I remember when I was a kid, summer was the best time! There
was no school and our days were filled with outside adventures, friends, and
fun. We might go to summer camp or look forward to Vacation Bible School and
the annual church picnic. In most cases, even if you had a rough upbringing,
summer still offered a break from all that came with the school year. It was a
carefree time, wasn’t it?! Today, I want everyone to think about that feeling.
It was relaxing and fun and healing from a long year. It was freedom! I believe
God wants us to enjoy our lives like that today.
Too often, we let the cares of this world and the business
of life drain us of that joyful freedom we naturally had as children. It’s time to take it back and walk in it! And
there’s only one source for that freedom – the Lord. God wants us to be free
but a lot of times, we walk around struggling in bondage when all we have to do
is ask for it! Psalm 118:5 says “In my
distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free.” Is
anybody tired of being tired? Aren’t you ready to wake up in the morning with a
joy in your spirit and a smile on your face? Ask God to set you free and He
will do it!
A couple of months ago, I got so overwhelmed with life. I
was tired, frustrated and a little bitter about some of the curveballs that
life had thrown at me. Some of it was the devil and some of it was of my own
causing. You may remember because my blog entries were a little rough during
that period. (Sorry!) But I went away by myself – no children, no husband, no
friends and I got in God’s face. I didn’t want to come back the same! I wanted
my joy back. But it was my responsibility to meet God and acknowledge where I
got off track so I could get it together. That’s why I love Psalm 51. It speaks
to facing yourself and your issues. It
was written by David after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba but you can
easily insert your issue whether it’s lack of obedience, a bad attitude, selfishness
or whatever. “Oh give me back my joy again; you have broken me – now let me rejoice.
Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a
clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me…Restore to me the joy of
your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.” (Psalm 51: 7-10, 12 NLT)
Sometimes circumstances and experiences have accumulated and
taken our joy and freedom but a lot of times, we have given it away. I
encourage you today to lay all of your burdens and weights down and ask God to
set you free again. Don’t allow all the lists and responsibilities you have to
overwhelm you to the point that you lose your joy. This is the day that the
Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it! You are alive where many
others are not. Even more, you serve a God that is willing and able to restore you! Imagine
those that don’t know Him! Don’t allow anything to keep you from that. Get in
God’s presence and you will find fullness of joy. You will find rest and
refreshing! You will find freedom.
Now to Him who is able
to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of
His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory
and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. AMEN (Jude 1:24-25,
NKJV)
No comments:
Post a Comment