This yawning morning in late February has me palpably aware that two months of this ‘new’ year will soon be scooting off the stage. That reality creates a confrontation for me with TIME that produces these two thoughts: 1) I NEVER want to obsess over the inexorable passage of time in this life; but 2) I DO want to continually reflect on my life’s purpose and maximize the time I devote to doing the work God has given me.
The fleeting nature of time is pertinent for all believers because millions of Christians on planet earth are waking up discontented, if not depressed, about their life and JOYLESS walk with Christ. That joylessness stops them from thinking about the finite number of days they have on this side of the Heavenly divide to perform their role in building God’s Kingdom.
Without JOY in our walk with Christ it is very difficult, if not impossible, to be thinking about using our time wisely for the Kingdom, according to the purpose God has made us responsible.
Our discontentment leads to wishful thinking about eliminating what we perceive to be the source of our joylessness. It could be dampened joy (if not joylessness) from our job to our spouse to our money to our looks to our friends to our faith or to…you fill in the blank. For many of these hurting souls, they are operating a “JOYLESS FACTORY” with a steady stream of trauma and pain skidding off its production line.
Since it is difficult for Satan to tempt a believer filled with GODLY JOY and keep them from using time wisely for him, we must fight back against discontentment every day by looking at everything as a possible reason to rejoice in God’s goodness.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4
We must CHOOSE joy and always be on the look-out for Satan’s attempt to distract us. And that brings us to the canary. Here’s that story:
In the early days of coal mining, canaries with their sensitive metabolism were brought into the mines as a safety measure against carbon monoxide and methane explosions. If the birds were chirping (SOUNDING JOYFUL), miners knew the air was safe. If gas levels moved into the danger zone, the canaries would go silent, wobble on their perch, and then quickly drop dead.
Our joy as a believer is just like that little bird. When our spiritual heart goes quiet, it is time to search for the source of our discontentment and immediately REBOOT OUR CONNECTION WITH GOD and then get back on God’s clock to do his work.
CHOOSING JOY helps us keep the proper perspective in life. It allows us to focus our heart, mind, and strength on serving God and fulfilling his purposes in our life.
That’s why I ask God to help me continually dig deep to evaluate my level of JOY in HIM. To give me the strength to make sure I am being fully open and honest about how much joy I have in my faith walk so I can make the best possible use of the time he has given me to do his work.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
What’s your joyfulness score? Is it high enough to keep you aware of the finite grains of sand tumbling through life’s hourglass? Are you using your time wisely to serve others and build God’s Kingdom?
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
“The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.” Proverbs 10:28
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” Habakkuk 3:17-18
