Rejoice in the Lord- ALWAYS
I went to Publix today which is a great grocery store near us. I had a smile on my face. The cashier asked me what I was so happy about. I told him that I had no reason not to be happy; that life is too short not to be happy. That response seemed to astound him.
As I pushed my cart out of the store I questioned whether I should have said more... said about the true joy I have that is from God and from life with Him. But I left confident that even with the few words we exchanged that I had said enough and that he knew that the joy I had was different than any joy this world could ever offer.
I came home and sat in the sunshine and enjoyed some quiet time while Eli was napping. I prayed some and then began reading the Bible. I was kind of doing a little 'channel surfing' in the Word- not sure what God was wanting to tell me today or where to read. I found myself in the early Psalms.
A few things I read really stood out to me so I want to share them and talk about them a bit. I so love that God's word is alive and always relevant, it is just another thing that amazes me about Him and His perfection.
Psalm 21:6, "You have endowed him with eternal blessings. You have given him the joy of being in your presence."
This word is so true of me. The blessings on my life are eternal and His promises for me will never end. The relationship I have with my God will last forever and it is in that relationship and from that relationship that all the blessings in my life originate from and overflow out of. God has truly given me the joy of being in His presence. That joy is the best and purest joy I have ever known. It is stronger than any drug and so addicting. I need Him and I need to be with Him. I need more of Him and I need His presence. My joy is from Him and from being with Him. I am so blessed!!!
I have the music playing loudly and the windows open here in my bedroom. I am listening to a great mix of loud praise songs. I call it my summertime mix. It is so good and so right where my heart is at. My heart is overflowing with love and joy for my Savior. I am so blessed and I just want to shout it out from a mountain top- at least I can sing about it loudly and praise Him with my whole heart.
One of my favorite things to do now is to drive around in my SUV with all the windows down and the sunroof open. I turn my praise music up very loudly and sing at the top of my lungs and praise God! I could care less about what the other people in their cars around me think. Hopefully they will see my joy and want that for themselves. Of maybe they look at me and laugh and think I am crazy- but at least I made them laugh and was able to give them some joy. It is a good thing. I like coming to God with complete abandonment- it is liberating.
God is so good to me. He has been so good to me. There is no one like our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. What a mighty God we serve. He has truly made His face to shine down upon me and given me peace. It is a peace that passes all understanding and a joy unspeakable. It comes from deep inside of me.
I was thinking about how I told the man at Publix I had no reason not to be happy. The funny thing is that to the world I have tons of reason to be mad and angry and bitter. But in Christ I have all that I need and no reason not to be rejoicing- ALWAYS!!!
I have heard that in God's word, a command is a clue to what you are able to do. So in Philipians 4:4 when it says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" That is obviously something that is very reasonable and possible. The will of God will never lead to where the grace of God cannot keep you. If he commands us to rejoice in the Lord always than that is obviously something we are capable of doing and should do!
Let me leave you now with a Psalm that tells of what God has done for me. Psalm 18: 1-6; 16;19; 28-36;49.
"I love you Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold. I will call on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, for he saves me from my enemies. The ropes of death surrounded me; the floods of destruction swept over me. The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death itself stared me in the face. But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears. He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters. He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me. Lord, you have brought light to my life; my God, you light up my darkness. In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, his way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? God arms me with strength; he has made my way safe. He makes me as surefooted as a deer, leading me safely along the mountain heights. He prepares me for battle; he strengthens me to draw a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand supports me; your gentleness has made me great. You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping. For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing joyfully to your name."
posted by Kellie # 3:25 PM
