True Joy!

Well, I am back after several weeks of silence due to the heavy schedule we have been having. We have celebrated the 4th of July with Gordon and his family. In June, after going to the SBC, we had a couple of days with Cameron and his family up in Virginia. I even got to preach for him. Its a good thing he ask me to preach, I might not have driven the extra 175 miles if he hadn't. Ha! We really had a wonderful time, picking blue berries, eating, playing basketball and sleeping. I preached for Gordon in May for the dedication of their new church building. We had a Great time. These sure were happy times!
My wife, Brenda, soon to be 40 yrs of marriage, shared a thought with me. "Happiness is controlled by circumstances, but Joy controls the circumstances!" Now the Bible teaches that Joy is of the Lord, and is the second fruit of the Spirit in Galations 5. David cried in Ps. 51 for the Lord to restore unto him the Joy of the Lord's salvation. True Joy can only be found through knowing the Lord Jesus Christ! It is not circumstances that steal our joy, but rather our response to the circumstances. If we allow anger, bitterness, criticism, and a complaining spirit to take over, then we lose that Joy. The Psalmist expressed great Joy in the darkest moments of his life because he was remembering the goodness of God rather than drinking in the sorrows of the moment. Ask yourself the question, Do I let circumstances steal my Joy because I respond to them wrongly?
Bro. Ken