Letting the joy of the Lord shine through you
April 29, 2011
Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
Habakkuk 3:17-18
I remember back when my friend, John Bisagno, went to be the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Houston. He was talking about one Wednesday night around Christmas time when a few members of the church had gathered in the dark sanctuary and were singing a hymn called “Day is Dying in the West.”
“That wasn’t all that was dying.” he said. “Most of the people in the congregation looked half-dead already!”
So after the service was over, he left the church building and went outside. As he walked the streets of Houston, he saw people on the corners ringing bells along with tinsel and lights everywhere. So he popped into a jewelry store to buy a gift, and he saw people talking, singing, laughing, and having a wonderful time.
As Bisagno reflected on that, he said, “You know, neither the church nor the jewelry store gave an invitation that night. But had they given an invitation, I would have joined the jewelry store!”
When the world looks at you, do they see the joy of the Lord? I’m not talking about a joy you have because things are going well, but the kind of joy that transcends life’s circumstances. That’s the kind of joy God wants for you!
DESPITE LIFE’S CIRCUMSTANCES, THE JOY OF THE LORD SHOULD ALWAYS BE IN YOUR HEART. SO LET GOD’S JOY SHINE THROUGH YOU EVEN IN THE BUSYNESS AND STRESSES OF LIFE.
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