About Joy Lojo

Joy is a licensed educator and yet she prefers to be a stay-at-home wife and mom. She loves her husband and daughter more than anyone and anything else in the world but only next to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She's a breastfeeding advocate and serves as a peer counselor in their area. She and her husband homeschool their only child (for now) whom she breastfed for 4 years and 8 months. She considers nurturing her daughter as her current calling and ministry. She believes that serving the Lord doesn't only signify one has to be involved in church activities. It could also mean faithfully doing household chores and lovingly taking care of one's family. You can find her on Instagram as @pinionsandplumageoflove and on Twitter as @joyblojo.

January 12, 2017

“Are We There Yet?”

Deuteronomy 1:21 – Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.

Deuteronomy 12:28 – Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.

Traveling is one of our little family’s favorite bonding moments. Every time my husband and I would tell our little love bug that we are going on a trip, she gets excited. It doesn’t matter whether it is a short or long one; it just makes her giddy. She would ask us to prepare her stuff and would even offer to help long before the anticipated occasion. And when the day finally arrives, her enthusiasm heightens.

While on the road, she would keep asking what the place is like, what fun activities we are going to do and other questions like that. Though she would not admit she’s grown impatient, one of the questions that she would repeatedly ask as we are on our way is,

“Mom, are we there yet?”

God’s people, the Israelites had also experienced one of the longest travel times in their history (I suppose). What could be traversed in 40 days took them 40 years. I guess most of them didn’t stop asking the same question my daughter has asked me. The Promised Land was a long way to go. It would have been a short trip though. From “Go [there] and possess!” to “Got here!” could have happened simply in less than two months, but it didn’t come about. Constantly, they grumbled and complained. They wore Moses out, God’s appointed leader to them. They made God angry. That is why, instead of bringing them straight to Canaan, the Lord repeatedly made a detour and let them wander in the wilderness.

Nevertheless, Moses never stopped telling and reminding them about God’s “road signs and warnings” so they could get to possess the land flowing with milk and honey. And when the Israelites had finally chosen to keep God’s word, obey them and “do what is good and right in the sight” of the Lord their God, in due course, they conquered the land.

Just like the Israelites, I know the Lord has given me my own promised land.

Like my daughter, I am also excited to see what it looks like, what I am going to do there or what God would have me do there. But traveling to my “land flowing with milk and honey” is not a walk in the park. Every so often I would ask the Lord, “Am I there yet?” The eagerness and anticipation to get there, from time to time, wanes. All that really matters in my myopic mind is where I am going. I’m also wondering how to get there in my seemingly perfect time and in my own selfish way. God has a different plan though.

He is not after my promised land, my destination. He is more concerned about my journey and the preparation of my heart.

The Israelites weren’t prepared to get to Canaan. Their hearts and minds were obstinate. They only knew how to complain. They were ungrateful. They always notice what they didn’t have and never looked at what they had.

In the same way I am every bit an Israelite. As thrilled as I am to claim God’s promised land to me, I know my heart still needs a little fixing here and there. There are times that I am ungrateful. I overlook the simple but meaningful blessings that God is showering me with. I tend to look at the other side of the fence thinking that it has always the greener pasture. I’m stubborn. I complained (a lot). I know I have failed Him too many times.

God however is so patient with me; sending me still His pillar of cloud and fire to guide and lead me.

God led the Israelites to the wilderness not because He could not keep His promise, but because He wanted them to keep His Word in their hearts; to wholly trust and obey Him.

Today, you may be traveling right now towards your Promised Land but it still seems so far away. “Am I there yet, Lord?” maybe our untiring question. Remember that He is not finished with you yet. He knows how to keep His word. He is bringing you where you are supposed to be. This season of wondering and wandering in the wilderness is God’s season of pruning. He is just preparing you, your heart, your whole being. Trust Him in the wilderness. And in His beautiful and appointed time, you will see the “land flowing with milk and honey” that is promised to you.

December 23, 2016

Love: Zephaniah 3:17-18

“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals; you will be disgraced no more.” – Zephaniah 3:17-18

Cause You came near

From the everlasting

To the world we live

The Father’s only Son

This is one of the songs I really love to sing out. It’s a story in itself. The Father’s only Son, “…who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage”, came near.

