Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Daily Bread: Sacrifices of Joy

"And now mine head shall be lifted above, mine enemies round about me.  Therefore will offer in his tabernacle, sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord."  Psalm 27:6

How can you sacrifice joy?  A sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or lives as an act of worship.  It is the surrender or destruction of something prized, important, or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher value or greater importance.  So how do you sacrifice joy?  How do you offer joy as an act of worship? How can you surrender or give up joy for something higher?

Joy is an emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.  It is a state of happiness or felicity.  Can you imagine anything higher than joy?  Joy is elation, bliss, delight, rapture, and wonder.  What could possibly be higher than that?

 Nehemiah 8:10 says "for the joy of the Lord is your strength."  Psalm 16:11, "Your presence is the fullness of joy."  Psalm 35:9, "And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in His salvation."

My joy is the joy that comes from doing well at work, or making my children smile, or passing a test, or making my mother happy.  Those things are great, but they can't compare to the joy of the Lord.  My joy comes from thinking about how good God has been to me, what He brought me through.  My testimony is my joy.  But the joy of the Lord is even higher than that.  I lay down my joy to enter into the joy of the Lord.

Does sacrificing my joy mean that I walk around with a frown on my face?  No, because my joy is replaced by the joy of the Lord.  The joy of the Lord is greater than elation, greater than delight, and greater than bliss.  The joy of the Lord is greater than being joyful because of what God has done .  The joy of the Lord is being joyful simply because God is, God was, and God always will be.  The joy of the Lord does not wax or wane, it does not change, it is a constant joy.  Once you have it, it never goes away.  I will sing, yea I will sing praises unto the Lord, not because of what He's done.  I've sacrificed that kind of joy.  I will sing praises unto the Lord, not because of what He's allowed me to accomplish.  I've sacrificed that kind of joy.  I will sing praises unto the Lord because of who He is.  --Lady S.  

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