Jesus was joyful and we should be too

Posted byoakhillcrossvillePosted inUncategorized
Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Selfcare”

Our Bible verse for today: “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” John 15:11 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Jesus was joyful and we should be too”

For more than twenty-five years I have had a picture hanging on the wall in my office of Jesus laughing (Aimee and I also have a copy of it on the wall in our living room). It’s my favorite picture of Jesus. His head is back, He has a broad smile and a look of delight on His face, and He is clearly letting loose with a deep belly laugh. This is more than just a grin and a chuckle. This is more like holding-your-sides and trying not to pee your pants robust laughter.

And I love it! As I gaze at that picture (with a grin on my own face), I wonder if Jesus was really like that. Did He laugh like that? Did He have moments (perhaps frequent moments) when He was so thoroughly enjoying Himself that He just let loose with howls of laughter? Yes. I believe He did.

In John 15:11 Jesus told us that one of His objectives was to instill in us the joy that He Himself experienced. But I think when we read that statement, we might over-spiritualize it. In our quest to be pious we conclude that Jesus must have been referring to a kind of reverent, button-down, dignified, stained-glass joy (little more than a small smile and a nod of approval.) But I’m not buying that.

Have you ever been to a Jewish wedding, or perhaps seen one depicted in a movie? It’s a riot. It’s loud and boisterous with fast music, clapping, singing, dancing, laughing, feasting, and wine. Lot’s of wine. Jesus went to such weddings. John chapter two tells us so. And get this, Jesus made the wine. More than 100 gallons of it, and the passage tells us that it was deemed by the master of ceremonies to be the finest of wines. The good stuff.

This is a devotional not a wine commercial and my only point is that Jesus was a fun-loving person and as His followers, we should be too. We need light-hearted attitudes about life and we need what author Robert Johnson once referred to as “a theology of play.”

In terms of selfcare, this is important. Therefore, we will spend the next several days exploring this idea of developing a personal theology of play. In the meantime, I encourage you to spend some time thinking about Jesus as joyful and playful, and then let His joy be your joy.

God bless,
Pastor Jim    

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville
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