“Live one day at a time!
Suffice it to keep thee occupied simply striving to bring joy to thy Father’s heart.”“Come Away My Beloved” by Frances J. Roberts
Messiah said not to worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has enough worries of its own (Matthew 6:34). How true is that! How wonderful to know that all we have to do today is to focus on what would bring joy to His heart.
What brings Him joy? The answer to that question is to think about what brings joy to earthly fathers and parents alike – their children.
- When children obey their parents out of a willing heart, this brings us joy (those of you with children know what we’re talking about).
- When our children get along with each sibling, loving them, showing patience and kindness… this brings us joy.
- When our children choose to do the right thing over what their friends may say or think is the right decision… this brings us joy.
- When our children’s behavior reflects the essence and nature of the Scriptures, which have been used to bring them up in the way of Yahuweh – helping them to know the difference between good and evil… this brings us joy.
These things bring us, as parents, great joy!
However, sometimes parents long for the day when their children grow up and are able to take on their own burden of responsibilities, a chance to exercise all they have been taught in real world situations. As parents, though, we will always try to stay involved in their lives – ready to direct them in a moment’s notice.
When they hurt, we hurt. We do not always want our children to carry their own burdens and grow up, because it sometimes leaves us with the feeling that we are no longer needed – that we no longer have any more input into their lives. It is good to be needed, especially by the ones whom we have spent so much time with pouring in wisdom, direction, discipline and love.
Is our heavenly Father, our Abba, any different?
He needs to be needed. He desires to exercise His role as Parent and Guardian – we should simply desire to be the child whose sole effort in life is to completely rely upon the One who chose us out for Himself, from the foundation of the world.
Today, and everyday…allow Him to take back the responsibility of being Master over your life, for therein lies the key to living in the fullness of joy!
This truly is what will bring joy to His heart – the joy of having His child’s heart, your heart.
I don’t know about you, but that relieves any burden the world, the enemy or even ourselves may try to unload, which would otherwise leave us dragging along our daily lives in misery – depending upon our own strength to lift such a great burden.
To bring joy to Him is to live in the fullness of His joy – His strength, and not our own.
When we daily occupy our time with striving, (resting in our own weakness), in order to bring joy to our Abba’s heart, His strength, then, is made perfect in that weakness – made perfectly evident every minute of every day — and that is how we live….one day at a time.
“And He said to me, “My favor is sufficient for you, for My power (strength) is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, then, I shall rather boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Messiah rests on me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9
“As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Stay in My love. “If you guard My commands, you shall stay in My love, even as I have guarded My Father’s commands and stay in His love. “These words I have spoken to you, so that My joy might be in you, and that your joy might be complete.”
John 15:9-11