Pride and Joy

I never really appreciated Stevie Ray Vaughn until after his tragic death in a helicopter crash in August, 1990.  He played a mean blues guitar; I'm talking wicked mean.  Not many folks could make a Fender sing like Stevie Ray, not even his brother Jimmy. 

One of my fave SRV tunes is Pride and Joy.  The last verse of this song is

Yeah I love my baby....heart and soul
Love like ours wont never grow old
Shes my sweet little thang....shes my pride and joy
Shes my sweet little baby....Im her little lover boy

Man, Stevie is proud of his girl!  The lyrics lead you to believe that she is, in return proud of him.  As much as Stevie and his girl love each other, though, they got nothin' on God and His love for us.  

You might think that I'm stretching here but did you know that God wants to be our pride and joy?  Isaiah 28:5 (NLT) tells us that after God's children have been exiled and returned to Him that

 

Then at last the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
      will himself be Israel’s glorious crown.
   He will be the pride and joy
      of the remnant of his people

 

God desires to be my pride and joy, your pride and joy?  He wants me to want Him more than I want any other person or thing in my world.  He wants to be my One desire, the One place where I place my hopes and dreams, more so in Him  than in my husband, my children, my friends, my job, or any other thing.  He wants me to take pride in Him, in being His child, in having the Creator of the Universe as my Father, and in knowing that all things come through Him and by Him.  

 

Don't be shy!  Let the whole world know that God is your pride and joy.  Let Him reign supreme in your life and watch others notice the change that is evident in your life.  Maybe you'll get to break out your blues guitar and put a little rhythm to your praise.  Something tells me that God (the ultimate creator of the Fender Stratocaster) loves a good blues guitar, too! 

Family Heritage

The expression "keeping up with the Jones'" has always made me laugh.  My maiden name is Jones and I have to tell you, quite frankly, that there has not been much to keep up with, at least from a material and fiscal point of view.

There is a great peace to be found in this fact.  I know that, at the death of a family member, there should be no fussing and warring over any property or possession.  In spite of this peace, though, there has always been a bit of envy that my family leaves no real heritage or legacy.  There is no china platter, chipped and worn through the years, to be passed down that can be used by future generations with smiles and warm memories.  Nothing from a father that will be handed to a son that will evoke a secret smile as the son relives times past. 

That's actually sad to me.  I've spent a large portion of my life feeling like we have no legacy and that I have nothing to leave to anyone. 

Enter Jesus.  Swing wide the door and make way for God and His abundant grace.  He leaves me a legacy and a heritage because I am His child.  And He leaves me so much more than an antique Singer sewing machine or a fleet of ships crafted from pecan hulls by my grandfather. 

Psalm 37 to me is a living will, a reminder on the front end of what God has in store for me.  Psalm 37 (NLT) In this chapter God tells me what I am to do and what He has promised me.  He tells me the fate of those who don't act according to His word. 

This is good stuff!!!  I love the way that God's word reminds us, often times pointedly and personally, of what we need to hear, today, from Him. 

Don't buy Satan's lie that you have no heritage; you are a child of the King.  Your father owns a the cattle on a thousand hills.  He created all things; He is the beginning and the end. 

Celebrate your heritage today.