Don't ya loathe those days when you feel dry and uninspired? Morning devotions feel like drudgery – lacking in fresh revelation or tingly feelings. Pretty soon you stop doing them. You move through your day feeling unconnected and cranky. Those are the days we want to give up the good fight for now, and just indulge a little:
- We want to blow off an inconvenient promise we made.
- We want to yell at loved ones when we feel aggravated.
- We want to read the gossip rags for cheap entertainment.
- We want to skip church small group since we don’t feel like going, or being around those who are more in-step with Christ.
- We want to gorge on the chocolate cream pie in the fridge. And we don't want to share.
It’s on these days I believe we have to fight for the joy we're missing. Pause and pray for God to fuel our focus. We have to ask Him to create a passion for obedience. Then, we focus on the task at hand - be it morning devotions or evening dinner - even if the feelings don’t immediately flood in. Our feelings will soon catch up.
Consider this quote from Pastor John Piper:
“As you are able to do some of your duty, ask God that the joy be restored. That is, don't sit and wait for the joy saying, ‘I will be a hypocrite if I do an act of mercy today, since I do not feel the joy of mercy.’ No, you will not be a hypocrite, if you know that joy is your duty, and repent that you don’t have it, and ask God earnestly to restore the joy even as you do the deed. That is not the way a hypocrite thinks. That is the way a true Christian thinks in the fight for joy.”
Let's fight for the joy today, girls!
8 Comments:
Great post. I am just learning to hear God when He speaks. There a song on my last post that had been running through my mind for several days. I tried to find the music or a video but nothing was available so I just put the lyrics on. It's "There Is No One Else Like You" - a Praise and Worship song. I just felt yesterday that I needed to just worship Him so I put it on my blog so others could do the same if they wanted to. "He is great, He does miracles so great, There is no one else like You". We are hoping to buy a car this week if things come together. It's in God's hands. We have found the car we want and I'm just believing God will answer our prayers.
From my heart to yours,
AliceE.
Rachel,
So true. Sometimes it seems like you have to fight for the joy for a whole season. So important to not give up...
Rachel, you have a way of speaking to my heart.
Fight for the joy...I will!!
Thanks girlie!
Ha! I just wrote a bit on my blog about one of those days when it seems impossible to hear God's voice! Thanks for the reminder to keep trying.
This is EXACTLY what I needed to read RIGHT NOW!!! GReat post, Rachel! Thank you!!!
Pat, Fighting for JOY in nyc!
This is a great post... and who can't relate. Such good nuggets of wisdom wrapped in this ~
Thanks for the reminder and the inspiration... can't wait to see you soon!!!
Great post. I have been feeling like I have no joy in my life right now and was just pouring my heat out to God and asking Him to give me the desire to spend time with Him.
It seems like I've been fighting for joy these past few days...Hard!! It's a struggle not to let the weight of the world overtake me. THanks for this post, I really needed it. :)
Mimi
Orlando, FL
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