Do You Use The Words of Joy?

Last night I posted a picture on Facebook of my new Dutch oven, so I could thank my mother-in-law for the wonderful Christmas gift. In the bottom of the pan I had onions, carrots, and celery being sauteed in oil, as a soup base. A friend commented on my lovely mirepoix, and I knew what she was talking because I watch Food Network.

Matt and I have also learned about “mise en place,” which means you prepare and set up all of your ingredients before you begin cooking.

“Look at my mise en place,” Matt says, with an exaggerated French accent. I look at the counter and see his bread, peanut butter, and honey all lined up.

“Nice, hon,” I say.

Every field has its own unique vocabulary. The culinary art has its own set of words. When I go to a basketball game I have to know about “blocking out” and “the key.” In music there are words like “forte” and “crescendo.” In the teaching world we talk about “anticipatory sets” and “formative assessment.”

So it makes sense that when we become disciples of Christ we pick up a new set of vocabulary –words that uniquely describe the experience we have in this new field.

Sinful nature.

Wages of sin.

Humility.

Eternal life.

Love.

Sacrifice.

Forgiveness.

Grace.

Rescue.

Redemption.

Adoption.

Justification.

Transformation.

Inheritance.

Thankfulness.

Joy.

Hope.

Peace.

Strength.

Wisdom.

Goodness.

Faithfulness.

These vocabulary words are the mirepoix of the joyful Christian life. Do you have a comfortable understanding of each word and how it pertains to your life? If you go through the list, do you know verses from the Bible that explain each word? Could you explain to someone what each one means?

If you look through the list above and find a word you don’t know well, try going to blueletterbible.org and typing the word into the search bar. It will bring up all the verses in the Bible where that word is found. You can read until you have a good understanding of the word.

My favorite word for the day is hope. What’s yours?