Joy

Winkey Pratney

Posted on by Kath Walden

Often almost unnoticed in Scripture is the one Divine thing that cannot be counterfeited in life. While various forms of false fun and many prevailing perversions of pleasure are sought as proposed purposes for enjoyment, none of these can bring what will be finally seen as something most fundamentally supernatural. It does not depend on circumstance. It transcends any human expectation from any exterior provision. It may function in the most frightful onslaughts of fear, a formidable enemy fury or ongoing furnace of pain. It is joy.

 

Gilbert Keith G. K. Chesterton

Posted on by Kath Walden

Most sensible people say that adults cannot be expected to appreciate Christmas as much as children appreciate it. But I am not sure that even sensible people are always right; and this has been my principle reason for deciding to be silly — a decision that is now irrevocable. It may be because I am silly, but I rather think that, relatively to the rest of the year, I enjoy Christmas more than I did when I was a child. My faith demands that such be the case. The more mature I become the more I need to embrace the joys of the incarnation. The more mature I become, the more I need to be but a child.

Rick Warren

Posted on by Kath Walden

He gave us taste buds, then filled the world with incredible flavors like chocolate and cinnamon and all the other spices. He gave us eyes to perceive color and then filled the world with a rainbow of shades. He gave us sensitive ears and then filled the world with rhythms and music. Your capacity for enjoyment is evidence of God’s love for you. He could have made the world tasteless, colorless, and silent. The Bible says that God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” He didn’t have to do it, but he did, because He loves us.