Unspeakable Joy
Did you know that in the Old
Testament God instituted at least nine different feasts or holidays that the
children of Israel where commanded to follow. Each of these feasts were established
to commemorate a major moment in Israel’s history when it comes to her
relationship with God. The really
interesting and fun part is that these feasts were in fact feasts. They were actually parties to celebrate God’s
covenant with His people. The children
of Israel were encouraged to enjoy themselves.
Well we may not be under the same covenant but God is still the same God
and His ways to do not change. God still
encourages us to enjoy ourselves as we worship Him in all things. In fact the celebration is a theme throughout
the Bible. We see this revealed in the
New Testament with passages that describes this future party called the wedding
supper of the lamb. Even in the parable
of the prodigal son, the father has a great big party to celebrate his son’s
returns. We are commanded throughout
scripture to rejoice in the Lord always.
The Bible also testifies that the Joy of the Lord is our strength. The point here is that we are called and even
honored to have joy in our lives. This
is the message that I am excited, to teach our youth about. Too often many in our western society view
church goers as boring and bland. This
opinion is also held by many young people in our culture. Please
pray with me these next couple months as I attempt to take our youth threw a
Biblical journey of the Joy of the Lord.
It is my goal that this young generation understands and experience the
Joy of the Lord. Those who have His Joy
are rarely content with anything the world has to offer because it pales in
comparison to the joy of the Lord. This
March 30th you have the opportunity to see the joy of the Lord on
the faces of some of our youth as they lead the church in worship. As I close I would love to leave you with
this final thought… “Seriousness is not
a fruit of the spirit, but joy most defiantly is.” I encourage you to ponder that thought
these next couple weeks as you walk with the King and experience His
Unspeakable Joy.
God Bless
Michael
Casale
Youth
Director North Shore Church
