Thought for April 29

 History:

  • 1429: Joan of Arc arrives at the battle of Orleans
  • 1764: John Newton ordained a deacon [Amazing Grace]
  • 1852: First edition of Roget's Thesaurus published
  • 1918: Tris Speaker has 4 unassisted double plays in a game
  • 1943: Dietrich Bonhoeffer arrested by the Nazis
  • 1945: 31,601 liberated from Dacau
  • 1961: Wide World of Sports premiers
  • 1967: Aretha Franklin releases "Respect"
  • 1990: Wrecking balls begin destroying the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate
  • 1992: Riots begin after police are acquitted in Rodney King trial
  • 2004: Last Oldsmobile produced
  • 2018: "The Simpsons" passes "Gunsmoke" to have the most episodes 
  • 2020: U.S. Covid deaths exceed 26,000
  • Born: William Randolph Hearst, Duke Ellington, Hirohito, George Allen, Danny Davis [Nashville Brass], Rod McKuen, Willie Nelson, Bernie Madoff, Duane Allen [Oak Ridge Boys], Johnny Miller, Dale Earnhardt, Jerry Seinfeld, Eve Plumb, Michelle Pfeiffer, Reggie Miller, Andre Agassi, Uma Thurman, Jay Cutler, Justin Thomas
  • Died: Abraham Gesner [invented kerosene], Alfred Hitchcock, John Kenneth Galbraith, Bob Hoskins, Calvin Peete
Thought:
How is your joy today? Is your joy full? Half empty? Almost gone? Suppose we had a joy gage on our forehead that others could see. What would yours look like today---in the green or bouncing off the red.  Reading John 15:11 this morning. Jesus says that He has spoken to the disciples so that "My joy may be in you and that your joy will be made full." This causes me to ask what words Jesus spoke that were intended to fill me completely full of His joy. This time with the disciples began back in chapter 13 with the foot washing and Lord's Supper. What words has Jesus spoken to fill us with joy?
  • Love one another [13:34-35]. Want to be filled with joy--love one another as Jesus loves us. What a concept--loving others produces joy. And when we hate others, we sap our joy. 
  • Believe in Jesus [14:1]. Believe all of the promises of Jesus. We gain joy and fill our hearts with joy when we believe all the promises of Jesus--when we affirm that He will never leave or forsake us, we gain joy. When we understand that His grace is sufficient, we gain joy. Just go through His promises--believing, truly believing each one gives your heart joy. 
  • Believing that Jesus and the Father are one gives joy [14:7] Why? Because if you know Jesus then you are personally related to God the Father--adopted child, adopted by the King. Rejoice, your Father is King.
  • Knowing He hears and answers our prayers gives us joy [14:13-14; 15:7] The God of creation hears your prayers and answers them. That should bring joy to my heart.  
  • Knowing that we are not alone but have the indwelling Holy Spirit gives us joy [14:16-17]
  • Knowing that we are branches off the true vine gives us joy [15:1-7] As branches, the life that flows through the vine flows through us. I do not operate in my strength but in the strength of the vine who supplies all my needs for nourishment [Bread and Living Water]. 
Today, remember these truths and fill up your joy so that it overflows on everyone around you.

Blessings
Larry

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thought for July 19

History: 1553: Lady Jane Gray deposed after 9 days 1692: 5 people hung during Salem Witch Trials 1848: First women's rights convention -Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Wesleyan Chapel at Seneca Falls NY 1910: Cy Young wins his 500th game 1941: US Army flying school at Tuskegee AL dedicated 1945: USS Cod saves 51 sailors from Dutch sub--only sub-to-sub rescue 1957: Firing of first rocket with nuclear warhead-Nevada 1984: Geraldine Ferraro is first major party female VP candidate 1996: Olympics open in Atlanta 2007: Madmen debuts 2018: Duck Boat sinks in Table Rock Lake killing 17 Born: Samuel Colt, Edgar Degas [painter], Lizzie Borden, Charles Mayo [Mayo Clinic], George McGovern, Al Haig, George Hamilton IV, Vikki Carr, Ilie Nastase, Stuart Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch,  Died: Syngman Rhee [President South Korea], Clyde Beatty [circus animal trainer], Mary Jo Kopechne [passenger with Ted Kennedy], Jack Warden, Frank McCourt [Angela's Ashes], James Garner, Garry Marshall
Read more

Thought for November 23, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving!  1664: Blaise Pascal is converted following a vision. He wrote the date and time of his conversion and said, "Fire. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. Not of philosophers and intellectuals. Certitude, certitude, joy, peace. The God of Jesus Christ." Laid the foundation for the law of probabilities; genius in hydrodynamics and hydrostatics developing Pascal's principle of pressure; taught the experience of God through the heart rather than reason; mathematician and philosopher. 1783: Annapolis Maryland becomes U.S. Capitol until June 1784 1863: Patent for making color photographs granted 1889: First jukebox debuts in Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco 1897: Pencil sharpener patented 1904: Summer Olympics in St. Louis close [1st Olymics in U.S.] 1921: President Harding signs an Act prohibiting doctors from prescribing beer or liquor for medicinal purposes 1923: Cecil B. DeMille's first "The Ten Commandments" premiers
Read more

Thought for April 5, 2024

1722: Easter Island discovered 1792: First Presidential veto 1815: Mt. Tambora erupts. Largest eruption ever witnessed. Created year without summer in 1816--frost and snow in North America in June and July. Largest part of eruption on April 10th. Killed 10,000 in initial blast.  1906: Mt. Vesuvius erupts killing 100 1923: Firestone begins producing inflatable tires 1936: Tupelo almost completely destroyed by a tornado--216 die 1972: Baseball strike costs 86 games 2063: On "Star Trek", earth has its first contact with the Vulcan species Born: Thomas Hobbes, Joseph Lister, Booker T Washington, Spencer Tracy, Bette Davis, Gregory Peck, Arthur Hailey. Gale Storm, Frank Gorshin, Colin Powell, Pharrell Williams Died: Robert Raikes [Sunday School], Douglas MacArthur, Howard Hughes, Abe Fortas, Sam Walton, Allen Ginsberg, Saul Bellow, Charlton Heston, Honor Blackman Thought: Reading Daniel 1:5-7 this morning. Continuing with the thoughts about Nebuchadnezzar's plan. Having brough
Read more