally brought
or invited almost all the men who have come into to our group!
God is working
through Scott and all the people of our group and while I can’t say that
surprises too much, I can say that I consider myself to be blessed to see it.
One of the
things I encourage the group members to do each week is to practice
appreciation to increase their capacity for joy. I encourage them to be thankful
for what they have now. I have prompted them to anticipate good things in the
future. And I have recommended that they
consider and thank God for the love they have known and the good things that
they experienced in their pasts.
And that brings us to our current series
where I am walking through the 28 Day Joy Challenge, (https://4habits.org/) because we are encouraging
ourselves and others, you, to “find peace” in our lives by increasing our
capacity for joy and by building our emotional resilience through simple
practices of quieting and appreciation.
The 28 Day
Joy challenge is based on Dr. Marcus Warner & Chris Coursey’s latest book,
The Four Habits of Joy-Filled People, and you can sign up to take it for free,
and purchase a variety of books from Warner and Coursey on topic of Joy, by
going to https://4habits.org/.
So let’s
jump into Day 18, which will take us out to the movies!
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Day 18 - Sharing the Joy
Welcome to Day 18
of the 28 Days to Joy Challenge!
Today’s Encouragement:
It can be hard to
change old habits and unwanted ways of thinking. We are grateful for your
courage as you go on this journey toward a more joyful life! Have you noticed
anything new in yourself this week?
Today’s Practice:
Exercise 18
Today we practice
feeling joy and sharing our joy with another person.
- How This Exercise
Will Benefit You:
Sharing joy with
another person that you are close to can deepen your bond and increase the joy
in both of you.
- Exercise Steps:
Think about a
favorite movie you watched with friends or family members. Reflect on what you
enjoyed about this movie experience. Did you share the experience with others
who were with you once the movie ended? Share your thoughts with a friend on
why this movie experience was meaningful.
Have fun with this
exercise. We pick up tomorrow with more joy practice!
As I peaked at the instructions for today’s practice
yesterday and I considered the multitude of movies I have seen in my lifetime
this morning before my exercise regimen, one movie from my childhood stood out
as perhaps the most “relational” – as in I saw this film with family, and
shared my joy over it with friends, and because it went on to have multiple
sequels and prequels, the joy continued for years after.
In the summer of 1977, when I was 5 years old – Star
Wars was released to theatres and became a mega block buster. For the time the special effects and action of
this sci-fi classic captured the world’s attention and the imagination of virtually
every kid in America. The story
involving the force – the Millenium
falcon, the death star, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker – R2D2 – C3PO – Han Solo –
Obi Wan Kenobi – Princess Leia –Chewbacca blew our minds!
My family and I saw Star Wars more than once in theatres.
I don’t know where I saw it first – hey I was five – but I distinctly remember
seeing it at the now gone – singe screen – Hudson Studios – and the similarly
gone – Sunset Drive-In – where Luke and Han made their final approach to destroy
the Death Star in the rain!
I believe that My grandparents, Matt and Mabel, took
my brothers and I to see Star Wars first at the Hudson Studios and sometime
later my parents, Matt and Kathy took us all to see it at the drive in.
A whole of kids from the 70’s and 80’s shared the
joy of the “Star Wars” experience as toys, clothing, and its many sequels and
tv series based on Star Wars can attest. Our generation has gone on to share
its joy with our kids and there seems to be no end in sight for Star Wars in
our culture as our childhood joy gets passed on to those who have “never seen
Star Wars!” – what!?!? – WHY?!?!?
Anyway, as I thought about seeing Star Wars with my
family all those years ago this morning, I thought about how fortunate I was
and am to have such a loving family. I was saddened to remember my grandparents
– now deceased, my five year old self – no longer innocent, and the now defunct
movie theatre and drive in – but I let the loss of those things go as I had
real joy in those people, places, and things. They are all part of my story and
how it eventually led to the Lord.
So yeah, philosophically we have to beware of what
one book called the “Dhrama of Star Wars” and be sure to balance whatever
entertainment we consume with a healthy dose of truth while we suspend our
disbelief, but as I remembered Star Wars today I remembered how much my family,
friends, and I shared our joy over this simple sci-fi tale of good conquering
evil.
So what about you, what movie did you see recently
or long ago that you found enough joy in to want to go out and share it with
others? As we think about the movies that have entertained us, we invariably will
remember the family or friends that enjoyed it with us, and we do ourselves
well to remember the joy and the love we had to give us joy today!
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For
those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide,
I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
Today’s
Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.
This
morning’s meditation verse is:
Romans 8:18 (NLT2)
18 Yet what we suffer now is
nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
Today’s verse tells is like it is – in this world there will be suffering – but it does not compare to the glory that will be reveal to us later – either when we go into eternity after our physical death or when Jesus Christ returns to rule and reign on the earth!
Talk about capturing our imaginations! I can’t EVEN wait to see what God’s kingdom will be like. The pictures of God’s throne room in Revelation tell us that people are gathered and singing praises to the Lord! The implications of what scripture tells us about the - future that is Jesus will come to earth and rule for 1,000 years BEFORE – Satan is thrown into the lake of fire and God creates a new heaven and earth!!
Forget about Star Wars, I want to produce a movie or a series about Jesus’s Christ coming to earth and establishing His 1,000 year kingdom. You think some politician is going to save us? Think again! Jesus is coming back someday and when that happens all bets are off as God will establish life on earth as He intended it to be.
