Shout Joyfully

SHOUT JOYFULLY. Of the many things I learned from my Mom, one is this: first impressions matter greatly! There will only be one "first impression" of something - yes, only one. As a general rule, our ideas and opinions of something are formed from that very first impression, and those ideas and opinions are often difficult to overcome. Psalm 100:1 (AMP) says, "Shout joyfully to the LORD all the earth." This is a command and an invitation to God's people to make some noise about the God Whom they say they love and adore! I'm sure we all can agree there is lots of shoutin' going on in this world today - not the kind of joyful shouting of this verse. From all corners of this earth, we hear see and hear mankind shouting (sudden and loud outbursts) about many things. The one thing, however, that seems to be missing is the voices of those who love The Lord and Creator of all things. Sadly, I fear we more-than-not lead the way in silence; that is, neglecting to speak-of and to testify to the rest of the world the greatness of our God. The psalmist continues, "Serve the LORD with gladness and delight; come before His Presence with joyful singing. Know and fully recognize with gratitude that the LORD Himself is God; it is He Who has made us ... We are His people." (V.2-3, AMP). The world's shouting will not end until Christ returns - expect it to continue. Those who love The LORD, however, can and should and must give voice to the evidence of His Greatness. We don't have to be loud or obnoxious but we can joyfully speak of Him in how we live our lives to the cashier at the store where we shop, the co-worker that sits at the desk nearby, the guy who changes the oil in our car, the voice at the other end of the drive-through, the representative who answers our call to customer service ... absolutely anyone and all with whom we engage each day. Our "shouts" of joy should be evident in every area of our lives, and those shouts should be joyful and delightful ... very different than the world's. God has invited us to let our lives speak of The Lord to Whom we belong ... shout joyfully. Miles of Smiles, Beverly