Why?

Because “all of us like sheep have gone astray; we have turned –everyone- to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). No one looked for God. Rather, it was God who reached out and looked for us.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). This great and awesome God, the Creator of the universe, the One who hangs the earth upon nothing (Job 26:7), chose to send His beloved Son to us out of His great love for us.

I remember a story I once read. There was a man who visited a church and before the pastor gave his sermon for the evening, he invited the man to have a few moments to greet the church and share whatever he felt suitable for the service. The pastor introduced the guest minister as one of his childhood dearest friends. The elderly man stood up, stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak. He told about the story of a father, a son and a friend of the father’s son who went sailing off the Pacific Coast when a furious storm loomed and blocked their way to get back to the shore. The father was an experienced sailor, however, the waves were so high and the father could not keep the boat upright. The boat capsized and the three were swept to the ocean. Grabbing the rescue line, the father had to make the most piercing decision in his life: to which boy he would throw the other end of the life line. The father knew that his son was a Christian and that he would step into eternity with Jesus but the son’s friend was not. As the father yelled out, “I love you, son!”, he threw out the life line to the son’s friend. By the time the son’s friend had reached the capsized boat, the son had disappeared beneath the angry waves. The elderly man likened this story to the great love of God, choosing to sacrifice his son to save his son’s friend. When the service was finished, two teenagers approched the old man. One of the boys politely commented that it was a nice story but it was unrealistic for a father to give up his only son’s life in hopes that the son’s friend would come to know the Lord. The old man understood the young man’s point and replied, “You’ve got a point there. But I want you to know that I understand more than most the pain God must have felt to give up His only Son. You see, I’m that father who lost his son to ocean that day, and my son’s friend that I chose to save is your pastor.”

This is God’s love.

It is indescribable. It’s too deep it cannot be fathomed. This is the love that chose to come and save us. In Zephaniah 3:17, it says, “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you, in his love he will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing.”

He loves us, He delights to save us and in His love He will rejoice over us with singing.

This love produces unspeakable joy and peace that passes all understanding. This love enables us to love as well. “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19).

May this season bring us closer to the Lover of our soul, the One who loved us and came to save us.

December 20, 2016

Love: Deuteronomy 10:17-19

“For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.” -Deuteronomy 10:17-19

Je t’aime
Te amo
Aishiteru
Ani ohevet othka, I love you

The sounds are all as different
As the lands from which they came
And though our words are all unique
Our hearts are still the same

Love in any language, straight from the heart
Pulls us all together, never apart
And once we learn to speak it, all the world will hear
Love in any language, fluently spoken here.

I love this song. I honestly do.

Aside from the fact that I’m fascinated with the different languages, it’s the message of the song that really captivates me. Yes, we are all different just like the languages spoken in the different parts of the world but one thing is common: we are all created by a Creator who has designed our hearts to understand the language of love.

In John 3:16 it says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

The coming of Jesus was not just for a chosen few.

It was not only for the educated, nor for the rich, nor for the famous and celebrated. It was for everyone who is in the world. It doesn’t matter what language you speak, what color you are, or what nation you live in.

The Savior’s advent is for all, for everyone.

The Lord shows no bias or prejudice. He loves you and me the same way He loves those living in the other parts of the world. He doesn’t play favorites.

In Deuteronomy 10:17-18, Moses reminded the Israelites that the God whom they serve is “God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widos, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” In verse 19, Moses then commanded them “to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.” These verses once again showed that God’s love is for everyone. And as God loved the “foreigners”, the Israelites are instructed to do the same.

I believe these verses also apply to us today. We who have tasted God’s love and goodness should likewise show the same love and compassion we have received. We who already belong to God’s family, no longer considered “foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household” (Ephesians 2:19), should reach out to those who are not yet His people to let them know about His love that it is not solely for us but is being made available for everyone. Jesus’ coming on that first Christmas Day was His way of saying He came for you, for me and for them; He loves you, He loves me and He loves them.

As we celebrate this time of year, may we never forget the reason for the season. The Son of God came because of love.

May we all speak fluently of His love.

December 6, 2016

Peace: Isaiah 7:14

“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”

– Isaiah 7:14

When do you say peace reigns in your heart?

