BBD 07.08.03 Always Rejoicing

#1 · July 10, 2003, 2:48 am

Quote from Forum Archives on July 10, 2003, 2:48 am
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

Please consider supporting the Dreamquest Foundation to help those who are
homebound or homeless. www.dreamquestfoundation.org

Please sign the GuestMap at The Burning Bush website. You can plant your
country's flag on the map and leave a message. You can find it on the front
page at www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush Devotional
(Over 8,000 subscribers in 75 countries)

07.08.03

Always Rejoicing

But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much
patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in
imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; by
purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by
sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of
righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by
evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet
well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed;
as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having
nothing, and yet possessing all things. - II Corinthians 6:4-10.

Rejoice Always. I Thessalonians 5:16.

(This may all sound very negative but please bear with me because there is a
devotional thought here.) The summer of 2003 has so far been a difficult
summer for us. My father-in-law, who was like a father to me, passed away
at the first of June after being bedfast for many weeks requiring more and
more care. My mother has had a hip replacement surgery (She was already
homebound.) and stayed in a hospital in Oklahoma City for a week and a half
before being moved to a nursing home about an hour away from where I live.
She will have been there for about two and a half weeks this Friday. She
has not participated with even 30 minutes of physical therapy twice a day
and because of this will not be eligible for rehab, which requires over
three hours per day of therapy. My father is 81 years old and appears to be
in increasingly fragile health. Other factors and people are also
complicating the situation. In addition a family we are close to in our
church has been experiencing problems healthwise. Raymond was injured by a
cow (I spent 10 hours with Raymond in the emergency room.) and has a broken
pelvis and his wife, Imogene, has had several strokes which has made her
homebound (Raymond is also homebound for a least 30 days.)

On July 3rd I went to my doctor for a regular checkup and renewal of
prescriptions. When I arrived at the pharmacy I realized I did not have one
of the prescriptions I needed but the pharmacy said they would call the
doctor's office. I called Jeanie and asked her to pick up my prescription
later and left for home about 30 miles away. Jeanie called a couple of
hours later and the pharmacy had advised her that they could not get through
to the doctor's office. I called the doctor's office and they assured me
they would contact the pharmacy. When Jeanie arrived at the pharmacy at a
little after 5:00 pm she was told that a truck had hit a pole knocking out
electricity for that part of the city and all the workers had been sent
home. As a result I didn't have one of my blood pressure medications but
thought I could make it a day by taking more of another (The pharmacy was
closed the next day on Independence Day, July 4th.). I was wrong. Even
though I was able to start taking the medication again on Saturday I
developed a severe headache. During a wedding that afternoon (Saturday) I
stumbled over some of the words. Sunday morning my headache was severe and
I was unable to preach. I did preach Sunday night but had difficulty with
it. It was Tuesday before I was feeling better and only today back almost
to normal.

To be honest I have been unhappy, sorrowful, and miserable about some of
these difficulties. But with Paul I can say that even though I may be
sorrowful I am also always rejoicing. Joy is not the same as happiness.
Happiness is based on our circumstances. If I won the lottery I would be
happy and if I lost I would be unhappy (Although since I have never bought
a lottery ticket it will probably be difficult for me to win.). If I were
promoted on a job I would be happy but if I were passed over for that
promotion I would be unhappy. Joy, however, is not based on circumstances
but on our faith in the eternal faithfulness of our God and His promises.

I truly believe that Romans 8:28 (One of God's promises.) is always
operative no matter how bad the situation. I had the opportunity to preach
the message at my father-in-law's funeral. As a result I was able to
present to some family members and friends the plan of salvation and
encourage others who had wandered away from the Lord. Even though I spent
almost a week and a half with my mother in the hospital I was blessed to
have that time with her, my father, and my uncle who visited us while we
were there. When I returned home I discovered that I was a stronger person
because I had gone through that difficult time. Because I was unable to
preach Sunday morning our youth minister, Ryan Baker, preached only his
second sermon on short notice. As a result two decisions were made during
the invitation time and one of those decisions had been long awaited.

Yes, I have been unhappy about my difficulties but at the same time I have
been rejoicing because of what God is doing in my life and in the lives of
others as a result. I know that many who read this devotional have had much
greater difficulties than me. I pray that in the midst of your difficulties
and what may very well be misery that you will find the joy inexpressible (I
Peter 1:8). Let us be "always rejoicing" because we know that we can
rejoice and give thanks to God no matter what may occur (I Thessalonians
5:17). When those bad things happen remember that God knows - He wasn't
surprised and He will walk with you through whatever you must go through if
you are His child. Not only that He will bring good out of it all just as
He has promised!

Copyright © 2003. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited.

