Title
Knowing When To Laugh
Scripture
31, And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam...
(1 Kings 16:31)
Devotional
Sin is anything but trivial, commonplace, or of little significance. Sin is dangerously grave. We live in an era that laughs at sin and mocks righteousness. Laughter is the first step in acceptance of sin. When we begin to laugh at sin, we trivialize it and eventually embrace it. Think of the jokes (Ephesians 5:4 calls it foolish talking and course jesting) you have heard with regard to drunkenness, adultery, homosexuality and the like. Likewise, note how these sins have been accepted and even embraced in our society. If Satan can get us laughing about sin, he can get us to accept it and practice it. We are to be a people of laughter and joy. However, our laughter and joy are to be in the Lord. Let us be careful when we laugh at the rebellion of a little child or the course jesting of the comedian, lest we trivialize sin and by doing, accept it.
Text For The Day
1 Kings 16:31: And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam…
Thought For The Day
“‘I divide the causes of human laughter into Joy, Fun, the Joke Proper, and Flippancy. You will see the first among friends and lovers reunited on the eve of a holiday. Among adults some pretext in the way of Jokes is usually provided, but the facility with which the smallest witticisms produce laughter at such a time shows that they are not the real cause. What the real cause is we do not know. Something like it is expressed in much of that detestable art which the humans call Music, and something like it occurs in Heaven--a meaningless acceleration in the rhythm of celestial experience, quite opaque to us. Laughter of this kind does us no good and should always be discouraged. Besides, the phenomenon is of itself disgusting and a direct insult to the realism, dignity, and austerity of Hell.’ Screwtape,” C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
Questions To Ponder
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Does God ever joyfully laugh at sin?
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Should we ever see sin as humorous?
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Have you ever noticed the things that are considered humor? Consider television sitcoms, comedians, and cartoons.
Morning Study Guide
Defining: “Laughter”: The expression of joy, happiness and even ridicule that is peculiar to man. It is mainly derived from that which we find to be humorous.
Referencing: “Sarah said, ‘God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me,’” Genesis 21:6.
Applying: Laugh with whom it is appropriate to laugh. Be slow to laugh at that which is inappropriate.