Laughter is Serious BusinessA great number of people have the perception of God as the sober inhabitant of a beautiful but austere kingdom. Certainly someone to be in awe of, and without any doubts to be respectful of. Yet someone to laugh with – well... not so much. But when we look into God’s word, we may be surprised to find that God indeed, is deeply invested in the lighter side of life. Take into consideration the word rejoice, in various tense forms, appears in the New International Version of the Bible an amazing 181 times. The word joy surpasses that, being recited 218 times. The word joyful adds 16 to the total number. Henceforth leaving the word repent in the dust at 39 appearances and the word judgment with 132 mentions. The word sober (clear minded for those of us in recovery) is mentioned but twice.
In addition, the word rejoice is quite often used as a command: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4). “Our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!” (Revelation 19:6-7).
Our God is not a gloomy Gus who likes to break up our fun and subdue our laughter. Rather He is a God who encourages joyous outbursts of all kinds. Perhaps it’s because He knows even better than we, that we have a great deal to be happy about?
We all admit we enjoy laughter, and as inconceivable as it may seem, so does God. So the next time you giggle, chuckle, laugh or guffaw, imagine Him right there along side of you! Don't take life too seriously, be willing to laugh. Laugh with others, laugh at your own self, and laugh with God. We were created in His image.
It is the soul that is not yet sure of its God that is afraid to laugh in His presence. George MacDonald
God bless, Scot
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 NIV
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