Which of the following are similar to the ways you've served Christ in your family? [check all that apply]
• Taught your kids to see God's glory in nature
• Washed the dishes without being asked
• Played a board game with your kids
• Encouraged your wife to finish her master's degree
• Attended a child's open house at school
• Worked fewer hours to be with your family
• Set an example of a godly prayer life for your children
• Held a crying child
• Swung on the tire swing with your daughter
• Told your wife why you're still in love with her
• Told your son he's got what it takes
• Coached soccer
• Let you child correct you now and then
• Fixed the vacuum cleaner
• Taught your sons to ride a bike
• Listened patiently to a complaint of your wife
• Taped your child's artwork to your office wall
• Admitted to your kids that you were wrong
• Told your children how Christ entered your life
• Cleaned up vomit
• Taught your children to love books
• Been romantic without expecting sex
• Told your daughter she's smart/beautiful
• Set standards for your kids and stuck to them
• Dealt graciously with a busybody neighbor
• Peeled carrots
• Watched movies together
Joy Rehearsal Theme of the Week: Praise the Lord! Thursday, November 21, 2002
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November/December 200256Joy RehearsalTheme of the Week: Praise the Lord! Joy Rehearsal Theme of the Week: Praise the Lord! Thursday, November 21
Key Bible Verse: Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! (Philippians 4:4). Bonus Reading:Psalm 37:3–9
When a wife receives an anniversary present from her husband, she may ask, "Why did you do this?" As every husband knows, that's an important question.
If he replies, "I was obliged to do so by custom—it's our anniversary," it's an insult to her (and could result in injury to him). On the other hand, if he says, "You're the joy of my life; I just had to honor you with something nice," her response will be quite different.
Delighting in the relationship is the basis of a good marriage; it's also the basis of all genuine worship of God. Attempts by church leaders to engineer public worship in a way that forces others into being joyful usually don't work.
God wants us to be joyful, yet we can't force our emotions to be exuberant—and if we could, it would mean little. So what's the solution? It's simple: You must bring an existing joy to worship with you. You can't be suddenly joyous on Sunday morning if you've ignored God all week.
"Rejoice always" is the motto written on the banner of Christian living. Getting in touch with God every day in meditation will help keep you conscious of the many reasons to be glad in Him.
—Doug McIntosh in God Up Close
My Response: One way I'll find joy today in my relationship with God is …
Thought to Apply: Praise is boasting about what you enjoy. —C. S. Lewis (English scholar and writer, 20th century)
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