Friday, October 5, 2012

Be Ye Glad


“And the ransomed of the Lord will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, with everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” Isaiah 35:10

When was the last time you were glad?  Merriam-Webster defines Glad as:
“having a cheerful or happy disposition by nature, experiencing pleasure, joy, or delight: made happy, made pleased, satisfied, or grateful, marked by, expressive of, or caused by happiness and joy, causing, happiness and joy: pleasant, full of brightness and cheerfulness.”
Joel 2:21 encourages us with the following words: “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things!”  Be glad.  Be glad!!

Do we do glad these days?  I think we do happy, sad, frustrated, depressed, stressed, and other assorted emotions…but do we do glad?  Most of the emotions we experience are related to things going on around us.  We are happy that we got paid before we had to pay bills.  We are sad because a beloved pet has died.  We are disappointed because we didn’t get a job we really need.  We are afraid because we’ve been served to appear in court over a forgotten traffic citation.

I’d like to suggest that over and above all of these things we have reason to be glad.  I will go further to suggest that it is the nature of the redeemed child of God to be glad…NO MATTER WHAT their circumstance.  Does this make us immune to the more negative emotions?  Not at all.  Life still happens!  But that in spite of all of life, we are to be glad.  Why? Very simply, because we belong to the most High God.  We are the redeemed, bought by the blood of Christ Jesus, the Son of the Living God.  Our portion is not this world, but we are joint heirs with Christ to the kingdom of God.

Romans 8:38-39 tells us: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Recently, I was going through a difficult circumstance and a fellow staff member asked me if I was okay. I was fine, I responded, but the reflection on my circumstances gave me pause to consider why I had allowed anything to steal my joy.  I told my coworker that I think I had forgotten to be glad!  I need to remember my reality.  Not the events that happen around me, but the reality of my eternity in Christ Jesus.  The reality of the love of God for me.  The reality of his plan for my life, and my family.  These are not circumstances that change.  This is my reality…and I should be glad.  Because of these things, I need to remember to be glad.  I need to choose to be glad.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, I can be so fickle.  I can allow the winds of life and circumstance to rule my moods, dictate my attitudes, and affect my actions and reactions.  Renew and transform my mind, Lord.  Remind me to be glad!  Fill me again with the Joy of my salvation and renew a right spirit within me.  Make me glad I pray.
In your name, Amen.

Devotional Archive