spend in communication with God and thinking about the things of God. Psalm 16 says:
7 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.
There is the concept here of setting the Lord before us - what does that mean? Well, I believe that we can make it our goal to spend quality time in Him, to make following His precepts a central focus of our lives, and to recognize that He is with us and He is available to us. Having that sense of His abiding presence can result in our being joyful, even in the midst of trials that we might face. Because the joy of the Lord is not dependent on our outward circumstances, but on our inward relationship with Almighty God.
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There is some good news for us today - we can have a relationship with the Savior of the world, and
He has an incredible life in store for us. In John 10, Jesus says:
9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
There has been some notable news from the social media platform Facebook recently. There was a meeting of leading conservatives with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who mostly came away convinced that "the giant social network wants to repair its relationship with the right after damaging allegations it steers people away from conservative viewpoints," according to a piece on the USA Today website.
The article cites a poll by polling firm Morning Consult, which indicated more than half of registered voters — 55% — get their news from social media companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. Nearly half, 47%, also said they're "comfortable" with social media companies determining what news they see on their sites vs. 34% who said they were not comfortable.
Social media has become yet another frontier in the work of Faith Radio, as our ministry has a Facebook page, and my show, as well as Morning Praise, have Facebook pages through which we communicate with our listeners. And, in an unexpected development, I followed the suggestion of Joe Savage and connected with him in Moldova using the new Facebook calling feature.
Facebook has also been in the news recently for a new record holder for its new Facebook Live streaming feature. You may have seen it, and if you saw it, the sound of it may still be echoing in your mind...
I just checked this morning, and to say this video has gone viral, well, that's an understatement. Over 135 million views! The video was shot in a lady's car following her purchase of a Star Wars Chewbacca mask that features a mouth that moves and a Chewy sound that emanates from somewhere within it.
Her name is Candace Payne. She has been a worship leader since age 14 - she sings, plays the guitar and writes music, according to the Christian Examiner. She also has done stand-up comedy. She and her husband of 15 years met in church, found their "love story" there, and they have volunteered in student ministry together since then. They worship with their two children at a church southwest of Dallas.
And, she shared some insight about joy - the joy that she has in the Lord. She said, "As far as the joy aspect, it is much deeper than the Chewbacca mask," adding, "It was fun watching it go viral and fun watching people get some joy out of it, too," but at the core of real joy is faith.
She says people have reached out to her that have struggled with depression and anxiety and been uplifted by the video. She said that one person said, "I haven't laughed in the two months since my dad died." Another said: "I haven't had a gut wrenching laugh in two years."
Candace adds, "If I am going to say anything ... our world that we live in has a dark cloud over us that keeps us feeling like we can't ever experience deep joy daily...It really is about thanking God for every single thing we have. When you have a heart that is grateful, we laugh more." She says, "Joy will radiate that faith," just like when inside the mask, she was radiating faith "from Jesus who promises me I will have a fuller life."
And, what a potential opportunity she has to connect with people; perhaps through discovering her back story, people will come to experience the joy of the Lord for themselves. That's one of the takeaways here - perhaps there are activities in which we participate or actions that we take that can provide a platform through which God uses us to share His truth and His character.
What an incredible surprise that a simple video with a Chewbacca mask would have generated so much attention, and as the article points out, she starts the video with the line, "It's the simple joys in life..." We can evaluate ourselves and think if maybe we are truly appreciating those "simple joys." Or, are we trapped in a routine or overwhelmed by our circumstances that we don't appreciate what perhaps God has given us to enjoy? We can be challenged to take time and take pleasure in what God has provided for us.
I do think we can remember that joy is a fruit of the Spirit. As Candace says in the article, people often confuse joy with laughter, but joy doesn't mean that. Indeed, she relates, "you will cry more; feel and hunger for thing [sic] passionately (when you have faith in Christ); you will experience joy at a fuller level you will ever think possible." Joy is not dependent on circumstances, but it is a product of deep abiding faith in the Lord and expressed as we abide in Him.
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