Rejoice

I know you are reading this and saying, "easy for you to say."  Let me assure you it is not.  I have some sick sheep in great pain. Friends are dealing with cancer and life and death questions.  Marriages are struggling.  People close to me are looking for work.  I could go on, including my last week of our sewer backing up, the sewer people cut our phone/internet/cable like, my truck had to be repaired and we made two trips to Montgomery.  Add three hospital visits and one I could have made.  But I think you get the point.  So, I'm reading another preacher's work, a guy named Paul.  He writes, "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!"  This is from a person whose problems and trials make mine look like a walk in the park.  He was stoned, imprisoned, bitten by a snake, verbally abused and he writes this?  Why?
I heard it best from an old preacher who told me, "If you don't have God, you don't have anything.  If you have Jesus you have all you need."  Got folks in the hospital, take Jesus with you.  Got illness or pain, pray for healing.  Got inconveniences, pray for patience.  Got trouble, check out the one who said, "Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give your rest.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  Remember ... our great high priest, Jesus, has gone out before us.  He knows what we face.  He has been there.  He will always be there!  So, rejoice! Pastor Randy