Team Devotions
Joy from God's Presence
Bible Passage
The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give!
You have granted him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. You came to greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—length of days, for ever and ever. Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.
Devotion
When I was a pastor in New Jersey, a black pastor-friend invited me to preach at his church in Jamaica, Queens. The place was rocking. I was up front on the platform clapping my hands when Rod leaned over to me and said, "You know why those people are all smiling at you, don't you?" I said no.
"They're laughing at you 'cause you don't know how to move."
There's an ecstatic dimension of joy, which is to let yourself be moved. The word ecstasy means "to be moved out of your place." Joy is the capacity to be moved, to be shifted, to be taken out of something. I want to be able to move, in a literal sense.
You can fall into the trap of trying to manufacture sensational experiences in worship, but I don't think we can have joy until we're willing to let ourselves be moved, shifted.
–Ben Patterson
Character Check
Is my capacity for experiencing God in worship increasing?
Something to Think About
"Joy is almost never in our power, and pleasure often is."
–C. S. Lewis
Go Deeper
This theme is needed for helping your leaders to develop healthy boundaries and find joy in their Christian service.