Once there was a young man that approached an old sage (a wise person). The young man wanted to know the real meaning of peace. The wise man showed him two beautiful paintings. One canvas was of a calm lake; it reflected the lofty mountains all around it and the blue sky with soft and cottony clouds above the lake. The man thought it was an impeccable image of peace.

Then the other painting was shown to him.

It had mountains too, but craggy and barren. Overhead was an angry sky. Rain was falling and lightning frolicking. On the side of the mountain was a waterfall and behind it was a crack in the rock where a mother bird had built her nest. In the midst of a furious weather and gushing water, the mother bird sat on her nest in perfect peace.

What a beautiful portrait of peace!

The mother bird knew there was a storm, and there was raging water. However, she also knew she was hidden in the cleft of the rock; that no matter how the wind howled and water fell, she was safe and protected.

Peace is not the absence of troubles or challenges. Peace is a calm assurance that in the midst of storm, there is shelter.

In Isaiah 7, King Ahaz was faced with a challenge. “Two smoldering stubs of firewood” had joined forces and plotted his ruin. The Bible stated that because of this information, “the hearts of Ahaz and his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest are shaken by the wind.” Then the Lord sent the prophet Isaiah to King Ahaz to encourage him, to let him know that none of his enemies’ plan will happen nor take place.

The Lord even gave him a sign, a promise, “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him ‘Immanuel.’”

Immanuel means “God with us”.

The advent of Immanuel is the coming of the Author of Peace. We need not look for peace anywhere because where Immanuel is, God is and therefore, peace is.

When the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) is present, peace is no longer elusive. It is no more merely a vague or abstract idea; rather, it is concrete, real and tangible. Peace is not the absence of difficulties; it is the presence of the One greater than our problems because “God with us” is peace with us!

So, when does peace reign in our hearts?

It is when our hearts have opened to the coming of Immanuel; allow Him to reside and rule there. He never promised that life would be easy. But He assured that His peace would guard our hearts. He said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14:27). As we celebrate the coming of Immanuel this season, may we also delight in the Prince of Peace’s promised peace.

November 30, 2016

Hope: Psalm 130:5

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.”
Psalm 130:5

When we hear the word advent, what comes to mind?

One word that is always associated with advent is coming.

For the church, it’s a season observed as a time of waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth or coming of Jesus.

When I was a child, I always looked forward to celebrating Christmas. In my young and innocent heart, there’s something in this season that made me feel hopeful. At that time, I didn’t have world-changing wishes or hopes.

I had a simple one: that my Dad would come home and spend that special day with us.

It was a time of the year that I had always waited for excitedly. It was a season of hope for me. Every year, I would wait and expect that this could be the time, but it didn’t happen until two years ago. I was already an adult.

Still, my long wait was over! My hope was finally realized.

I wonder what the shepherds on the night of the first Christmas must have felt when the Good News was announced to them, by no less than a throng of angels! History tells us that at the time, the nation of Israel was under the rule of the Roman Empire. The Israelites had been waiting for the time of their deliverance; anticipating the coming of the Messiah.

Imagine the joy and hope that this good news brought to the shepherds! The long wait was over!

A Savior, their Savior was born! In the darkest days of their history, the brightest message of hope shone like that of the star that guided and led them to the manger.

Waiting is not easy, especially when what you’re waiting for is taking too long to come.

The psalmist in Psalm 130:5-6 said:

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.”

He must have felt weary sometimes, but he didn’t give up. What did he do, instead?

He put his hope/”hoped” in God’s word, knowing that He who promised is faithful that the Lord will come and will deliver His people.
He “hoped” whole-heartedly. His mind, strength and heart were focused on Him. His whole being waited on the Lord.
He “hoped” expectantly. Like the watchmen waiting for the morning because they believed that morning would indeed come. The psalmist was hopeful that the Lord would redeem His people.

Maybe you are waiting for something or even someone and you have been in that situation for a long time now.

Remain hopeful.

As Jesus came on that cold and dreary night, which brought a message of hope and salvation to the shepherds and the world, that someone or something that you’ve been waiting for is coming. The long wait will soon be over and your hope will be realized.