Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Looking up in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary The Word Joy it has a few meanings

A feeling of great happiness: a source or cause of great happiness: something or someone that gives joy to someone: success in doing, finding, or getting something

You are probably wondering where I am going with this. We will get there. The other day I posted on my blog about Breaking the Alabaster Box. Someone emailed me and said I want to Challenge you to do a post on Joy. Since the Alabaster Box has got to be my favorite story in the Bible, I am going to focus on the box as if it had Joy in it.

We live in a world today where wrong is now right and right is now wrong. Standing up for moral values, Standing up for Life, Standing up for Marriage between a Man and Woman. Standing up for these things can get us so discouraged because the world is so negative about these issues that our heads just spin and our minds feel like they are going to explode because every time we take a stand for what is right we get it head-on with the negative. It may not be anyone we know, but society does a good job with telling all negative junk. We never hear anything positive on the news anymore.

Let us think about this Woman with the Alabaster Box. What if all those negative people where the problems that we have in Society today.

What would she be like with all that negative junk around her? Who knows but I would be frustrated to the max, and I would be thinking is anything going to change or am I even making a difference.

She looks at her box again the box looks too beautiful to open, but her mind is frazzled. She takes a moment and starts to break the box, and she is pouring out the Oil on her Savior. He is reaching to her and giving her the Joy that she needs. What is happening instead of all the frustration and feeling frazzled she is reminded of some scriptures in the Bible.

1st one is Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

She realizes that pouring the Oil she is gaining New Strength. New Strength to renew her mind.

2nd Verse that comes to her mind is 1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. New Strength to be able to cast her cares up the Lord because he cares for her.

As we see because she is pouring the Oil out she is gaining Joy in return. She has gained strength to renew her mind and to cast her cares on the Lord and

3rd Verse is a reassurance verse that is 1 Chronicles 16:27 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place. ( A Reminder that Jesus Christ sees what she is doing by taking a stand for the things that are right.)

The 4th Verse is Psalms 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Let’s take a look as to what has happened since she opened her box of Joy. Her mind is Renewed, She is casting all her cares upon the Lord, She knows that God sees her, and know she knows that staying on the right path she finds Joy in the Presence of God.

5th Verse is Psalms 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

So many scriptures about Joy went through her mind that by the time she came to the last verse she has so much Joy in her heart. The last verse that came to her is 1 Peter 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

The Moral of the story remember to Keep Your Oil of Joy bottle filled.  We maintain the Oil of Joy by Renewing our Mind, Casting our cares on the Lord, Remembering that when we think we are not making a difference that Jesus Christ sees what we are doing. We also keep the Oil of Joy bottle filled by staying on the right path. When we are on the right Path and doing the right things we find Joy in the Presence of the Lord.

 

 

 

 

Sherry Hensley is a Pro-Life Speaker in Maryland-Conceived in Rape, saved from an illegal abortion. She is married to a wonderful man who is a Minister. She enjoys inspiring others and sharing her Faith.