“Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.” James 5:13 NLT
In times of great joy it’s hard to conceal our emotions. In fact we want everyone to know the joy we are feeling, it’s hard to hold it back. We begin to tell everyone we know, even those we don’t know. We make sure our closest friends are the first ones to know, after all, who will most share that joy along with us but those closest to us.
But for Christians sometimes even the smallest joy is not expressed to the one who would appreciate most, our Lord Jesus. Oh, we know that he knows, but expressing our joy to Him and thanking Him for it is what our Lord wants to hear. We have all heard people say to their loved ones, maybe you have said it yourself, ‘you know I love you’ and the response comes back, ‘I know but it would be nice to hear it once in a awhile.’
Expressing our joy and our love to those closest to us should come naturally, and maybe for many of you it does and the Lord bless you for it. But for those of us who need a refresher course, let’s start with James’ advise when he says, “Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.” (Ja.5:13 nlt) Who better to sing praises to than to the Lord remembering that all good things come from Him, and Him alone. James also wrote, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” (Ja.1:17 esv) So, let’s not forget the Lord and start giving Him praise as we share our joy whatever it may be.
Word for the Soul 