Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Say Cheese!

From Tozer today.
Nehemiah 8:10

We are missing the mark about Christian victory and the life of joy in our Savior. We ought to be standing straight and praising our God!

I must agree with the psalmist that the joy of the Lord is the strength of His people. I do believe that the sad world is attracted to spiritual sunshine--the genuine thing, that is.

Some churches train their greeters and ushers to smile, showing as many teeth as possible. But I can sense that kind of display, and when I am greeted by a person who is smiling because he or she has been trained to smile, I know I am shaking the flipper of a trained seal. When the warmth and joy of the Holy Spirit are in a congregation, however, and the folks are spontaneously joyful, the result is a wonderful influence upon others....

I have said it a hundred times: The reason we have to search for so many things to cheer us up is the fact that we are not really joyful and contentedly happy within....But we are Christians, and Christians have every right to be the happiest people in the world.

3 comments:

Joel Brueseke said...

I used to have one of those plastic smiles. It wasn't just at church, it was everywhere I went! I turned a lot of people off with what I thought was my infectious smile. hehe Looking back I realized that the reason it turned people off is because they saw right through it. Eventually the plastic began to crack and it broke into pieces, but that helped me to find my real smile - in exactly the way mentioned here - through the real joy of the Lord!

Mikey's God Talk said...

Oh yes, Joy comes from Jesus and is so much more than a smile. It is unmistakeable and unshakeable. Happiness on the other hand is conditional and variable. Sometimes shown and not real and also transparent. As the song says: I've got the joy joy joy down in my heart. Jesus is our heart.

Mikey <>< <>< <><

Anonymous said...

Jesus said in this life we will have trouble. Found it to be so. He is also found to be one who neither leaves us or forsakes us. We are not alone as you know - He is comforter and friend.

I believe it is like a dental trip for some significant work/pain...we don't have to enjoy it. We can share it with bros and sis in Christ and relish that He is ever near.

I am further of the belief that I cannot fix the problem for another - but I will come along side so their journey is not so lonely or hurtful. Prayer is always the solution. RoG