Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

Be Joyful

(?)

EVEN THOUGH I DON'T LIKE IT, I'm tempted to stand back, shrug, and agree with the wag who wrote:

This is the age

Of the half-read page

And the quick hash

And the mad dash

The bright night

With the nerves tight

The plane hop

With the brief stop

The lamp tan

In a short span

The big shot

In a good spot

And the brain strain

And the heart pain

And the catnaps

Till the spring snaps

And the fun's done.

My contention is that it doesn't have to be that way, at least not that last line. I refuse to force hilarity into the backseat every time responsibility takes the wheel. If the fun's done, it's because we didn't want it around, not because it didn't fit. To keep it there simply calls for some creativity and a little extra energy . . . maybe a surprise every now and then.

It really is what ought to mark us as believers.

A deep sense of awe came over them all. . . . And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. . . . They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity-all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.

ACTS 2:43–47

You have a fresh opportunity to evaluate who you spend your most valuable time with as this year ends. Are you surrounded by joyful people who love the Lord, enjoy laughter and fellowship, and who open their homes with gladness? We certainly have a responsibility to minister to the downhearted, the discouraged, and the deprived. We must do that with all our hearts and in the Spirit of Christ who calls us. But in those remaining times, let's hang out with people who lift us up not bring us down. Godly people who live life with a contagious joy . . . what a perfect combination! Let the fun begin!