The Silver Lining

Last night we had an excellent church activity. We went on a hayride and then watched all the kids decorate pumpkins while the rest of us adults just spent time fellowshipping (oh, I forgot to mention we spent juuust a little time eating too). Anyway, it made me think, as I looked at a really good turnout for this outing, of the joys we have all because of Jesus Christ. He provided a great situation for fun, for food and for fellowship and truly without Him none of it would’ve been possible !

Paul voiced this to the intellectuals in Athens, “In Him we live, and move, and have our being. . .” (Acts 17:28) & to his fellow passengers on that fateful shipwreck near Malta as he thanked God for the food they were about to eat, “. . .he took bread, and gave thanks to God” (27:35).    As I looked at the great weather and grand sunset God provided, the many who came out, the great eats and special chats it truly is a wonder the things which God blesses us each with as we look for them.

One of the greatest joys was to share the gospel with a new man who has been attending. And then sitting back later to think, I was in his shoes some years back and someone cared enough to get the gospel out to me then.  But God cared before that someone !  It’s a wonder to have a gracious God Who did what I couldn’t, to take me to heaven.  Its great to have a church of people who love the Lord and care enough to get others out to here as Lyle has done with this man. And others have and are trying to do with others around them ! But above all its great to know and serve such a God Who has given to us so very much. Something good to keep in mind when times get trying and our perspective of His gracious realities is threatened by the trials we sometimes face.  When James wrote the great epistle bearing his name, this half-brother of our Lord who would’ve shared bread, laughed, cried and played with Jesus Himself as boys wrote this, he knew whereof he wrote “My brethren, count it all joy, when ye fall into divers temptations.” (1:2)  or as the Greek renders it  when those trials come “DECIDE them to be a GOOD thing” !   There’s always a blessing there to see when your mind is in tune with His. Take sometime today to let Him do that with you.