Myth of Mirth
Rise and Shine for Jesus! \O/
By Pam Iannello (my late mother)
A ministry of New Beginnings Baptist Church @ www.nbbconline.com
Ecclesiastes 2:2
I
said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What
doeth
it?
In reading the book of Ecclesiastes, we discover that Solomon
quickly found mirth and pleasure to be a vain pursuit. What contribution does
noisy, flashy mirth offer towards making a man or woman truly happy?? What doeth it? Solomon sampled a variety of
the lavish delights of kings to bring himself pleasure – food, costly wine and
watching the most gifted entertainers of his day. In the end however, all was
vanity and vexation of spirit: and the same things would bring the same result
to us, as to Solomon...
Mirth:
Social merriment; hilarity; high excitement of pleasurable
feelings in
company; noisy gaiety, jollity.
Mirth differs from joy and cheerfulness,
as always implying noise.
Why am I talking about mirth today? Because there seems to be a growing movement
of it among Christians. The other
morning, as I was making breakfast, I turned on my local Christian radio
station only to discover yet another female Christian "humorist" was
featured on a popular radio program. She
was entertaining a large gathering of Christian women with her loud jokes and
hilarious perspective on life, and the program was filled with endless
laughter. Certainly the women present
that day went home with sore sides from such guffawing! Yet I couldn't help but wonder what shape
their hearts would still be in… Is
experiencing this high excitement of pleasurable feelings in such a large
company of women really making a difference in their lives? How much conviction had really set in during
that noisy hour this "humorist and best selling author" held such a
captive audience? How much repentance
had even taken place within the hearts of the women gathered together for the
purpose of spiritual encouragement? How
much scripture was shared or were their ears only tickled with funny
stories?? Sad to say, this type of
"ministry" is nothing more than hype minus any godly motivation and
it has become a strong preference among God’s people!
Ladies, contrary to popular belief, normal is MUCH MORE than just
a setting on your dryer - it's to be expected of God's people and it is not a
lifestyle to be tossed aside carelessly in exchange for lightheartedness! It is to be diligently sought after, not
laughed at. The answer to our problems
is not found in a “stick a geranium in your hat” or “pack your gloomies in a
cereal box” type attitude - it is found in casting all our cares upon the Lord
and dealing with them soberly!
Life is not a cesspool, it's something we are going to answer for one
day and it's high time you and I pondered that fact!! Instead, we've got aged Christian women
encouraging us to leak laughs between pampers and depends... Even preachers
nowadays seem to be telling more and more jokes from behind the pulpit. The power of God in ministry has disappeared
and the time has come where we have traded in an appetite for truth for a
ravenous hunger to be tickled...
2
Tim. 4:3-4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears; And they shall turn
away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Frankly ladies, I'm tired of being
entertained as a Christian! I want the truth and I want it taught to me from a
woman who walks with God, lives a godly example, and ministers to me in a
God-fearing manner. Whether or not I've
got a serious problem in my life, I'm not going to listen to a loud mouth woman
who's on the road half the year while her husband and children wait at home for
you and I to finish laughing noisily so she can return to her house! It's not a “tude” we are to be sporting
ladies, it's a testimony! What
has happened to us?? Why can't older
Christian women disciple and minister to others apart from all this foolishness
and mirth? Thousands of women spend money to buy these humorous experiences
just to escape the burdens of their life. Gatherings such as these are
responsible for sending home silly women, not sober ones, and
scripture says it's the silly ones that are led away captive by the
devil...
2 Tim. 3:5-7
Having
a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. [6] For of this sort are they which creep
into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers
lusts, [7] Ever learning, and never able
to come to the knowledge of the truth.
The Bible tells us, having food and raiment, let us therewith be
content - nothing more is necessary! We
don't need entertainment to cope with life…
Every earthly pleasure leaves the heart and mind as hungry and
unsatisfied as before. Solomon's wisdom remained
with him; it didn’t depart when the show was over because it came from God! You
see, ladies, happiness arises not from the situation in which we are placed and
women are very susceptible to this kind of thinking. We are always looking for
an escape to our guilt or fear and consequently, women fall for a host of wrong
approaches to their problems. Humor has
become a trendy tonic for many troubles but it is unproductive ministry; just like
many soap bubbles that burst and leave nothing behind… It is only through
Jesus Christ that true joy can be realized!
