I Choose Joy in Heat and Humidity

A few weeks ago my pastor told us about a cedar chest that he inherited from his mother, who inherited it from her mother.  It was not the beautiful cedar chest he remembered when he was growing up.  That one was shiny, highly polished, and very protected by his mother.  She kept a lace doily on it to protect it from scratches from the picture frames and other nick-nacks that lived on top of it.  However, my pastor and his family lived near the coast, first in Lake Charles, Louisiana, then in Galveston, Texas, and finally in Houston, Texas.  Their home had only one window unit air conditioner, which was not capable of cooling the entire house.  The beautiful cedar chest eventually began to pay the price for its life in the heat and humidity of the Gulf Coast.  You see, the beauty of that cedar chest was in its veneer.  Its beauty was only skin deep, and as a result of prolonged exposure to the harsh elements, its veneer began to crack and pop away from the underlying structure of the cedar chest.  All the efforts to repair the veneer were in vain.  Eventually, that cedar chest was worthless and was thrown out.

But unlike the beautiful cedar chest, the chest my pastor inherited was solid wood.  It was made with craftsmanship and was able to withstand the very same elements the fancier chest had succumbed to.  This one was, in the end, much more beautiful and more useful than the other one. 

Which cedar chest describes the joy in your heart?  Is your joy only a veneer, vulnerable to your circumstances?  Or is your joy deeper, built on something solid, able to withstand the situations life throws at you day after day?

God's word, The Bible, tells us that "The joy of the Lord is our strength."  (Nehemiah 8:10).  That kind of joy will give you strength in any circumstance.  I know.  I've been there.  I've experienced the pain of losing my son when he was only 21 years old, while never losing the joy that knowing God brings.  Because I know Him, and because I have chosen to live for Him, I know that He will give me strength in my darkest hours, in the heat and humidity of life.  My life may not be the most beautiful, but it is sturdy, strong, and able to withstand anything the world may throw at it.  Not because of MY strength, but ONLY because of the strength and joy that God gives.

If you want to know that kind of joy and that kind of strength, it's available to you:

1. Admit your need.  Confess to God in prayer that you have sinned (failed to live a perfect life).  "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."  (Romans 3:23, emphasis added)
2. Acknowledge that you deserve to be punished for your sins.  "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord."  (Romans 6:23)
3. Understand the sacrifice that Jesus made on your behalf. "Even when we were in our sin, Christ Jesus came to die for us."  (Romans 5:8)  And "He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we may be made the righteousness of God through Him."  (2 Corinthians 5:21)
4. Receive God's free gift of love by placing your faith in Him.  "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."  (Romans 10:9-10)

Will you take these four steps to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?  If you are ready to live a new life with Him as your Lord, repeat the following prayer to God:

"Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner, and I am sorry. I need a Savior. I know I cannot save myself. I believe by faith that Jesus, your Son, died on the cross to be my Savior. I believe He arose from the grave to live as my Lord. I turn from my sin. I ask You, Lord Jesus, to forgive my sin and come into my heart. I trust you as my Savior and receive you as my Lord. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me." *

If you prayed this prayer today, welcome to the family of God.  Why not make a note of your decision, perhaps in a journal or in your Bible.  When you have doubts, you can look back at your note for the reassurance that you have been saved by Jesus Christ.  He promised us that we would always belong to Him, and that we cannot lose the gift of salvation that He has given us.  "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)  Also, Jesus assures us, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are one."  (John 10:27-30, emphasis added)

Now that you are a child of God, learn more about Him.  Read your Bible, join a church that believes that the Bible is the Word of God and teaches directly from it, and talk with God every day, just as you would your best friend.  The more you learn about Him, the deeper your joy will be. 

My prayer this week, for you and for myself is this (our names inserted -- you might want to insert your own name here to make it more personal to you):

"Now to Him who is able to keep (me and my readers) from stumbling, and to present (us) faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever, Amen."  (Jude 1:24-25)

* Thank you to http://theromanroad.org/