Happy Friday! 

I spent the most wonderful day with my beautiful daughter. Geni treated me to lunch. We went to the mall where she got her nails done. We had a treat at The Cheesecake Factory and did a little shopping. I did not get my small daily home project done, but time spent with my daughter was so much more important. I love her a whole lot!

Prayer: God of greatness and light. God of goodness and life, You have filled me with joy. I have spent time in Your presence and remembered Your deeds of kindness, forgiveness, Presence and unfailing love. You have allowed me to lean on Your everlasting arms and have filled me with joy once again. The problems I face are not gone, but because Your sacred Word states that the joy of the Lord is my strength then I greatly rejoice in the trials because of Your continual Presence in my life. Lord, in Your mercy, hear this prayer. Amen.

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trails. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.”

1 Peter 1: 1: 6-8

Having joy does not mean that all the problems are gone. Joy is being secure in the knowledge that God is with us and gives us a new day to receive the joy given by His strength. God is present in the pleasant and the unwanted circumstances. The joy we are given as a gift with each new day is God’s presence in our lives and is sufficient for all situations we face, because we are God’s creation and God knows us intimately and better than we know ourselves. When things are going our way then the joy of the Lord is our total delight. When times are tough and life situations are really hard then it is the deep, bold joy that causes us to cling to God for the help we need. It takes courage to receive and act in the joy given to us by God. When we cling to God with gladness and praise we become filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.

Take joy in the journey remembering that hope never disappoints. Wear comfortable shoes, pray with a heart filled with gratitude cast your cares upon the Lord and get some sleep. God is up all night anyway and there is no reason for both of you to be awake. Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am only moved by what I believe and I believe God.