For John the Baptizer came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man, and a drunkard; a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Luke 7:33–34 WEB.

A gloomy feeling settled over you when you entered the church sanctuary. Everyone was somber, with long faces like they were mourning, but it wasn't a funeral. The elders certainly looked elderly. The paintings of Jesus on the wall always made Him look sad. Either He was a baby in a manger or bleeding out on a cross. This church was cold, quiet, and highly religious. It was institutionalized religion at its finest, and the denomination was basically a franchise.

When I read my Bible, I couldn't help but think, "We seem to be missing something." Jesus lived a colorful, full, happy life. He laughed with people. He loved, He wept. Jesus had friends. He fasted often, but at other times, He ate very well. The Pharisees stood outside and watched Him feast with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:11). Yet, they felt too holy to go inside themselves. They stood outside, feeling holier than the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus gave His disciples nicknames like the "Sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17) when James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven. He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:21). The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17), and Jesus walked in that realm. The joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10), and I am sure that Jesus was strong.

The great reformer Martin Luther became a monk. He wore himself out praying to saints, fasting, and confessing sins to his superiors. Yet, it gave him no peace. Then he found true grace, left monkery, married a nun, and changed the known world. Luther raised ten children and concluded that "Marriage is a far better school for character than any monastery."

The Lord Jesus Christ wants you to live a full and wonderful life just as He did. There will be times of laughing and times of weeping. There will be times of fasting and times of feasting. There is a time to be born and a time to die. So allow room for joy in your life, and balance the drudgery. Don't allow cold, dead religion to sap the joy from your life, for it was God who invented blue skies and sunshine.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please restore joy to my life and let me feel Your touch once again. Help me focus on what is important to You and guide my heart today. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: Today is Thankful Thursday at the Ministry Events group! This event gives us an opportunity encourage each other by posting thoughts, moments, and prayers of gratitude for Him, His creation and all that He does in our lives. All our welcome! To join, just click on the group name and then the join link on the page that will follow. As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network.