Time for Joy - Part 2

I'd like to continue to expand on what I talked about yesterday.  Deuteronomy talked about serving with a heart of joy and gladness.  Not just in some things we do but for the abundance of everything. That's what it said...for the abundance of everything.  We are to live in the place of a joyful heart in everything, doing all that is required of us.

Our abundance should be what pushes us toward obeying God.   Maybe your saying..."I don't have abundance! I barely survive."  I get your perspective.  I really do.  Sometimes I feel like I will never get "ahead" in life.  I feel like I am getting further behind instead of moving forward.   

Do you ever feel that way?  It can drive you to feeling hopeless.  In that moment joy gets sucked right out the window.  Bye Bye joy....

But what if we started to look at our life with new eyes?  What if we gained a new perspective on abundance?  And what if your supposed to be right where you are right now?  What if this place in your life creates things in you that you would never learn without what your going through? 

If you live here in America, if you own a house, car, or even a book, you are considered rich to 95% of the world.  Your ability to live in a permanent dwelling, wear shoes, and get a public education is a blessing that many don't have.  If your dry, sleep in a warm bed and have more than one outfit to wear you are ahead of more people than you can count. 

So you have to turn your minds to what abundance you truly have and live with a new perspective so you can begin to live in gratefulness.  Today, take some time to count your blessings not what you are lacking.

Here's another scripture for you from the Old Testament....

I Chronicles 15:25- So David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom with joy.

In the next verses, 26-28,  we see David and his crew dancing and singing.  The return of the ark was met with great rejoicing!  It was a party!  It says David himself was whirling and playing music.  Picture it...the king is whirling round and round caught up in the moment.  So crazy of a scene that his wife was upset with him for making a spectacle of himself.  It says she despised him in her heart.  "A king should act kingly..... Stop acting like a fool!" was her feeling.

Why all the whirling and rejoicing over an ark?  We can look at this scene and ask that very question. Why would someone get so excited over a religious relic used in their old rituals?  It's because the ark of the covenant was the place where they met with God.  The ark was stolen during a previous battle and with the return of it, they could once again be in relationship with God.  They could return it to the temple where it belonged and resume their long standing relationship with the living God. 

The ark represented their relationship with God.  Just as they were filled with joy to be back in close relationship with God, we should be filled with great joy to have the opportunity to be close to God. 

I know that instead of seeing the opportunity for being in relationship with God as a joy filled experience, many see it as being restrictive.  Some might think.... "If I serve God I won't have fun anymore."

I get that.... I love to have fun!  But I haven't given up anything that I wanted to hold onto.  What I have found is that God's way is more than fun... it's deep in your heart, overwhelming peace and joy.  I haven't given up the fun in life, I've gained it, plus some. 

Finding joy takes a shift in your perspective... it takes a change in your thinking... and it takes accepting that God knows a better way.   If you want my suggestion.... you should start shifting so you can get yourself some joy!

MORE TOMORROW....