Psalm 90:15 (NLT)
Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good.
Epiphanies. Throughout this fleeting life, they've flickered in my brain. Truths such as: GOD loves me. Really! …Understanding that nothing- nothing!- can separate us from this love… And then there is the most recent: That I can’t find GOD or joy without Him giving it to me.
In all honesty, the last thing I desire as a human being is pursuing GOD. Sure, I make an effort. But only after I've done what I want to do. After the task at hand, be it fellowship, shopping, the game, Facebook chatter. Whatever. No matter how hard we try, we are sinners in desperate need of mercy and grace. We long for help, assistance in breaking out of this confining flesh and depraved nature. And that only comes from GOD. It's out of our control. But by his Spirit, he bends our spirits toward himself. He helps us recognize our need for Him and then, if we are willing, dwells within us, empowering us to do (and be) the impossible! It's then that our pursuit in joy begins. Because joy and Jesus are synonymous. To know genuine joy is to know the genuine Jesus. Not happiness on a whim by a cookie-cutter Savior of our own making. The pursuit of joy begins where we began Monday. On our knees. In prayer. Praying that GOD reveal himself in the upcoming weeks as we embark on the pursuit together in small groups. In our personal lives. As you allow him to bend you. Embrace you. And pursue joy.
