Honorable Joy

     Have you ever felt like you received joy when you didn't deserve it all? I know I have. Sometimes we do things in a less than honorable or Christ-like fashion to get attention and accolades that we really don't deserve. I don't know about you, but when I act in a dishonorable way and it gains me the attention I was seeking, my joy in that attention is not very complete.
     In the book of Judges, chapter 9 there is a story about a man named Abimelech who went about getting his joy in a very dishonorable fashion: he hired men to become his followers and then went and killed 69 of his 70 half-brothers and then got himself crowned as king. Yikes! Talk about dishonorable. The brother that escaped was the youngest and his name was Jotham. Jotham was a godly man and he did his best to encourage the people to turn away from Abimelech because of how he acted. Verse 19 says, "If then you have acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerub-Baal and his family (this was Jotham and Abimelech's father) today, may Abimelech be your joy, and may you be his, too!"
     Obviously Jotham was being sarcastic. He knew that the people had not acted honorable toward his family. They had murdered all of them and would have killed him too if he hadn't hid. After Jotham gave his speech to the town, he had to flee and hide again. Abimelech's dishonorably actions had cost Jotham the joy of his family and the joy of living in the town where he grew up. This is a lengthy story and I just barely touched the tip, but I would encourage you to read how it turns out.
     When we act in a less than honorable fashion looking for joy, whatever that joy may be, we can be assured that or joy won't last and that we have probably stolen someone else's joy in the process. My prayer for you this week (and I hope it will be your prayer as well!) would be for God to open your eyes to something that you may have done that was less than honorable. Ask his forgiveness and then ask the forgiveness of anyone that may have been hurt in the process. By doing this, I think you will find your complete joy.

Have a blessed week!

Losing Joy by Disobedience

     In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 28, verses 47-48 it says, "Because you did not serve the Lord your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the Lord sends against you."
     These words were given to the Israellites before they were to finally enter the promised land after 40 years of wandering in the desert. They had disobeyed the Lord and were now being reminded to obey Him and his commands or they would become slaves again.
     Have you ever lost your joy by being disobedient to God? I think we all have. If fact, I would say we are all disobedient to God as some point every day. I know I am! And I know that that disobedience often results in immediate loss of joy. Our disobedience results in our slavery as well. Maybe not physical slavery as the Israellites were faced with, but we are often slaves to our money and our jobs because we lack obedience to God's will for our lives.
     It's not easy being obedient though is it? It's hard not to look to the Lord first when that promotion comes up, or to give that extra amount on Sunday when we really want that family vacation. We lose our patience with our kids and are grumpy with our husbands. Or what about that phone call from a friend who really needs us? Did we make time for that?
     God wants us to love others as He first loved us and put others first. That is His greatest command to us. If we can simply keep that in mind, we will become more obedient to Him and in turn, we will be rewarded with great joy. I hope that this week gives you multiple opportunities to love those around you well. I know I will be praying for this for myself and you as well!

Have a blessed week!

Celebrate Joyfully

     This is the season for many celebrations. Graduations and weddings will likely fill your calendar weekends for the next few months. These are times when we celebrate the accomplishments of our children and the new lives our friends and family will be starting with their new spouses. When thinking about celebrations and celebrating, how often do we celebrate these occasions (or any occasion) for more than a day or a few hours?

     Most often, our celebrations last for a day, or maybe even just a half of a day. But it wasn't always this way. In Old Testament times, there was something called the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Ingathering and the Feast of Booths. It occurred on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, every year. During this time, the Israellites were to celebrate joyfully, thanking God for their harvest, their protection and their freedom. They did this every year, much like our Thanksgiving. The only difference was they celebrated for seven days. 

     Can you imagine a seven day celebration, joyfully giving thanks to God for all he has given us? Most of us can't imagine taking that much time to celebrate. In fact, I think it's safe to say, many of us wouldn't want to be around some of our own family members for seven days and be joyful about it! In Deuteronomy chapter 16, verses 14-15, the Lord tells us to "Be joyful at your Feast- you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless, and the widows who live in your towns. For seven days celebrate.......For the Lord your God will bless you..........and your joy will be complete." 

     The Israellites were told to celebrate joyfully with everyone in their families and their towns for seven days and the Lord would bless them in all their harvests and all the work of their hands and they would have complete joy. When you are celebrating, no matter what the celebrating is for, think about how joyful you are for all the things the Lord has given you and your family, then thank Him for it. And don't just think about it for a few hours while your with your family and friends. After all, if it wasn't for Him, we wouldn't have anything to be celebrating joyfully. 

Have a great week!