Joy In The Morning

“Joy in the Morning”

October 5, 2014

Jeremiah 29:11-13

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

There are good days ahead of us! Blessings are coming! The future is bright and rosy. It’s a great day to be alive!

I know it appears we are in the End Times. It seems sometimes as if our world is falling apart. America seems to be in serious danger of losing our moral compass. And that may all be true. It is important to be aware of what is going on around us – even to prepare for it. More than that – we have to be actively involved in turning our country around.

But I believe God blesses His children. In fact, I believe He LOVES to bless His children. He has no stomach for destruction and calamity. He has no heart for tragedy and trials. That is not His will for His beloved.

I have a strong sense that God is going to send His blessings on us. Kind of like the sun coming up on a cold morning after a dark and dreary night – I see glimmers of light and warmth to come. One of my favorite Scriptures says,

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”

Psalm 84:11

The Lord is a sun that shines His blessings on us. He brings warmth and light. He is a shield that protects us. Nothing will happen to you that God does not at least allow. Sometimes He allows the rain to fall and the fire to burn – but His promise is that He will work even that for our good. It is meant to strengthen us and mature us.

The Scripture says that God bestows favor and honor. You don’t have to work for those things. They will come in God’s timing. In fact, the Word of God says that He will not withhold any GOOD THING if we are walking the walk!

At a townhall meeting last week I heard the City talking about plans to help the citizens rebuild in the wake of the Boles Fire. People are so generous and giving that the problem now is storage and sorting the gifts out. There is help for the homeowners free of charge to remove the debris from their property. Soon the city will begin to rebuild and all the local contractors and builders will be overwhelmed with work. There is a lot of financial help available. I think all of the large companies in the area have donated generously to help the community.

I see the hand of God in all this. I see coming blessings. But you need to know that it is conditional. Some people are gonna miss it! Do you know there are signs around town warning of scam artists? How anyone could be so cold-hearted as to take advantage of someone in their hour of greatest need and deepest vulnerability is beyond me. I guess you have to be so selfish that you are willing to hurt innocent people to get what you want. So be careful. There ARE wolves out there. There is a thief that would steal your joy and kill your faith and destroy your soul. But Jesus said that He has come that you have life – and not just life – but ABUNDANT life. (John 10:10)

I want to share with you three things that we need to do to experience these blessings that God wants to pour out on us.

The first thing is simply to “walk the walk”. We read the Scripture where God said that He will not withhold any good thing from those who are walking the walk. There are too many Christians who talk the talk but when it comes to a changed lifestyle – they don’t have it. When it comes to obeying what they know is God’s will for them – they refuse and rebel. There is no difference from them than from those who are in the world. Jesus said,

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

John 10:27

The key to great blessings is to follow. The next verse says,

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish…” John 10:28

Great blessing and reward follow those who walk the walk. God made a covenant with His people and it was forever. If they had been able to keep that covenant it would still be in force today – but it isn’t. We broke it with our willful sin and so God had to establish a “New” Covenant with His people. But even in the Old Covenant God warned His people. He said,