Ok, do you remember the old Cheech and Chong routine with Sister Mary Elephant? She is a Catholic school teacher who asks the question “Have you heard the word of the Lord today?” She is obviously trying to control a classroom of delinquents and ends up yelling at them to shut up. In any case, if you’ve ever heard it, it’s pretty funny.
Have you heard the word of the Lord today? I’ve got. And he wants me to tell them about the joy of Christ.
After lying awake in bed and obsessing over a financial issue (everyone has one), I began to realize that I was pretty focused on money, which had never given me much joy in life. So I began to reflect on the things that have given me joy and none of them had to do with money.
Imagine the scent of a rose. How can anything compete with that? It can’t be beat. When God created roses, he outdid himself. The sheer joy of taking a puff, a puff that reaches your toes, is like no other experience.
Or take, for example, a kitten. Many times I have experienced kittens that immediately purr when you pick them up. Put that little one close to your ear when he’s purring and there’s nothing like it. It is one of the most beautiful sounds on the face of the earth.
Have you checked out the local sunsets lately? Each one is different and even more spectacular than the last. God must be an artist.
What about the taste of honey on the tongue? A perfect food made by an excellent creature, the honey bee.
Joy can present itself in different ways. For me, it seems to find its way into my being through all five senses. Seeing a calm lake, hearing a bird sing at dawn, knowing that the dessert I just ate came directly from the throne of God, etc.
I am starting a series of articles on how Christ brings joy to the world. It’s an assignment from God, so I have to do it. He said, “I want you to bring the joy of Christ to the world through your writing.” And when the God of the universe speaks, you listen, obey and do everything he says.
Christ brought joy to the world simply by being in it. He taught us how to have a relationship with God and how to treat each other. He was a shining example of everything we should strive to be.
If you haven’t heard the word of the Lord today, you need to. If he doesn’t know Jesus Christ as his personal savior, he must. If you have never felt him close to you and the joy that it brings, you need to.
He came into this world for you. He was brutally beaten and died for you. And the power of God raised him from the dead so you could spend eternity in his presence. All you need to do is believe in Him.
I feel happy?