As shocking as it may sound, scripture also indicates that even after Jesus comes back – there will be those who reject him and join Satan’s forces for one last battle before “it’s all been said and done”.
Of course, there is no end
– God is infinite and one day those who are in His kingdom will experience the
joy of an existence without tears, pain, sin, or death. O, the glory set before us!
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from The Holy Spirit By A.W. Pink.
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage you all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available online
for $0.99 (https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Spirit-Arthur-Pink-Collection-ebook/dp/B008CM5292/ref=sr_1_3?crid=AHKAQOM39CTN&keywords=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit&qid=1684376225&sprefix=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit+%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-3)
A.W. Pink’s The Holy Spirit
9 -The Work of the Spirit
Objections
to Total Depravity Proved False
Against what has been said above it may be
objected that no such hatred of God as we have affirmed exists in the hearts of
the great majority of our fellow-creatures—that while there may be a few degenerates,
who have sold themselves to the Devil and are thoroughly hardened in sin, yet
the remainder of mankind are friendly
disposed to God, as is evident by the countless millions who have some form or
other of religion. To such an objector we reply, The fact is, dear friend, that
those to whom you refer are almost entirely ignorant of the God of Scripture: they have heard that He loves everybody, is
benevolently inclined toward all His creatures, and is so easy-going that in
return for their religious performances will wink at their sins. Of course,
they have no hatred for such a “god” as this! But tell them something of the
character of the true God: that He hates
“all the workers of iniquity” (Ps. 5:5), that He is inexorably just and
ineffably holy, that He is an uncontrollable Sovereign, who “hath mercy on whom
He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth” (Rom. 9:18), and their
enmity against Him will soon be manifested—an enmity which none but the Holy
Spirit can overcome.
It may be objected
again that so far from the gloomy picture which we have sketched above being
accurate, the great majority of people do
desire to be saved (from having to suffer a penalty for their sin), and they
make more or less endeavor after their salvation. This is readily granted.
There is in every human heart a desire for deliverance from misery and a
longing after happiness and security, and those who come under the sound of
God’s Word are naturally disposed to
be delivered from the wrath to come and wish to be assured that Heaven will be
their eternal dwelling-place—who wants
to endure the everlasting burnings? But that desire and disposition is quite
compatible and consistent with the greatest love to sin and most entire
opposition of heart to that holiness without which no man shall see the Lord
(Heb. 12:14). But what the objector here refers to is a vastly different thing
from desiring Heaven upon God’s terms, and being willing to tread the only path which leads there!
The instinct of
self-preservation is sufficiently strong to move multitudes to undertake many
performances and penances in the hope that thereby they shall escape Hell. The
stronger men’s belief of the truth of Divine revelation, the more firmly they
become convinced that there is a Day of Judgment, when they must appear before
their Maker, and render an account of all their desires, thoughts, words and
deeds, the most serious and sober will be their minds. Let conscience convict
them of their misspent lives, and they are ready to turn over a new leaf; let
them be persuaded that Christ stands ready as a Fire-escape and is willing to
rescue them, though the world still claims their hearts, and thousands are ready to “believe in Him.” Yes, this is
done by multitudes who still hate the true character of the Savior, and reject
with all their hearts the salvation which He
has. Far, far different is this from an unregenerate person longing for
deliverance from self and sin, and
the impartation of that holiness
which Christ purchased for His people.
All around us are
those willing to receive Christ as their Savior, who are altogether unwilling
to surrender to Him as their Lord. They would like His peace, but they refuse
His “yoke,” without which His peace
cannot be found (Matthew 11:29). They admire His promises, but have no heart
for His precepts. They will rest upon His priestly work, but will not be
subject to His kingly scepter. They will believe in a “Christ” who is suited to
their own corrupt tastes or sentimental dreams, but they despise and reject the
Christ of God. Like the multitudes of old, they want His loaves and fishes, but
for His heart-searching, flesh-withering, sin-condemning teaching, they have no
appetite. They approve of Him as the Healer of their bodies, but as the Healer
of their depraved souls they desire Him not. And nothing but the
miracle-working power of the Holy Spirit, can change this bias and bent in any
soul.
It is just because
modern Christendom has such an inadequate estimate of the fearful and universal
effects which the Fall has wrought, that the imperative need for the
supernatural power of the Holy Spirit is now so little realized. It is because
such false conceptions of human depravity so widely prevail that, in most
places, it is supposed all which is needed to save half of the community is to
hire some popular evangelist and attractive singer. And the reason why so few are aware of the awful depths of human
depravity, the terrible enmity of the carnal mind against God and the heart’s
inbred and inveterate hatred of Him, is because His character is now so rarely declared from the pulpit. If the
preachers would deliver the same type of messages as did Jeremiah in his
degenerate age, or even as John the Baptist did, they would soon discover how
their hearers were really affected
toward God; and then they would perceive that unless the power of the Spirit
attended their preaching they might as well be silent.[1]
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the
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Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and
to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian
encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her
Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on
Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
For those who require the assistance of a Deeper
Walk International Prayer Minister to experience healing or your freedom in
Christ, I highly recommend Christy Edge’s Life on the Edge Freedom Prayer
Ministry. You can schedule a session by going to : https://cedge216.wixsite.com/life-on-the-edge
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the
author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1]
Arthur Walkington Pink, The Holy Spirit
(Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, n.d.).
