Staying joyful - or weeping and mourning before You? - and obeying, acting upon Your word!

February 24, 2010

Daniel 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.

Father, I’ve been told in the past few days to stay in Your joy, even in the midst of sadness and sorrow over what is going on among Your people… but I wonder – are there not times when the best response is to weep and mourn before You?

Joel 1:12… Indeed, rejoicing dries up from the sons of men. 13. Gird yourselves with sackcloth, and lament… Come, spend the night in sackcloth O ministers of my God …. 14. Consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly; gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. 15. Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from he Almighty. 16. Has not food been cut off before our eyes, gladness and joy from the house of our God? … 19. To You, O LORD, I cry…

2:12 Yet even now, declares the LORD, Return to me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13. And rend your heart and not just your garments. Now return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil. 14. Who knows whether He will not turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him…

28. It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind… 32. and it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD will be delivered.

Luke 22:25 And He said to them, The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ 26. But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. 27. For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves….
45.When he rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, 46. and said to them, Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.

Colossians 3:1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God…
8. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10. and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him – 11… Christ is all, and in all.
12. So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13. bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful. 16. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
…. 23. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for man, 24. knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. 25. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.

4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.