Joy Unspeakable

 ^8-9You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don't see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you'll get what you're looking forward to: total salvation. (1 Peter 1:8, The Message)

 ⁸Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: (1 Peter 1:8, King James Version)

I woke up this morning with such a joy in my heart. A joy that is so "unspeakable." And it was strange, because I felt as though I wrestled all night. I had so many bad dreams; so many crazy dreams. But God seemed to erase that from my mind as I arose, to give me a joy that I must carry into this day. This joy will be used to give a smile to someone that I might meet in Publix today. It will be used to give a comforting word to a fellow employee, or a customer who has no idea how they will keep their lights on. I feel this joy has been given to me today for a specific reason. I thank Him for it. And you can have that same joy.

With each new day, I am learning more and more that joy comes from within; not from outside sources. Sure, there are things that will make us happy in this life, but true joy comes from the Father above, and He embeds it deep inside of us. Why, so that we can be a light in a dark place. The joy is not always easy to find, but when He puts it on you, like He did to me this morning, you had better use it and share it with others.

Take a few moments today to think back on something that gave you joy. If nothing else, just the very fact that you were able to breathe one more time is enough to put a big smile on your face.

Have a great day, and remember, when life gives you lemons, make lemon cake!

Be blessed,

Lemon!

"Every Good and Perfect Gift..."

 ¹⁷Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (James 1:17, King James Version)

Welcome to Lemon Drops....my newest blog spot. The purpose of Lemon Drops is simply to share small bites with you throughout the week. I hope you enjoy it.

As I was listening to the speaker today, I heard him say that every good and perfect gift comes from God. If we say we trust Him, and believe in Him, then we must know that He will send us things that will end up for our good. We do not have to seek after those things, we simply need to trust God to provide what is best for us. While we wait on our dreams to come to pass, we need to continue to build upon our relationship with God. We should use our time of waiting (whatever that waiting period is or whatever it is about) to develop a solid and sure foundation with the only One who will never leave us nor forsake. We should use that time to gain wisdom that can be shared with others. We should use that time to give to those who are less fortunate than us, in whatever way you are more fortunate than them (this can be in knowledge, wisdom, material things, etc...)

How did this scripture and the message benefit me today? It made me realize that I had spent a great deal of my life trying to please others, trying to make them feel better about themselves, but not really pleasing God. I was not listening to the plan He had for my life. Yet, I now realize that every situation in my life, whether good or bad, has pointed me in the direction and path that I am now following. Through every trial, test, and moment of victory, we should gain wisdom.

Take some time this week to think on the things that have happened in your life. Ask yourself these two questions:

1. What wisdom did I gain from this situation?

2. How can I use this wisdom to help someone else along the way?

Be blessed this week, and remember "When life gives you lemons, make guava juice!"

Lemon