Peter

Remembering Joy

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Whom having not seen, you love: in whom also now, though you see him not, you believe: and believing shall rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorified;                          1 Peter 1:8 Douay-Rheims

If we would be honest all of us would have to confess that the moments of joy that we experience are pretty few and far between.

plates and wine glass on table

Photo by Tembela Bohle on Pexels.com

I recall the moment when I kissed my wife at the altar  and said, “I do.” But that sweet memory was immediately followed by long work weeks, bills and little arguments that conspired to dim our happiness. A year later our first son was born and we cuddled him looking into those deep blue eyes with contentment and pride; but then came his fussing till two in the morning; throwing up on my shirt just before I left for work and yes; more bills.

The Apostle Peter tells us that no matter what our experience in life is; there is a far better celebration to come. Here God blesses us with little glimpses of joy, but a joy is coming that we cannot explain. Because He is our loving Father; God gives us just a taste of heaven now and then; but one day at the banquet table with Jesus we will find heaped high on our plates His fullness of a joy that will last us forever!

Our Morning Star

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 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 2 Peter 1:19

Howard Beach August 2015

Having the Bible sitting on our shelf, or even dutifully reading it as a mere religious exercise is not what Peter had in mind when he said “Pay attention like you would to a light in a darkened room.” In that dark place there is no other source of light. The only things that we can see are what that light shines on.

Rick Warren once said, “God loves you and everyone else has a wonderful plan for your life!” We live in a world filled with hyped up advertising claims, political promises of utopia and even pulpit promotions that don’t truly match up with God’s word.Peter’s advice is to zero in on what God is saying, as though no one else was speaking. He tells us that it is our own choice, who to listen to. If your world seems so filled with the busy noises of life that you feel lost and confused, then this morning might be a good time to turn off everything else and focus on the word of God. God’s word has the power to amaze us when it shines on everything around us like the dawning of a new day in our hearts.