Posts by Josh Moody

1 Chronicles 7-9, Psalm 127, Luke 8:1-15, Colossians 2:8-15 Psalm 127: The first part of the psalm focuses on work. All hard work leads to profit (Proverbs 14:23), but “unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (127:1). There is no ultimate profit, benefit, reward, or point to hard work unless you are…

1 Chronicles 5-6, Psalm 126, Luke 7:36-50, Colossians 2:1-7 Psalm 126: What is it that causes real joy? There are many different theories out there about what makes you happy. The wildly popular Yale psychology course on happiness is online. Any number of self-help books promise happiness through one technique or another. But what is it that does…

1 Chronicles 3-4, Psalm 125, Luke 7:18-35, Colossians 1:15-29   Psalm 125: Some people seem as if they could withstand anything. They have an inner calm and resilience that seems to belie any attacks against them and gives them a rugged true grit that is admirable. Christians are meant to be people who are loving and kind, but…

1 Chronicles 1-2, Psalm 123-124, Luke 7:11-17, Colossians 1:1-14 Psalm 123-124: What do you do when you are in trouble? The key is the eyes. “To you I lift up my eyes” (123:1). It is tempting, and natural enough, to look around at difficulties, to ponder them, and, as it were, focus all your attention upon the hassle…

2 Kings 24-25, Psalm 122, Luke 7:1-10, Philippians 4:14-23 Psalm 122: It is perhaps easy to think of the gathering of God’s people for church as a routine event. We get up, get ready, get the kids in the car if we have a young family, and turn up to church once more. There are some songs. There…

2 Kings 22-23, Psalm 121, Luke 6:43-49, Philippians 4:8-13 Psalm 121: The next step in this journey to joy is found in the psalm in front of us today. It is to call upon God for help. “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who…

2 Kings 20-21, Psalm 120, Luke 6:37-42, Philippians 4:1-7 Psalm 120: I have written extensively on the Psalms of Ascents in a book called Journey to Joy. I have also preached through the Psalms. These devotionals will not go through the same ground again that you can find either online through the sermons or in the book Journey…

2 Kings 18-19, Psalm 119:169-176, Luke 6:27-36, Philippians 3:15-21 Psalm 119:169-176: The same passion that has been evident throughout this psalm is present yet again. Is this how we react to God’s Word and to God himself? Do our eyes glaze over when we hear talk of God—and only perk up when we realize there is something in…

2 Kings 16-17, Psalm 119:161-168, Luke 6:17-26, Philippians 3:10-14 Psalm 119:161-168: It is one thing generally speaking to be under attack, but it is another thing to be under attack without any reason for it. It is still worse to be under attack when the person who is attacking you without any reason is a person of considerable…