CHRISTIAN JOY
Many who scream like Comanches at a Saturday night ball game sit like wooden Indians in church on Sunday morning! No doubt many suffer from lack of Christian joy.
Augustine said, "The Christian should be a walking 'alleluia' from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet." Excited beyond belief, David danced before the Lord when the Ark returned to Jerusalem. But when he made a spectacle of himself, his wife despised him and was smitten with barrenness. Long-faced critics are always smitten with barrenness. We don't measure our spirituality by the length of our faces!
David was a man after God's own heart. Though he had known seasons of unspeakable joy, he lost his joy. What caused David to lose his joy? Sin is the great joy-robber. David committed serious sins, and he was miserable until he repented. Likewise, committed Christians may lose their joy in the Lord because of sin.
Psalm 51 is the prayer of a man who strayed from God. Going from dancing to dust, David poured out his heart to the Lord, acknowledged his wrongdoing, and pleaded for mercy. "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit" ( Ps. 51:12, emphasis added ).
God wants His people to rejoice in Him. Many of the most effective saints were people who learned to find their greatest delight in God Himself. These were ones who learned the secret of getting their souls happy in God. Preoccupation with the Lord, rather than self, is the key to everlasting joy.
Mary said, "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour" ( Luke 1:26b-47, emphasis added ). She rejoiced in God her Saviour. How is your soul? Are you rejoicing in the Lord? Are you happy in Jesus?
SCRIPTURE READING: Read Psalm 51. Notice the suffering David endured because of his sin. He paid a high price for his low living! Has sin caused you to lose the joy of your salvation? You, too, can have your joy restored.
--Harold Vaughan--
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