"And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee." (Deuteronomy 12:7)
Continuing in the study of joy another day, I love this verse taken from the writings of Moses. In this passage, Moses is instructing the newly-freed slaves from Egypt - the Hebrews - about their worship. Specifically, he is instructing them to come together in the house of God they will establish and in this place rejoice they are to rejoice for their labor.
My dad always said he would never retire, because if he ever retired he would die. Dad was a hard worker. He believed in the value of working - of having a purpose and an useful function. Without that, life lost it's flavor and it's meaning. He retired on paper (much like I have done) but continued to work through until his eyesight forbade it. When he did finally fully retire, it was only a matter of six months or so and he was totally blind, crippled in a wheelchair, and had Altheimer's disease. For the next ten years he lived totally dependent upon my mother to feed him, clothe him, bathe him - everything - all the while he didn't know who she was.
Why do I tell you this? Because it is God who gives us the power to make wealth and He adds no sorrow to it. Because you and I have a very distinct purpose and function to fulfill in this world and, until we find it, we will wander around unhappy and without joy. Those who have discovered their path and their destiny are filled with joy! You will see two different words used in scripture speaking of our labor: toil - which is a hard, grinding, sweat-it-out, wearisome exercise in frustration, and labor/work - which may also be hard, grinding, etc. The difference is when we labor (for the kingdom, for example) or perform our work, it is filled with satisfaction and joy. One of my favorite things to do to get motivated is go onto YouTube and pull up videos of men and women who are performing at full throttle. "In the zone" it is called.
I may not necessarily agree with what they are doing, but I celebrate their gift and enjoy seeing them fully in the moment. For example, Eddie Van Halen playing the guitar, Michael Jordan on the basketball court, Tiger Woods on the golf course, John Force racing his funny car, a military sniper tracking his prey, Pele on the soccer field, etc, etc. I love their energy. They get pumped when they are describing the moment later, but they are smiling while they are performing. They have found their joy.
What do you do that gives you that joy? What is it, that while you are doing it, time stands still for you and you are simply lost in the moment? What fills you with so much excitement, that thrills your heart with so much ecstacy? The Bible tells us that a man's gift will open doors for him before kings.
Find that for yourself today and offer that as a service and glory to God. If you sing, sing the best you can. If you bake, be the best. If you coordinate, be the world's top coordinator. If you can draw or paint, do it as unto God. Whatever your skill is, hone it to perfection and use it for your joy and for the glory and honor to the One Who gave you that gift. Herein is found joy.
Be blessed.
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