Joy will come in the morning
2 Kings 5:1-14, Psalm 30, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Mark 1:40-45
We live in a world that is full of challenges. Other than the personal things we encounter in our daily lives, we watch, sometimes with horror and shock, events on the news or read on the Internet things that attack our sensibilities.
We feel for people when they lose their homes in a brush fire or tornado. We are sorrowful when people, famous or not, die in a plane crash. We grieve when we hear of families destroyed by acts of terrorism and war.
We hurt when a family member dies. We agonize when we lose our job. We feel ashamed when we don't meet the expectation of others.
In short, life is hard and the world we live in can be emotionally draining. But take solace in one thing: hope and joy are only a day away.
When we look at the Scriptures this week, we see that faith in a better tomorrow gets us through to another day. If God grants us another day on this earth, then He is giving us another chance to rebuild our character and renew our spirit. This life we exist in is a trial by fire, but diamonds and steel are forged out of fire.
Kipling once advised us that when others are losing their heads, keep ours. Our heads and our hearts have to stay focused on the One true God, the Creator of the Universe, the source of our strength that imparts in us favor to withstand the trials of this world.
No matter what our afflictions or tribulations, our moral compass must always point toward God. Our faith is our strength. It is our bridge over troubled waters, it is the thing that repairs the breach in our soul.
As we daily run the gamut of emotions with all that we are exposed to, we must continue to pursue the evidence of things hoped for and the substance of things unseen. We must continue to be faithful. Our reward for our faith will be delivered and we will know when it is delivered, because it will be when we are delivered past the obstacles in our lives.
We cannot be weary in our faith. We cannot let doubt, despair and fear take hold of us. We are the creation of a God that empowered us to be bold, thoughtful and courageous. We can take heart in that fact and we can take action through our faith.
Just as Noah saw the rainbow, we will see our victory. Joy will come in the morning.
We live in a world that is full of challenges. Other than the personal things we encounter in our daily lives, we watch, sometimes with horror and shock, events on the news or read on the Internet things that attack our sensibilities.
We feel for people when they lose their homes in a brush fire or tornado. We are sorrowful when people, famous or not, die in a plane crash. We grieve when we hear of families destroyed by acts of terrorism and war.
We hurt when a family member dies. We agonize when we lose our job. We feel ashamed when we don't meet the expectation of others.
In short, life is hard and the world we live in can be emotionally draining. But take solace in one thing: hope and joy are only a day away.
When we look at the Scriptures this week, we see that faith in a better tomorrow gets us through to another day. If God grants us another day on this earth, then He is giving us another chance to rebuild our character and renew our spirit. This life we exist in is a trial by fire, but diamonds and steel are forged out of fire.
Kipling once advised us that when others are losing their heads, keep ours. Our heads and our hearts have to stay focused on the One true God, the Creator of the Universe, the source of our strength that imparts in us favor to withstand the trials of this world.
No matter what our afflictions or tribulations, our moral compass must always point toward God. Our faith is our strength. It is our bridge over troubled waters, it is the thing that repairs the breach in our soul.
As we daily run the gamut of emotions with all that we are exposed to, we must continue to pursue the evidence of things hoped for and the substance of things unseen. We must continue to be faithful. Our reward for our faith will be delivered and we will know when it is delivered, because it will be when we are delivered past the obstacles in our lives.
We cannot be weary in our faith. We cannot let doubt, despair and fear take hold of us. We are the creation of a God that empowered us to be bold, thoughtful and courageous. We can take heart in that fact and we can take action through our faith.
Just as Noah saw the rainbow, we will see our victory. Joy will come in the morning.
Amen. We must keep God first and believe that he will bring us through trials and tribulations. If we really believe then we must live according to our belief.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, when we feel that God is taking too long to answer our prayers, we try to answer them ourselves. God is always on time and He knows what is best for us.
Matthew 17:20
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.