God Loves to see you smile
By Scott Phillips2005-10-04
Pass the Word. Sunday 2-3 Tune into 97.3 fm or go to our website
and listen to the live stream to our New Radio Show. We take
callers with questions and discuss issues that deal with living and
pleasing God.
ReMember to have a good day,
God Loves to see you smile.
The other day my wife was rushing around the house helping someone
get ready for a wedding that attends the church in Clinton. The
couple did not have alot of money and my wife just saw an
opportunity to do something nice, because that is the way she is.
For the next few days she was focused and motivated on the task at
hand. Through out this process of hard work, I marveled at how
thrilled she was doing something for someone else. Through this I
had a "TADA" moment. She was demonstrating a characteristic of God.
God loves to see you smile.
He has/does and will go to great lengths to bring joy into your
life. If you think of the history of God dealing with man, it is
amazing to consider everything he has done had a single overriding
purpose and that being for man to find that place of Joy and
Completeness.
It started with the carefully planned habitat in Eden. Then his
custom made companion for Adam. He then tailored clothing to cover
the shame of their sin with clothes. And from there the list goes on
and on.
I have often thought of Gods dealing with man for selfish reasons on
his part. I have heard it communicated that God did it all because
he wants praise or love or some other thing. I however don't believe
that is true.
I think God gets more glory when from a thankful heart a smile
transforms a face, a heart is filled with love and words of sincere
communication transpire. I don't think he does it for praise, I
think that God does it simply because he loves to see you smile.
It is sort of like the Chicken or Egg debate. What does God want
from you? Is it just to see you "serve him" and worship him or is it
that God truly loves his children and wants to see them happy and
fulfilled.
The answer is found in the picture of a parent. No doubt parents
love for a child to get up publicly and tell how great they are.
However I truly believe what is the greatest source of joy for a
parent is to see their children happy and living purposeful,
meaningful lives.
Your Heavenly Father loves to see you smile.
The natural outflow of the Goodness of our Father is for us love
him. When we think of the great price God has paid to reconcile us
back to him and redeem us from the curse of sin, it helps to know
why. The purpose is not so he has someone to sing for him, testify
for him or even give money for him. The purpose is to see his
children experience true joy.
I did not say God wants you to be a spoiled brat. No good parent
gives their children everything they want. No good parent is going
to let everything come easy. However the overriding driving passion
of God is too see his children prosper and lead productive and
meaningful lives.
The scripture says, "If ye being evil know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the
Holy Ghost to everyone that asketh."
Does he give the Holy Ghost to his children for "self serving"
purposes or does he do it because he sincerely and deeply loves to
see his children experience the joy that only the Holy Ghost can give.
I have heard so many preachers preach about praise and worship and
they present it as God doing everything because he likes to be
praised. I really don't think that is what God likes. I truly
believe that What God likes is what produces true praise and worship.
When we recognize that every good and perfect thing in our life
comes from one source, when we can see the tremendous price paid for
the saving of our souls, when we get a glimpse at the vast reservoir
of his love there is a natural by-product that will come flowing
from us like a rain swollen river rushing, flowing toward the the
source of the rain.
When you smile at God, God smiles back at you. If you have anything
you can smile about, it is because of the tender mercies of a savior
that has spared no expense to see his child in that place of
meaningful purpose. If you have a need and will sincerely and
honestly seek his face, he will answer your prayer and meet your
need. Why? He wants to see your life filled with purpose and
meaning? Why? Because he loves to see you smile.
Smiling.
In Him, By Him, Through Him,
Scott Phillips
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