{"id":3781,"date":"2014-10-22T13:18:28","date_gmt":"2014-10-22T13:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=3781"},"modified":"2014-10-22T13:18:28","modified_gmt":"2014-10-22T13:18:28","slug":"a-smile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=3781","title":{"rendered":"A Smile"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On occasion, Mason and I think about adding a dog to our household. We\u2019ve even gone so far as to bring an adoptable dog into our home for a weekend. That didn\u2019t turn out so well. Our home has been pet-free for two years now and most of the time we enjoy the peace and calm. But on occasion, we yearn for the companionship of a good dog.<\/p>\n

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\"20140216_130902_resized_1\"<\/a>However, when we come across a pet shop, we always wander through to see what the critters are up to. And nearly every time, we leave with a smile on our face. I mean, really, who could resist smiling at this young pup?<\/p>\n

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I like to smile. Smiling\u2019s my favorite (a quote from Buddy the Elf). I could list hundreds of things that make me smile. Ah ha moments. Children laughing. A beautiful sunrise. Snow on the mountains. A pat on the back. A joke. A baptism. That special song. Thoughts of loved ones. A gentle breeze. See I could go on and on.<\/p>\n

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My favorite portrayals of Jesus are those of Him smiling. I haven\u2019t seen many, but those I recall are imprinted upon my memory. The rise of His cheeks. The lines around His eyes crinkling. A twinkle in His eye. All from a smile. I look forward to the day when I see Jesus face to face and find great joy in His smile.<\/p>\n

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There are passages of Scripture that speak of God smiling. We don\u2019t find this word in all versions, but the New Living Translation seems to have chosen this word more times than some of the other traditional version. Take a look.<\/p>\n

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Numbers 6:24-26 (NLT) is probably the passage you\u2019re recognize the most. \u201cMay the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you h is favor and give you his peace.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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When Jacob returned to his homeland to see his brother Esau, he spoke these words. \u201cAnd what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God!\u201d <\/em>(Genesis 33:10 \u2013 NLT) Maybe Jacob hadn\u2019t seen God\u2019s face, but I believe he thought God smiled.<\/p>\n

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King David spoke of God\u2019s smile in Psalm 4:6 (NLT). When good is difficult to see in this world, we can follow David\u2019s suggestion. These words should be on your lips. \u201cLet your face smile on us, Lord.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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Again in Psalm 67, King David wrote these words. \u201cMay God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us.\u201d <\/em>(Psalm 67:1 \u2013 NLT)<\/p>\n

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And yet one more from David. Psalm 85:11 (NLT) pronounces that \u201ctruth springs up from the earth and righteousness smiles down from heaven.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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While this next verse speaks of an earthly king, I believe we can see God written all over it! \u201cWhen the king smiles, there is life; his favor refreshes like a spring rain.\u201d <\/em>(Proverbs 16:15 \u2013 NLT) How blessed we are when God smiles.<\/p>\n

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Finally, we see Daniel asking God to smile once again. \u201cO our God, hear your servant\u2019s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary.\u201d<\/em> (Daniel 9:7 \u2013 NLT) Israel had forsaken God and through years of exile learned that there was no life outside of God\u2019s will. Daniel\u2019s prayer was not only for himself, but for all of Israel. God\u2019s mercy was great and He smiled once again upon those who were called by His Name.<\/p>\n

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Perhaps you are in this land of exile. You\u2019ve chosen to rebel against the One who has done remarkable things in your life. If that\u2019s the case, why not repent of your rebellion and ask the Lord to smile upon you once again? Seek the refreshment and life that can only be found through the smile of the King.<\/p>\n

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Smiling is my favorite, especially when it\u2019s from the Lord God Almighty. Let Your face smile upon us Lord!<\/p>\n

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Grace and peace be yours in abundance,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Donna<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  On occasion, Mason and I think about adding a dog to our household. We\u2019ve even gone so far as to bring an adoptable dog into our home for a weekend. That didn\u2019t turn out so well. Our home has been pet-free for two years now and most of the time we enjoy the peace […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_s2mail":"yes","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,16,246,18],"tags":[3342,3344,3350,3345,3343,594,3349,3346,3347,3348,3351],"class_list":["post-3781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asking-god","category-following-god","category-honoring-god","category-pleasing-god","tag-a-smile","tag-buddy-the-elf","tag-daniel-97","tag-genesis-3310","tag-god-smiles","tag-numbers-624-26","tag-proverbs-1615","tag-psalm-46","tag-psalm-671","tag-psalm-8511","tag-smile-upon-us-lord"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3781"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3783,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3781\/revisions\/3783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}