"Can't Contain It"

 "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." (John 15:11 KJV) 

  ""But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn't wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?' But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, 'Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "For many are called, but few are chosen."" (Matthew 22:11-14 NLT)

 We have been here before, at this wedding feast; which is, for what it's worth, meant to be a celebration and a time to be filled with joy! If you know the point to this parable, then you know that the man who did not have on the wedding clothes, choose to not wear them, as they were handed out to all the guest as they entered the banquet room, so that everyone would be dressed for the occasion in joyful apparel. 

 Do I need to say more? Most likely, there are some that don't get the just of it, mostly because they just don't see the point. The joy that we need to have, is given to us by the Lord; this is the, 'Joy of the Lord,' and is to be expressed, shown, and worn, throughout our lives! I know that we all have times to be sad and filled with gloom; but for the most part, we are all to be filled with gladness and joy! 

 We must! Without hesitation or even thinking it through, be filled with the Joy of the Lord! People need to see this expressed in us, which is what it is there for, to be an expression of the joy we have from being redeemed and the salvation we have been so freely given. 

 Your garment from work and the misery of life here on earth, although they get put on from time to time and they stink like dirt, they must be taken off and the clothes that the Lord has given you, must be shown for all to see, as you are to be filled with His joy! 

 Okay, maybe I am making too much of this, and it hasn't been proven that joy is a must? I beg to differ! We must! If there is not joy in you, then you really don't know that you are chosen! That might sound like a crock, but the truth is written in the parable. Many people were called to the wedding that should have been there, but didn't come; so the King called all sorts of people, anyone that wanted to come!

 Then the King made everyone that came, feel welcomed and a part of the celebration by giving them wedding celebration clothes as they entered the room. No one should have felt unwelcomed or out of place; yet this man refused to put on the clothes...

"Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, "Don't mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the LORD your God." For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the law. And Nehemiah continued, "Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people that have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before the Lord. Don't be dejected or sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!"" (Nehemiah 8:9-10 NLT)