Joy Has Come

So I went to see Son of God in the movie theater. I prayed for the Bible to come alive and for it to be fun to watch. It was awesome because it spoke of God, but it wasn’t fun in the light-hearted, traditional sense of the word. The critics said the movie was boring. Well, if it was boring to the critics, I really hope it was because the story had a certain sense of familiarity. That’s how I felt.

I told God, I would love to pick up the Bible and not know it. I would love to experience the whole thing from start to finish, as if I had never read it.  Draw me in, not knowing what’s going to happen, not what’s going to be said next, and not knowing how God is going to react.  I spoke to the LORD.

“Let’s face it, the Bible has everything that makes life worthwhile.  It’s better than reading a favorite novel, but sometimes I wish it was just more entertaining.” I continued, “You know, I love the Word of God with all my heart, but even the most beautiful things in life, when they are super familiar, aren’t as new anymore. That spark that something new has, like the new roller coaster at six flags… that Christian movie that I just loved… that worship song that just touched my heart… The Bible’s infinitely superior of course, and I still enjoy it, even after all these years… but I just feel like I want more out of it. Perhaps if it were longer?”

Perhaps. Maybe what you need right now is a good dose of creativity. When you watch that movie, it leaves you wanting more, and so it should. When you read the Bible, it leaves you wanting more, and so it should, but as far as having fun… I’m the reason fun exists!  Nothing could be fun if it weren’t for me! It makes me sad sometimes when I see a Christian and he can’t find the joy in his life.

“I guess from the outside looking in, Christianity looks pretty boring to the world, huh?”

Yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m boring. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away; behold, new things have come.

“May I feel like I am new every day?”

Creativity is the ability to take something very familiar and present it in a way that makes it seem to the listener like they have never heard it before.

“So if I had something ordinary, like a marshmallow, I could be creative and make it something s’more?”

Funny, Gary.  Yes! And with lots of marshmallow! It isn’t every day that people get an opportunity to eat one!

I heard it said recently that if you’re in a small group of studious people and the group next to you starts laughing, that everyone in the studious group wants to kind of look over and see what’s going on.  We, as a general rule, follow the joy.  Wouldn’t you agree, gentle reader?

Joy lights hearts on fire, lifts broken spirits, creates thirst, and loves contentment. I was even reading a scripture today that says,

Psalms 37:4
“Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (NKJV)

The desires of my heart…

My first desire is that each of us, as believers, would give God credit for everything we enjoy in life, and honor Him by spreading that joy to others…

My second desire is for cookies…

That’s some food for thought.

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