When I was younger and, consequently, much more naive, I thought the journey through this life would be like a railroad; sure, it would have a few bumpy places but, all in all, it would be an incredibly, wonderful ride. I knew Jesus, and I believed that He and I would spend our time ministering to hurting people and loving every minute of it and for the most part that has been true--very true. He has blessed me in ways that I could never have imagined, even in my wildest dreams; He has given me opportunities to preach in places that only He could have arranged; He has allowed me to make memories that I will never forget (even after I am at Home); and He has allowed me to see some scenes, both physically and spiritually, that only He could have painted. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that He has been so very good to me!
Notice that I used the phrase "for the most part" in the above paragraph; obviously, I did so with purpose and this is it: the "incredibly, wonderful, few-bumpy-places ride" has had many bumpy places--many more than I ever dreamed. Truth is much of the ride has been more like a roller coaster ride (which scare me to death) than a train ride. When I was younger, I heard folk using this phrase quite often: "He sho' do love misery!" Actually, I didn't pay it much attention then, but I have come to wonder if this shouldn't have been a Scripture verse. It seems that some Christians simply love misery and, as the old saying goes, "misery do love company!"
Now think about this for a minute: if some folk sho' do love misery and if misery do love company, then those of us who love peace and harmony, well, we got to find us a way not to get all caught up in their snare! I happen to be one of those who loves peace and harmony and the older I become, the more I love it, so you can count of this: I am going to do whatever I can to avoid the snare of those "who 'sho do love misery" and are, therefore, seeking company! I do NOT care to be in their company, thank you just the same.
As most of you know, there seems to be a new and fresh wind blowing at GCF, one that I believe will prove to go down in my repertoire of "favorites," one of those that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I have the strong sense that He is passing by and His sweet, sweet Spirit is blowing through our lives. Hopefully, I am preaching to the choir and you are just as expectant as I am, even more so; however, I offer this observation: anytime (and mean ANYTIME) He is on the verge of presenting His precious and sweet Spirit, our enemy, the one who sho' do love misery and is always seeking company, will somehow float up to the surface. So, be careful NOT to get caught up in his snare because he will surely rob you of a blessing that you do not want to miss!
I am truly looking forward to Sunday and to what He has in store for us as we continue to watch and wait for Him!
Love,
Your Pastor
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