Eccles.
7:3
Sorrow
is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is
made better.
Having a reputation for piety and honesty is more desirable than
all the wealth and pleasure in this world, and it's certainly better than being
known as a "humorist". Though
many would disagree, the Bible teaches us that it will do us more good to go to
a funeral than to a feast! Don't
misunderstand me ladies, I'm not against laughter - the Bible says there is a
time for it. However, if you study it
out, you'll find that it was most always a reaction to a marvelous work that
God had done, it was joy in it's purest form.
I'm talking today about mirth, for there is a definite
distinction between that and simple laughter.
Mirth is nothing more than foolish jesting and Christ never stooped to
such noise and nonsense when ministering to people. The parables He taught us were sober
stories, amen? How many scriptures have
you come across in your Bible reading where Jesus was filled with hilarity - or
even laughing, for that matter??
Whenever His disciples were gathered around Him, Jesus always taught
them in a reverential manner, leaving them with a clear understanding of
the Father's Word and will; a sobering mindset in order to cope properly with
life at hand. Let’s face it; we would
all rather go to a birthday party than a funeral, right? Considering how apt we
are to be vain and indulge our flesh, God says it is best to go to the house of
mourning, to learn the end of man as to this world...
Ecclesiastes
7:4
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the
heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
The Lord is instructing us here that seriousness is better than
mirth and jollity. That is best for us
which is best for our souls, though it be unpleasant to our senses. It is better to have our infirmities dealt
with by the rebuke of the wise, than to have them gratified by the song of
fools. Where is your heart today, dear
lady - in the house of mirth or the house of mourning? Is it silly or sober? You see, the laughter of a fool is soon gone;
the end of his mirth is heaviness.
Reality sets back in and what then? How do you cope with life? Do you
sit back and wait to fork out some more money for the next Christian comedian
who comes along, so you can split your sides in laughter again, or do you
finally get on your knees and do serious business with God?
Proverbs
14:13
Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of
that mirth is heaviness.
Ladies, the ways of carelessness, of worldliness, and of
sensuality seem right to those that walk in them; but self-deceivers prove to
be self-destroyers. Pleasure seeking is a selfish endeavor which destroys
true joy. Surely you can see the vanity today of carnal mirth - it's taken
God's people off balance; and it is nothing more than flesh at it's
fullest!
James
4:9
Be
afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and
your joy to heaviness.
Oh, I know many Christian women dearly love their best-selling
authors and humorists, those that would entertain them and help them forget
their sorrows like a drug... We are
addicted to pleasurable feelings, amen?
However, here in scripture cautions are laid out before us against such
corrupt affections and love of this world, which is actually hostility toward
God…
Ephes. 5:1-4
Be ye
therefore followers of God, as dear children;
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself
for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or
covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, NOR FOOLISH TALKING NOR
JESTING, WHICH ARE NOT CONVENIENT: but rather giving ofthanks.
Ladies, we are not to find our short tempers, our unsubmissive
attitudes, our self-centeredness, our bad habits, etc. amusing! Do you think the Lord snickers at these
conditions residing in the hearts of His children?? Certainly not... All sin must be wept over; here, in godly
sorrow, or, hereafter, in eternal misery. Our heavenly and HOLY Father will not
refuse to comfort one who really mourns for sin, or to exalt the one who
humbles himself before Him. I truly
think that if the Lord were to speak before a large gathering of women today,
He would have something very sobering to leave us with, just as He did
in the past, amen? If we as Christian
women are indeed ambassadors for Christ and standing in His stead, why don't we
fill this role appropriately and in a holy fashion. Let's get rid of the
noisy nonsense and make a real difference in the lives of others!
Ephes.
6:20
For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may
speak boldly, AS I OUGHT TO SPEAK.
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
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