Joyless Religion

The first man’s sin resulted in separation
And so physical death became an appointment
The wages of sin is death, spiritual darkness
And hence God’s judgment awaits the sinner
To live in the flesh is degradation and death
To live in the Spirit is life and inner peace

Joy and strength are linked, inextricably linked
No strength usually leads to error and sin
Confessing his own sinfulness from birth
King David after his sin of adultery prayed
“Restore to me the joy of my salvation
And give me a right and willing spirit within”

To restore implies David had the joy before
To reinstate joy requires repentance prior
And then dependence on your Source, your Creator
Coz’ dead idols are simply unable to aid
No restoration, no renewal
No renewal, no joy within dwell

Redemption entails a Redeemer, the Son
Coming down from Heaven above, here to hang
And on that old rugged cross suffered
Animal sacrifices were only replicas
Of the real eternal Sacrifice to come
And no Sacrifice, no salvation or crown

No Redeemer’s blood, no lasting deliverance
No Redeemer signifies no redemption
Without redemption, there's no forgiveness or cleansing
So no cleansing only means joyless, dreadful living
And no cleansing, no restoration
For the joy of the LORD is our strength

No point worshiping pow'rless mammon
No resurrection equals dead God
A son of man called himself Resurrection
It’s not so much rules and regulations
Necessary and important tho’ they may be
It’s more about true relationship with Almighty

Scripture reveals He’s jealous of your relationship
Apart from it, His wrath remains your companionship
In returning and rest you shall be saved
In rest, your mouth shall be filled with praise
In trusting His Word you shall find relevance
Your strength shall lie in quietness and confidence

It matters to which religion you belong
It does matter who you relate to or rely upon
Only in returning will there be true fellowship
Real Christianity stems from a right relationship
Precious intimate relationship with the Savior
With the Rock of all ages, and in that you will joy

So this relationship really matters
For the humble and believing, it flourishes
Anything else is but shifting sand
To say the least, futility to the end
Outer pomp often appears deceptive
Those who shall inherit the earth are meek

Joyless religion is easy to give allegiance
But not so when sincerely follow true religion
The kingdom of God is not food and drink
But righteousness and peace and rejoicing
Only when the Ruler’s reign prevail
In our daily life, joy will not sway

God’s Word is fun and delightful to memorize
Meditation upon It day and night is what He desire
Joy was what many found and savored while doing just that
T’was the delight of Prophet Jeremiah’s heart in fact
And till we find Jeremiah’s light
We shall never share his delight

It’s not about theology
It is about Life-ology
Many theologians don’t know the Life in reality
It’s not even about philosophy, but about Life’s trophy
Without Life, life is meaningless and purposeless
With Life, there’s abundant living and joyfulness

It’s not about perfection but performance
How you perform determines your rewards, not salvation
For salvation’s 'bout simple reliance on the Savior
In His right hand abides everlasting pleasure
He cares and always wants to impart joy to us
And complete joy is what we need to seek and ask

So relationship first with God and then with man
Service to mankind is pure religion's demand
Real joy comes from legitimate, warm relationships
Only then will there be rejoicing and lasting friendships
It’s all about obeying the Originator
Then you shall surely please the Life-maker

Celebrate nothing but the real Life-giver
You must be re-born, not re-incarnated
Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies to self
It remains alone; but if it dies, much fruit and joy manifest
So is life in the Holy Spirit
Full of the fruit of God’s Spirit

Regardless, there is only one real Joy-giver
How’s your religion? Doer or just believer?
Joyless, or just full of life and joy?
He only is Maker of us all
And peace you need to make with Him first of all
Then and only then shall true joy on you fall!