Smile!

"Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation." (Habakkuk 3:18)

How many times have we heard people say that they don't want to make a true commitment to the Lord because they don't want to ruin all their fun in life? This seems to be a mindset these days as lovers of pleasure continue to run from the only true Joy that mankind has ever known.

The world needs to see Christians smile. They need to see that we enjoy life to the very fullest. Our countenance needs to reflect the Joy of our salvation, the Peace that floods our soul, and the Happiness that only total surrender to the King of kings can bring.

When was the last time you rejoiced in the Lord . . . truly rejoiced unashamedly before Him? In the workplace, at school, at the grocery, at the gym, even at the doctor's office . . . all these places and more are acceptable locations for outbursts of JOY. Lyrics from a popular song from a few years ago said, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel . . . the Gospel of Jesus Christ!" We all sang along, with heart-felt commitment and determination, yet when floods of joy overwhelm us we don't easily let it show on our faces. Why? Could it be that we really are ashamed?

Take a few moments today and ask yourself how the world sees you. Do they see you as depressed, unhappy, lacking joy and meaning to life? If so, ask the Lord to help you release that Joy down in your soul for the whole world to see and let it shine . . . you may be the only light that someone will ever see that leads them to the foot of the cross. Go ahead . . . joy in the God of your salvation. He's worth it, for sure!

Father, I am truly grateful for all you have done for me. The joy you have given me is overwhelming at times; help me not to hold it in any longer, but to let it show . . . let the whole world know that You are the source of true Joy. Father, from the depth of my heart I rejoice in You, the God of my salvation. I make a decision today to let my countenance tell the story of Your wondrous love and redeeming blood which bought my freedom from sin and death. Lord, how I rejoice in just knowing You. What a privilege—hallelujah!

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16)

© Jan Ross
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