or cozy robe are giving you a cheerful Monday Morning!? Have you looked out and watched the sun rise lately? This would be a great day to do that, or maybe you'll have to wait until tomorrow, but nonetheless you should watch a sun rise. It will make your day seem so much better!Pastor Fred! You seem to be so happy and cheerful this morning. What's up with that? Well, let me tell you. It really doesn't have anything to do with the way that I feel. Actually it just barely turned 7 a.m., and I've already got the garbage out by the curb, and had my morning glass of water. My baby
decided that it was time to wake up at 6:40 a.m. this morning! So I am quite sleepy.But, it is a beautiful morning, the sun is shining, the snow is melting, my baby is cooing in the next room while being amused by Winnie the Pooh classics, and God is Good all the Time! This Joy that I have deep inside this world didn't give it to me, and this world can't take it away!
This week has actually been a very trying week. Well, since Friday morning any way. See, Thursday night at Bible study we talked about Joy, and how it applies to relationships - as we've been doing a study on relationships and how the fruit of the Spirit should be applied to every relationship. Needless to say the good Lord above decided that I needed to be reminded myself about what I taught. We did much discussion on the fact that the Joy of the Lord is our strength, and the fact that joy is not an emotion, but rather a state of mind. Yes we can have emotions from being joyful such as happiness and cheerfulness, but nonetheless joy is a state of mind that goes beyond circumstance and feelings.
As I was saying Jesus decided it was time for a test of spirit, character and joy! I woke up first thing Friday morning, and gave the day to the Lord. I went down stairs, and as I passed by the basement stairwell I noticed something. Stopping to look I saw that the basement was flooded! My wonderful children had thrown toys into the sump-pump hole and clogged the pump! So now all the overnight spring rain and melting snow had over flowed and began to fill the basement! It wasn't much, just about a 1/2 and inch all over the whole basement, but it was enough to make a complete mess. (Thank you Jesus! It is going to be a great day!) Well, the pump was broken, but repairable. However, I was in the process of getting ready to leave for Woody Point so I could do some work, and couldn't take care of the basement mess until I got back.
As you are now seeing the test of my joy had begun in full swing!
To make a long story short with the help of the Holy Spirit and the preaching of my beautiful wife I was able to recognize the test, and bring my spirit under control and let the Lord teach me a lesson that I really needed to learn! Many other thing happened between Friday and Sunday, but I don't have the time or space to go through everything. Suffice it to say that God is good, and the Joy of the Lord can be your strength if you will just learn to keep your eye of the important stuff, and don't sweat the small stuff!
(Yes, a flooded basement is small stuff!)
Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice! (Paul)
As a man thinks in his mind, so is he! (Proverbs)
Yours for the Joy of the Lord,
Pastor Fred
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