Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3: 1-4 (NLT)
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.
Someone once said, “If you want to know more about the Bible, just volunteer to be a Sunday School teacher.”
How true that is. I teach an adult Sunday School class and I love their questions especially the difficult ones. These questions often make me dig a little deeper into my own personal Bible study.
One Sunday, I was asked, “Did Jesus ever laugh?”
That is a great question, because the Bible never actually tells us that He did.
First of all, what is laughter? Laughter is automatic physical response to humor. When something strikes you funny, you laugh. You don’t have to analyze it first and decide if you are going to laugh or not.
Think about this… We are made in the image of God and we have been given the gift of laughter. Laughter, therefore, must be an aspect of His image that He graciously has given to us. Laughter is like a mini vacation from life’s difficulties. You cannot laugh and think about your problems at the same time.
When it comes to Jesus, I find it extremely interesting that the Bible never comes out and tells us that He actually did laugh.
It does tell us that He experienced emotion.
The shortest verse in the Bible tells us, “Jesus wept.”
He also experienced anger as evidenced when he overturned the tables of the money changers.
Scripturally speaking, I have to go back to the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes to support my answer, “Yes, Jesus laughed.”
In the Old Testament scripture I opened with, the Bible tells us that certain actions at certain times have been deemed appropriate by God.
That includes laughter.
I think we would all have to agree that Jesus always did what was appropriate in God‘s eyes. Therefore, when the time for laughter was appropriate… He laughed. It simply stands to reason.
I wish His blessings for you today, especially the blessing of laughter!
The Other Brother Jim
NEXT WEEK: The Best Teacher I Ever Had
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Don’t Let Being a Sheep Get Your Goat
Scripture: Matthew 25: 31-33
But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.
My friend Joan once began a devotional in which she pointed out that being compared with sheep isn’t necessarily a compliment based on her experience with sheep. She did point out that sheep are in need of a shepherd.
As she gave this devotional, I thought about this passage of scripture of scripture from the book of Matthew. That also put me in mind of an experience I had regarding a goat.
Several years ago, my boss threw a party at his ranch near Dimebox. He took some of us on the grand tour of his property. It was while on this tour that I came across a beautiful group of horses accompanied by a not so beautiful goat.
While this group of animals grazed I had to ask, “So, what’s up with the goat?” My boss responded, “He must think that he’s a horse because he follows them around all day long.”
As if to prove the point, the horses moved a little deeper into the pasture to graze and sure enough… the goat moved right along with them.
I think that’s the way it is a lot of people, some Christians included.
They will go through this world mistakenly thinking they are sheep. It is only when the sheep and goats are separated will they find out they are goats.
Then, it will be too late. Imagine how devastating that would be!
If you ask people if they believe they are going to heaven, more often than not you will get an answer beginning with “I think so”, or “I hope so.”
Follow that up with another question… “WHY?”
You will often get answers beginning with “I.”
“I try to do the right things.”
“I try to be a good person.”
“I don’t hate anyone.”
Paul is very clear on this subject in Romans 5:8
But God commandeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Goats can take a huge step toward becoming sheep when their answer to “WHY?” begins with the word “He.”
“He died for my sins.”
“He paid the price I could not pay.”
“He loved me that much.”
On the surface, being compared to sheep may not seem very complimentary…
…but it sure beats being a goat!
God Bless You,
The Other Brother Jim
But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.
My friend Joan once began a devotional in which she pointed out that being compared with sheep isn’t necessarily a compliment based on her experience with sheep. She did point out that sheep are in need of a shepherd.
As she gave this devotional, I thought about this passage of scripture of scripture from the book of Matthew. That also put me in mind of an experience I had regarding a goat.
Several years ago, my boss threw a party at his ranch near Dimebox. He took some of us on the grand tour of his property. It was while on this tour that I came across a beautiful group of horses accompanied by a not so beautiful goat.
While this group of animals grazed I had to ask, “So, what’s up with the goat?” My boss responded, “He must think that he’s a horse because he follows them around all day long.”
As if to prove the point, the horses moved a little deeper into the pasture to graze and sure enough… the goat moved right along with them.
I think that’s the way it is a lot of people, some Christians included.
They will go through this world mistakenly thinking they are sheep. It is only when the sheep and goats are separated will they find out they are goats.
Then, it will be too late. Imagine how devastating that would be!
If you ask people if they believe they are going to heaven, more often than not you will get an answer beginning with “I think so”, or “I hope so.”
Follow that up with another question… “WHY?”
You will often get answers beginning with “I.”
“I try to do the right things.”
“I try to be a good person.”
“I don’t hate anyone.”
Paul is very clear on this subject in Romans 5:8
But God commandeth his own love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Goats can take a huge step toward becoming sheep when their answer to “WHY?” begins with the word “He.”
“He died for my sins.”
“He paid the price I could not pay.”
“He loved me that much.”
On the surface, being compared to sheep may not seem very complimentary…
…but it sure beats being a goat!
God Bless You,
The Other Brother Jim
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