There is now a webpage available at associate.com where the devotionals are
archived associate.com/groups/burningbushdevo. There is a complete
archive at the Burning Bush website and the address for the archive is
www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You may subscribe to the pure text group by sending a blank email to
[email protected] and you can unsubscribe by sending a
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You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
[email protected] and you may unsubscribe by sending a
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Subscribe to the Burning Bush Prayer Group. Send and receive prayer requests
to over 300 members. Send a blank email to: [email protected]

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Inspirational Group. Send and receive
inspirational material to over 100 members. Send a blank email to:
[email protected]

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Restoration and Recovery Group for those with
addictions or recovering from addictions. Receive devotionals and
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receive prayer requests. Over 200 members. Send a blank email to:
[email protected]

Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

Please consider supporting the Dreamquest Foundation to help those who are
homebound or homeless. http://www.dreamquestfoundation.org

Please sign the GuestMap at The Burning Bush website. You can plant your
country's flag on the map and leave a message. You can find it on the front
page at http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush Devotional
(Over 8,000 subscribers in 75 countries)

07.08.03

Always Rejoicing

But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much
patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in
imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; by
purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by
sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of
righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by
evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet
well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed;
as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having
nothing, and yet possessing all things. - II Corinthians 6:4-10.

Rejoice Always. I Thessalonians 5:16.

(This may all sound very negative but please bear with me because there is a
devotional thought here.) The summer of 2003 has so far been a difficult
summer for us. My father-in-law, who was like a father to me, passed away
at the first of June after being bedfast for many weeks requiring more and
more care. My mother has had a hip replacement surgery (She was already
homebound.) and stayed in a hospital in Oklahoma City for a week and a half
before being moved to a nursing home about an hour away from where I live.
She will have been there for about two and a half weeks this Friday. She
has not participated with even 30 minutes of physical therapy twice a day
and because of this will not be eligible for rehab, which requires over
three hours per day of therapy. My father is 81 years old and appears to be
in increasingly fragile health. Other factors and people are also
complicating the situation. In addition a family we are close to in our
church has been experiencing problems healthwise. Raymond was injured by a
cow (I spent 10 hours with Raymond in the emergency room.) and has a broken
pelvis and his wife, Imogene, has had several strokes which has made her
homebound (Raymond is also homebound for a least 30 days.)

On July 3rd I went to my doctor for a regular checkup and renewal of
prescriptions. When I arrived at the pharmacy I realized I did not have one
of the prescriptions I needed but the pharmacy said they would call the
doctor's office. I called Jeanie and asked her to pick up my prescription
later and left for home about 30 miles away. Jeanie called a couple of
hours later and the pharmacy had advised her that they could not get through
to the doctor's office. I called the doctor's office and they assured me
they would contact the pharmacy. When Jeanie arrived at the pharmacy at a
little after 5:00 pm she was told that a truck had hit a pole knocking out
electricity for that part of the city and all the workers had been sent
home. As a result I didn't have one of my blood pressure medications but
thought I could make it a day by taking more of another (The pharmacy was
closed the next day on Independence Day, July 4th.). I was wrong. Even
though I was able to start taking the medication again on Saturday I
developed a severe headache. During a wedding that afternoon (Saturday) I
stumbled over some of the words. Sunday morning my headache was severe and
I was unable to preach. I did preach Sunday night but had difficulty with
it. It was Tuesday before I was feeling better and only today back almost
to normal.

To be honest I have been unhappy, sorrowful, and miserable about some of
these difficulties. But with Paul I can say that even though I may be
sorrowful I am also always rejoicing. Joy is not the same as happiness.
Happiness is based on our circumstances. If I won the lottery I would be
happy and if I lost I would be unhappy (Although since I have never bought
a lottery ticket it will probably be difficult for me to win.). If I were
promoted on a job I would be happy but if I were passed over for that
promotion I would be unhappy. Joy, however, is not based on circumstances
but on our faith in the eternal faithfulness of our God and His promises.

I truly believe that Romans 8:28 (One of God's promises.) is always
operative no matter how bad the situation. I had the opportunity to preach
the message at my father-in-law's funeral. As a result I was able to
present to some family members and friends the plan of salvation and
encourage others who had wandered away from the Lord. Even though I spent
almost a week and a half with my mother in the hospital I was blessed to
have that time with her, my father, and my uncle who visited us while we
were there. When I returned home I discovered that I was a stronger person
because I had gone through that difficult time. Because I was unable to
preach Sunday morning our youth minister, Ryan Baker, preached only his
second sermon on short notice. As a result two decisions were made during
the invitation time and one of those decisions had been long awaited.

Yes, I have been unhappy about my difficulties but at the same time I have
been rejoicing because of what God is doing in my life and in the lives of
others as a result. I know that many who read this devotional have had much
greater difficulties than me. I pray that in the midst of your difficulties
and what may very well be misery that you will find the joy inexpressible (I
Peter 1:8). Let us be "always rejoicing" because we know that we can
rejoice and give thanks to God no matter what may occur (I Thessalonians
5:17). When those bad things happen remember that God knows - He wasn't
surprised and He will walk with you through whatever you must go through if
you are His child. Not only that He will bring good out of it all just as
He has promised!

There is now a webpage available at associate.com where the devotionals are
archived associate.com/groups/burningbushdevo. There is a complete
archive at the Burning Bush website and the address for the archive is
http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You may subscribe to the pure text group by sending a blank email to
[email protected] and you can unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to [email protected]

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
[email protected] and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to [email protected]

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Prayer Group. Send and receive prayer requests
to over 300 members. Send a blank email to: [email protected]

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Inspirational Group. Send and receive
inspirational material to over 100 members. Send a blank email to:
[email protected]

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Restoration and Recovery Group for those with
addictions or recovering from addictions. Receive devotionals and
inspirational material directed toward those with addictions. Send and
receive prayer requests. Over 200 members. Send a blank email to:
[email protected]