“Instead of shame, their portion will be double; instead of disgrace, they will rejoice over their share. They will possess a double portion in their land; everlasting joy will be theirs.” (Isaiah 61:7)
During the season of lent as a spiritual practice I will be taking the daily bible verse presented by YouVersion.com and blogging about that verse. Today’s verse is from Isaiah. Let’s stop for a minute and recognize where we are. Look around. Think about what all encompasses your life, the relationships, work, school, kids, spouse, think about it all. Reflect on it all.
When you think about your life and all that is in it how would you describe it?
Are you thinking “everlasting joy?”
Some of you may be and heck maybe even some of us think that way about our lives all the time, but I am going to go out on a limb today and say that the majority of us don’t feel that our lives are filled with joy that is everlasting and yet my next question for that is why not? Many of us directly link joy with being happiness and to a certain extent that would be correct after that is a part of the word’s definition, but really what is joy?
What is joy to you?
Happiness?
Content?
On Cloud Nine?
The feeling of being accepted just as you are?
Living your life unshackled?
What really is joy?
It is written in the Old Testament that the “Joy of the Lord is our strength.”
This is where I struggle with joy just being a feeling of being happy because when I think about God I don’t think he just looks at us his most prized part of creation and says, “Yeah I am happy with it,” but even the definition describes that good is happiness that is brought on by an exceptionally good thing, or a time of elation.
“The joy of the Lord is our strength.”
How would you describe the way God feels in this phrase? He is happy because we are exceptionally good? He is elated with us because of the happiness we bring Him? What would you say?
Ponder that for a moment.
Hear the truth of the Gospel: One died for all so that all might live. Not just a happy life, but one that is filled with everlasting joy, a joy that can only come from our Father in Heaven. A joy that is forever and that is not dependent on our actions or behaviors, a joy that is as constant as the wind itself.
It just is.
Know that you are loved.
Forgiven.
Accepted.
Empowered.
Equipped.
Energized.
by God, who when He looks at you and I is eternally joyful.
Amen.