Smile God Loves You
(and so do I)
Has anyone ever told you to smile and you purposely did not smile simply for the reason that they told you to? How often have we heard, "Smile, things can't be that bad?" Truth is there are a lot of times when we do not feel like smiling and someone telling us to just makes us feel even less like it. And there is always the annoying fired up Christian who comes along on our very worst day and says, "Smile God loves you, and so do I." We want to scream, "I know God loves me, I don't care if you love me or not, and I do not feel like smiling!"
Smiling is sometimes the last thing we want to do no matter how much God or anyone else loves us. Smiling, as with so many other things in life, is a choice that we must make ourselves. No one can smile for us, nor force us to smile.
But what if God were to tell us to smile? Hmmm, what then? How big would we smile if we heard His voice, say, "SMILE I LOVE YOU!"
Throughout scripture, we are reminded about being joyful but don't actually find the word "smile" in KJV anyway. Weeping may endure for a night, but what comes in the morning? JOY When we weep the tears flow, but when we have joy the smile must surely show. We are reminded often that the joy of the Lord is our strength. When we have that joy should we not smile?
Some may ask how it is that they may obtain this joy of the Lord that seems to be the ticket to get us through the trials of life on days when we don't want to smile. How did the disciples get the joy, joy, joy, down in their soul? Where? Down in their soul.
Acts 13:52 tells us that the disciples were filled with joy AND with the Holy Ghost. To receive the true joy of the Lord, one must receive the Spirit of the Lord.
Even though scripture never speaks of Jesus smiling, you know He did. Can you imagine how happy you would be if you heard God's voice from Heaven telling you that He is well pleased with you? I believe Jesus smiled when He heard this. I believe Jesus smiled when He saw the lame not just walk, but leap with joy as they were healed. I believe He smiled when the woman at the well brought the whole city out to meet Him. I believe He even smiled to Himself when satan tried to tempt offering Him all the kingdoms of the world that He had created in the first place. satan still is in the business of trying to give things away that aren't his to give in the first place. One thing he tries to make us believe he can give is joy. He can't. It isn't his to give, but the Lord's. About the only thing satan can give is confusion which never brings joy.
I also believe Jesus smiled when the disciples whom He loved so much received the Comforter that He had promised to send to them when He went away.
I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you. John 14:18
So what is it that I am trying to say to you today?
Please don't think I am just an annoying fired up Christian telling you this, but God loves you.
He is pleased with you. He will not leave you comfortless.
He is still the Healer who makes lame not to just walk, but leap for joy. He still uses people to bring whole cites to come to know Him.
He still laughs at satan and gives us the power to laugh in his face as we put him and his confusion under our feet.
If the joy of the Lord is truly your strength, maybe you should smile today, even if you don't feel like it.
For Jesus intends for His joy to remain in us and for that joy to be full always.
Being full of joy leaves no room for sadness.
God truly does love you more than you can ever imagine.
Smile.
:-)