|
|
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Joy: Where It Comes From, Part 1
There was this acquaintence of mine. Charlie. He was, and still is, a lawyer.
Anyway, Charlie went about his business as a lawyer in our town. He was very good at it, too. He just went to work and did whatever it was that lawyers do, and he was involved in several high profile cases on the news in my town. He was also able to score very good seats at football games.
Well, oddly enough, the state governor in our state got into some legal trouble. Not sure what it was about and not sure if he ever got convicted or whatever. But he did have to step down in the middle of his term or something like that. The details get kinda vague after a decade.
Well, a good friend of Charlie's became the governor...for something like a year or two.
Charlie got a phone call.
Charlie became the governor's Chief Advisor. Charlie was the right hand man to the governor. There was no greater power. No greater honor. No greater responsibility. It was the highest of honors.
Well, that phrase "right hand man" has a history, one we can find referenced in Psalm 16: 7--8.
"I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; Indeed my mind instructs me in the night. I have set the Lord continually before me; Bcause He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."
These are the words of King David. A King who had united the fractured kingdom of Israel. The nation reached never-before seen prosperity. Military threats were eliminated. Morale was high. A king so revered that they are still waiting on one to be greater than Him. He had everything...power to wives/concubines to wealth to whatever else might impress you. He even wrote Scripture.
And note where he puts the Lord:
Continually before him. The Lord is his highest priority.
Notice where the Lord is:
At his right hand.
The position of power. The position of influence. The most trusted in the kingdom. The highest of honor.
Now, remember, we're still in our study of joy and 2nd in the list of fruit of the Spirit. And the key to joy (which we'll find out as we work our way through this Psalm) is to put the Lord continually before you.
At your "right hand."
For today, the question is, if this is so important to experiencing joy, why is it that we humans tend to be reluctant to put God in the position of power, the position of influence, the most trusted, the highest of honor? What are the things that hold us back...even if we can mouth the words but make it hard in reality?
Brent 4:29 AM
|