Is Following Jesus all Fun and Laughs?—R Fritz
Those of us that have followed Jesus for a while should know things do not always turn out the way we want them to. They did not go our way before we knew Jesus also. The difference is we can have a relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit that lives in us. It is part of us if we let the Holy Spirit direct us in our words and actions, but if we do not surrender, we are in control. That is the truth that sets us free or keeps us bound with lies from Satan. That is our choice, something we can change at any time. God gives that opportunity at various times in our life to remove the issues in our life. That is the choice that makes our life and the things from our past into that person that gets closer to that holy, righteous, and loving person that God wants us to be. This means our old self will be changed forever with us becoming that new person. We learn from our mistakes and if we do not change, we are still that same old person.
God also made us to laugh and gave us our emotions. Laughter was part of God and he made us to be able to laugh as well. Genesis 21:6 says, “And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.” God had a plan where laughter and joy would cure our thoughts and some of our physical issues. Laughter relaxes the whole body, boosts the immune system, triggers the release of endorphins, protects the heart, burns calories, eases anxiety and stress. God gave us laughter for a reason, laughter brings us together. Laughter is a source for us to receive courage and the strength to find meaning to our life and a source for hope. Laughter gives us the will to go through things we are unwilling to do. When the Holy Spirit is in control, we are given time for laughter, time for tears and sometimes both at the same time.
If we are listening to the Holy Spirit God’s love comes into our heart and overcomes our problems. When we forget about that love is where we forget our focus on Jesus. Satan wants to come along and steal our joy. Nehemiah 8:10 says “Then he said unto them, go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Notice it says the joy of the Lord is your strength, if we are living with our joy that is the joy that Satan steals, Satan cannot steal God’s joy which is part of the Holy Spirit that lives in us. That is something we forget, including myself. The battles we take on for other people after a while want to steal our joy and peace. In other words, an issue that is bothering one person becomes an issue affecting two people. We need to understand we cannot help all people, sometimes we need to step back and pray and ask God what we need to do next. It could be we need to give this person some space to think or wait for the Holy Spirit to give the next instructions. It is not always our job to do what others cannot. Sometimes our mission is to give a message and walk away and let God be God. That is what hurts with people we are close to, sometimes they need to struggle for them to be forced into making the right decision. We know the right decision, or we know what must be done but we cannot do it for them.
What I am writing is the answer to some of the things I have been struggling with. When we are called to help people, we want to do what needs to be done, something only they can do. We are there to pick up the pieces in some cases or point them in the direction they need to go. We get so wrapped up in people we are running on our feelings. You now see how God answers me through other people or the things the Holy Spirit gives me to write about. I have learned to listen to people to see if God is speaking to me through other people. It does not matter who it is because God uses the least of us.
In God’s eyes we are all valuable, it does not matter our social standing or the money we have or how long we have known Jesus or if we know Jesus, we all can be used. Jesus talks about who the least of is and those that are not and the consequences in Matthew 25:35-46 with verse 40 and Jesus speaking “And the king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” We must look at who God wants us to be through the Holy Spirit.
Too many times we look at people who are living their life through the flesh and seeing the fun they are having. The Bible says we are not of this world. John 17:14-15, 17 says and this is Jesus speaking “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” God’s word is our truth. We live in this world, but we are a new creature in Christ, sin is no longer our master. We are changing into the image of Jesus. We are set apart from the world, the light of Jesus shows through the spiritual darkness of this world and shows we are different from everybody else.
That does not mean we cannot have fun or laugh, we do it differently from the world. God has a sense of humor and gave that to us. If we go on vacation or do something fun the Holy Spirit is still with us, we do not leave the Holy Spirit home. I look back at some of the vacations I had, they were what I call working vacations with the Holy Spirit working on me or helping somebody else. They were fun because the Holy Spirit made sure I had fun because he was watching out for me. Have fun but remember who we are, “a born-again believer of Jesus Christ.” God Bless.
