My dear brothers and sisters, dedicating your lives to singing for Jesus: “A joyful heart MAKES A CHEERFUL FACE, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.” (Prov. 15:13)
Does joy require you to walk around with a smile fixed on your face every single day? Or is joy more than just a happy feeling? Joy is the untiring trust that God knows what He’s doing and has blessed us with the opportunity to be a part of that awesome joy – not in spite of what’s happening in our lives, but because the wonderful joy of the Lord is truly our strength.
“A joyful heart IS GOOD MEDICINE, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” (Prov. 17:22)
Could it be so simple that a positive attitude reduces heart disease and stress-related hormones, improves the immune system and leads to a longer life? Yes, because again, the joy of the Lord is our strength…
“…we know that God causes all things TO WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD to those who love God…” (Rom. 8:28)
All things are not good. It would be mockery to say that they are. The death of a child is not good. Cancer is not good, drug addiction is not good, war is not good, blasphemy is not good. But as the Bible says in the above verse God causes things to work for good… In the chemistry of the cross God takes things that, of themselves, are bad, and He puts them together, much as a chemist might take chemicals that, of themselves, may be harmful and mixes them to make a remedy that brings healing.
WORK IN OUR LIVES TODAY, LORD, TO MAKE ALL THINGS GOOD…
FaithLine, the bible says: “God causes all things TO WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD…”
-Bill Stockham