| “Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved” (Phil. 4:1).
We as a society have been conditioned to believe in the big, the fast, the expensive and the far away. Whatever is big, fast, expensive, and away is the life of joy and happiness. I am convinced that if you have to move ten inches from where you are now in order to be happy, you never will be. Paul was in prison for Christ, yet he was content. Joseph was indeed in a mess down in Egypt, yet he was aware that God was working. John the Baptist had stumbled over the timeline that God had for him, but he was learning. The Lord Jesus operated by faith and not by feelings, and never moved from where His true peace was located. One can live with joy in their present circumstances and still live with expectation. Life becomes more precious and more special to us when we look for the little everyday miracles and get excited about the privilege of simply being human. There is a powerful story of a young man who was seeking God. He sought out a wise man who lived in a nearby beach house and posed the question: “Old man, how can I see God?” The old man who knew God at a depth few experience, pondered the question. At last he responded quietly: “Young man, I am not sure that I can help you–for you see, I have a different problem. I cannot not see him.” |