I love it when the Lord gives me a sermon illustration through a simple life circumstance. I like to wash my hair in the kitchen sink because I like to use the sprayer for rinsing. Some people aren't too fond of that idea but my mother used to wash my hair in this fashion although we didn't have a spray faucet back then. Well, a couple of days after washing, I was searching high and low for my shampoo. It is called "Silver" and works great on my silver hair to make it shiny. I looked and looked. I have recently been using JOY dishwashing soap. Hadn't used it for years! Well, while searching for the shampoo... I really am going somewhere with this... I happened to look around the side of the bottle of Joy, and lo and behold! There was the bottle of Silver right behind it. I had to go through the Joy to get to the Silver. The Holy Spirit began to speak to my heart of Psalm 16:11 which includes, "In His Presence is Fullness of Joy and at His Right Hand, Pleasures forevermore."
Every good thing flows to and from relationship. The way we relate to God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit is to be IN His Presence. In that Presence is Fellowship, Communion and Intimacy. Through Jesus's death on the Cross, the way was opened for us to enter into that amazingly wonderful Presence. What we need for sustenance in life can be obtained within that Presence, even praying "Give us this day our daily bread". When we pray, we are entering into His Presence. When we worship, we are entering into His Presence. When we are in true fellowship with one another, we are in His Presence. "God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.", John 4:24. We read Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 13:14 and he speaks of the "Fellowship of the Holy Spirit."
So, following these thoughts that came to me in my kitchen, "you have to go through the Joy to get to the Silver", I will refer to the Silver as the Blessings of the Lord. "The Blessing of the Lord makes one rich and he adds no sorrow with it.", Proverbs 10:22. In the midst of life's most difficult trials, and they will come, if we will learn to "practice His Presence", in other words, spend time with him in worship, prayer, the Word, meditating on Him day and night, we will experience all the unexplainable inner strength, endurance, wisdom, knowledge, perseverance, love, etc., that we would ever need to pass victoriously through this life into the next.
If we stop before the joy, and allow our focus to be on ourselves and our circumstances; if we become self-absorbed or even slip into the quicksand of self-pity, we will never make it through the joy to the silver.
This is a time to find those who are stuck outside the glory of His Presence. It is time to take their hand and lead them into the miraculous realm of the Spirit. There is forgiveness, healing, deliverance, peace unmeasurable, hope unwavering. Those who have known and have forgotten need a hand to get back up and get going on the path to life. Those who have never known, need a hand to lead them out of darkness and into His marvelous light.
Maybe you are reading this and wondering what in the world I am talking about... just in case there is that one... God sent His Son, Jesus to this earth to sacrifice His life so that you could have the right to come into the very Presence of God now and for Eternity in Heaven. Pick up a Bible and read the Book of John. You will learn all about it.
Back to you Saints who hold this Treasure... don't hold it, but share it. As you spend time in the Fullness of Joy you become equipped to take hold of the Silver, or the valuable things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) and lavish them on others as you have had them lavished upon you!
In these very earthen vessels are contained all that every Soul is longing for, as mankind was designed to be His Dwelling Place.
God Bless you all as you walk with me "through the Joy to the Silver" and Beyond!
