Today I want to focus on one verse. Psalm 144:15 says, "Happy is that people that is in such a case; yea, happy is the people, whose God is the Lord."
I love this verse... And it makes me ask myself, "Are we happy Christians?" If we truly understand that our God is Lord, our God is Lord above all... we have every reason to rejoice and praise His name. We have every reason to be happy.
That doesn't mean that hardships in life don't happen, that doesn't mean that we don't experience pain... but we can still have inner joy and happiness even in the midst of the hardships of life, BECAUSE our God is Lord. Not just any Lord, but Lord above all... Yet, I find it continually amazing how little people smile today, how few seem to possess true inner joy.
I work in a building full of church workers. And sometimes I see men and women (especially men) rushing by where I work with no signs of any smiles, no signs of any joy or happiness. I pass these same people in the hall, or in meetings, or in worships, and not a smile, but instead a very serious somber expression. I am puzzled over this, and I wonder a lot about it. We are working in ministry for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Yes, life is not easy, yes, ministry is not easy. I'm not naive to the realities and stresses and grueling difficulties of life and ministry. Yes, our church is having its struggles, but don't we have every reason to be bright happy friendly and loving Christians? Where's the joy? Where's the peace?
I can't judge hearts, I don't know what is going on inside the hearts of those specific people, but the Bible does tell us, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." (Luke 6:45) And I think out of the abundance of the heart, the face shows too. You can tell when people look at you, by the expression of their eyes, their genuine smile (or lack thereof) if there is true joy and peace...
Thankfully I also work with many people who possess this joy... who, although they experience great hardships and stress and trials, obviously have great inner peace and joy. What a blessing to know these people in the Lord.
We need more of this in our midst. We need more expression of God's goodness. We have every reason to rejoice, we can be happy because our God is Lord.
Tomorrow's Reading: Micah 4-5 and Revelation 12
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