A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (October 15, 2018)
Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. (James 1:2, AMPC)
It has been a very eventful and trying week!!! Hurricane Michael, after devastating Panama City Beach, FL, made a direct hit on our little town of Albany, GA, and our neighborhood. Our area looks like a bomb went off. We have houses that have been destroyed and trees and power poles down everywhere. We lost all power in our city and our home for the last four days. Grocery stores lost all their frozen goods. Thank the Lord for a great neighbor and fishing buddy that lent us a generator to use. Also, we thank the Lord and for all those hard-working utility workers that got our power back on several hours ago.
The good news is that we, and our neighbors, are safe and our personal home did not suffer any damage. We are surrounded by huge pine trees and some of those came down, but none hit our home. Many of our neighbors are not so fortunate in that they had trees come through their roofs. It will take months, if not years, to clean-up this area.
As Cheryl and I were sitting on our back deck the morning after the storm, with fallen trees and broken limbs covering our back yard (and the deck), there was one thing that stuck out to me above everything else. In the midst of this devastation, do you know what stood out the most? It was the birds singing! They had just gone through the same storm we did but they were just singing away to the top of their little voices. It was like they were counting it all joy and praising the Lord anyway.
When I heard those birds singing, the following scriptures came to mind:
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not, much better than they?27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:25-34)
I don’t know what kind of storm you may have been through, but we can all take a lesson from these birds. In the midst of trials and tribulations we need to praise God anyway. We need to sing to Him. I think it makes God glad when we praise Him in these tough times, and I know it makes Satan mad. As one preacher said one time, if Satan can’t steal your joy, he can’t keep your goods. That is so true!!!
