Where Is The Joy…

Where Is The Joy…

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ ~Matthew 7:21-23 NKJB

Joy is not found on the internet. Joy is not found in a new toy, a new job, a new home, a new anything. Joy is not found in the place where most people are looking. Joy is found 180 degrees from where most people are looking. Where do we find the beauty of God? What does the beauty of God look like?

When your Dad, the head of household, is abusive and physically beats your Mom, torments you and your siblings, stays drunk and/or high on drugs and you look at what he is doing to you and your family and the only thing you can think is…I will never treat people like this…and then treat women with the utmost respect and do your best to be kind to all people…that is the beauty of God.

The beauty of God is rarely seen in a flower, a puppy’s face or a happy occasion. The beauty of God is found among the broken shards of glass in a shattered life where we find ourselves on our knees our hands raised over our head and asking, seeking and begging for God’s strength, God’s power and God’s Words because we have none of our own.

Where is this humility in the church setting today? Why is that people have lost their way of sacrifice? Doesn’t sacrifice mean glory? Doesn’t sacrifice sanctify us into Jesus Christ?

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ~Luke 15:5-6 NKJB

We listen to contemporary “christian” music today and we hear, over and over, about how the promises of God are wonderful, we don’t hear how the promises of God are made manifest in our life.

Have you ever met a leper? Have you ever sat down and discussed the day in the life of a leaper? Do even know who the lepers are or where they hangout? Do you even understand that a leper is writing these words that you are reading?

We need more bondslaves of Christ Jesus and fewer Christians. We need more harvesters for the Gospel and fewer christian artist. We need more joy found in anguish and whole lot less happiness found in the world.

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ~Hebrews 12:2 NKJB

Either the Gospel is the divine Word of God teaching us how to live and how to be a reflection of Him, or it’s nothing more than a historical account of events.