A Joyful blog

The redeemed, we who have the privilege of  being called by God, have joy as part of our birthright in the kingdom of God.

It's surprising what songs come to mind when you have been in Christian circles for years, here is one that some of you may remember :

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Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return

And come with singing unto Zion 

And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. 

They shall obtain gladness and joy 

And sorrow and sighing shall flee away 

This was a popular song that I enjoyed singing; and the result is that I can still remember it decades later. The song is based on a passage of scripture at the end of Isaiah 35:10. The redeemed, we who have the privilege of  being called by God, have joy as part of our birthright in the kingdom of God. The apostle Paul writes to the church at Rome, ‘that the kingdom of God  is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Spirit’. He also reminds the believers in the letter to the Galatians that the fruit of the Spirit includes: love, joy and peace. So when he commands the church at Thessalonica to: ‘Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances’, he is reminding them of their calling; this is who they are supposed to be. 

Joy is simple, uncomplicated, unsophisticated. In Luke chapter 10, we read how Jesus sends out the 72 to preach and to demonstrate the kingdom of God and they return to him full of joy. Then in verse 21: ‘At that time, Jesus full of joy through the Holy Spirit said: ‘I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children, yes Father for this was your good pleasure’’. Most of the songs that I can recall, which contain the theme of joy, are children's songs. I could fill the blog with them but here is a well-known one, 

The joy of the lord is our strength…repeat x4..

He gives me living water and I thirst no more…X4

If you want joy then you must sing for it

If you want joy you must shout for it 

If you want joy you must dance for it 

The joy of the lord is our strength.

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Like many things in the Kingdom of God, joy is something that we can experience in part now but the full  measure waits for us in the future when there is no more sorrow. You may know the saying about the Kingdom of God that it is, ‘now and not yet’. Indeed this was true for Jesus as we read in Hebrews12:2: ‘let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God’. There are seasons in life when we must persevere, joy may be in short supply, but we are commanded to be joyful in hope taking Jesus as our example. The psalmist captures this thought in Psalm 126: 

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,

like streams in the Negeb!

Those who sow in tears

shall reap with shouts of joy!

He who goes out weeping,

bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home with shouts of joy,

bringing his sheaves with him.

So cultivate joy throughout your day and may you be a blessing to your community but especially to the Lord.

Author: Richard Windridge

May God bless and enrich your life

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