As I sat at my desk earlier this morning, I found myself wrapped up in the scriptures that I was studying when the dog came in from the bedroom and gave me a funny look… When I glanced over to him and then back to my desk… I realized that I had been tapping my colored pencils (one in each hand – like a drummer) to the rhythm of the upbeat Southern Gospel songs that I was listening to on Sirius XM’s Southern Gospel channel enLighten.
I also became
aware that I was actually singing… rather loudly… “Scooby, Doobie,
Doo…” repeatedly in syncopation between each measure of the music. And with all of that, I began to laugh and
turned back to the dog and declared “What can I say… I can’t help but to be
happy and groove along with the JOYFUL music!”
But you know… that’s not the way my
morning had begun. After all the
slipping and sliding that Fiver had done during our recent snowstorm, his hips
and lower back became inflamed again and I had to put him back, temporarily,
on his anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxers… which tend to do the job of bringing
him back to his normal flexible and active self… but also have certain
side-effects that cause me concern. So…
when I took him out at 4:45 this morning and he wasn’t as sharp, steady and
vigorous as he usually is... I definitely had to deal with some anxiety and a
lack of JOY first thing!
Once we
returned to our apartment and I got him settled in one of his favorite sleeping
spots in the bedroom, with a treat, I climbed back into bed, picked up my
little, first edition, 1945 Berkeley translation New Testament, that I have
been enjoying lately, and dove into many of the familiar “JOY”
scriptures in both Paul and James’ writings.
If I’ve learned anything over the many years of my Christian walk… I’ve discovered
that the different fruits of the Spirit like “love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness” * don’t always manifest themselves
automatically in times of need, but that we must endeavor to stir
them up in order for them to take effect in our lives.
Well… with
that task completed… my mind and my heart were switched back from potential
worry and refocused on the power of God’s love and JOY,
and I fell back asleep for another hour and a half, got up around 6:30, brewed
some coffee and began my daily Bible Study (on the subject of JOY, no
less) with Southern Gospel playing softly in the background… or at
least that’s what I thought… and somewhere during that time the dog came in
and I guess my silly JOYFULNESS was caught!
Fiver was
walking a lot slower than normal on our afternoon walk today, so it gave me a
lot of time to think about the events from this morning… and I was reminded of
something I believe that the Lord had shown me earlier in the week… on
another walk that the pooch and I took.
I had been having a conversation in my head about some of the different
aspects of FAITH, when I suddenly had the thought that: “Faith
Has a Face” (or a look) and that Face or look
is JOY!
And if that be
true… then Paul’s writings in Philippians 3:1 take on an even more powerful
meaning and charge to our lives, when he steadfastly declared:
“My beloved ones, don’t ever
limit your joy or fail to rejoice in the wonderful experience of knowing our
Lord Jesus! (and) I don’t mind repeating what I’ve already written you because it
protects you—” (TPT)
That no
nonsense command was so important to Paul in his life and ministry, that he
made a point to tell his readers that he needed to repeat what he had already
wrote to them (and demonstrated in his life – as he was in prison at the
time he wrote this letter), because faith-based JOY was an
important force of protection for them, in their personal lives. He was and still is today… telling us
that JOY has a direct effect of our daily walks of faith, where
we are standing on His Word for the various situations we encounter.
JOY radiating from our faces is something
that people around us can’t help but to notice… and more than not… want
to have for themselves! But like I described
at the beginning of today’s post… JOY doesn’t always get up with
the morning sunrise! Sometimes… okay…
maybe many times… we have to give it a little push or encouragement! The best method I have learned is to build my
faith each and every day by reading and speaking aloud, the exact same things
that God speaks in His Word… and although I’d love to say that this is
something that I thought up on my own… I can’t!
For I learned this infallible practice from God Himself in His Word,
where He tells us:
“So then faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17 - KJV)
Therefore, faith
comes to us and increases in us when we HEAR
the Word preached and/or taught in Church, on the radio, on TV, online and
also… and maybe most importantly… coming from our own
mouths! I find that when I speak
the Word out loud, that I tend to take it more personally and find myself uniquely
applying it to my specific daily life’s experiences.
So… take a
moment and think about it. Where do you
hang your faith-based JOY?
After reading and confessing the Word each day… I can’t help but
hang mine right on my face… for everyone to enjoy and get built up
by! Even if it is the dog (or my very
close in proximity neighbors) wondering what all the noise and action of
beating pencils on the desk and singing without constraint first thing in the
morning, is all about! Hummm… I have
gotten some strange looks from a few of my neighbors when I JOYfully
say “Hi!’ to them in the hallway… You think that’s why???
What is
being portrayed on your face RIGHT NOW?
Have a great
new week ahead… and let me know how your week goes with JOY
written all over your FACE!
